The Visually Induced Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (VIMSSQ): Estimating Individual Susceptibility to Motion Sickness-Like Symptoms When Using Visual Devices

Objective Two studies were conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire to estimate individual susceptibility to visually induced motion sickness (VIMS). Background VIMS is a common side-effect when watching dynamic visual content from various sources, such as virtual reality, movie theaters, or smartphones. A reliable questionnaire predicting individual susceptibility to VIMS is currently missing. The aim was to fill this gap by introducing the Visually Induced Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (VIMSSQ). Methods A survey and an experimental study were conducted. Survey: The VIMSSQ investigated the frequency of nausea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and eyestrain when using different visual devices. Data were collected from a survey of 322 participants for the VIMSSQ and other related phenomena such as migraine. Experimental study: 23 participants were exposed to a VIMS-inducing visual stimulus. Participants filled out the VIMSSQ together with other questionnaires and rated their level of VIMS using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). Results Survey: The most prominent symptom when using visual devices was eyestrain, and females reported more VIMS than males. A one-factor solution with good scale reliability was found for the VIMSSQ. Experimental study: Regression analyses suggested that the VIMSSQ can be useful in predicting VIMS (R2 = .34) as measured by the SSQ, particularly when combined with questions pertaining to the tendency to avoid visual displays and experience syncope (R2 = .59). Conclusion We generated normative data for the VIMSSQ and demonstrated its validity. Application The VIMSSQ can become a valuable tool to estimate one’s susceptibility to VIMS based on self-reports

Modification of bacterial cell membrane to accelerate decolorization of textile wastewater effluent using microbial fuel cells: role of gamma radiation

The aim of the present work was to increase bacterial adhesion on anode via inducing membrane modifications to enhance textile wastewater treatment in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). Real textile wastewater was used in mediator-less MFCs for bacterial enrichment. The enriched bacteria were pre-treated by exposure to 1 KGy gamma radiation and were tested in MFC setup. Bacterial cell membrane permeability and cell membrane charges were measured using noninvasive dielectric spectroscopy measurements. The results show that pre-treatment using gamma radiation resulted in biofilm formation and increased cell permeability and exopolysaccharide production; this was reflected in both MFC performance (average voltage 554.67 mV) and decolorization (96.42%) as compared to 392.77 mV and 60.76% decolorization for non-treated cells. At the end of MFC operation, cytotoxicity test was performed for treated wastewater using a dermal cell line, the results obtained show a decrease in toxicity from 24.8 to 0 (v/v%) when cells were exposed to gamma radiation. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed an increase in exopolysaccharides in bacterial consortium exposed to increasing doses of gamma radiation suggesting that gamma radiation increased exopolysaccharide production, providing transient media for electron transfer and contributing to accelerating MFC performance. Modification of bacterial membrane prior to MFC operation can be considered highly effective as a pre-treatment tool that accelerates MFC performance

Share of nations in 37 international public health journals : an equity and diversity perspective towards health research capacity building.

Background: This paper contributes to further exploration of inequity in access to health research capacity development by examining the representation of different nations in international public health journals. It also aims to examine the degree of diversity that exists in these journals.Methods: This study is a descriptive survey. It was done with objective sampling on 37 ISI health journals on October of 2008.The number and nationality of people in different editorial positions of the journals was identified. The second analy­sis involved recalculating the numbers obtained for each nation to the population size of nations per million inhabitants. In order to better compare countries in terms of presence in editorial team of the journals, a ‘public health editor equity gap ratio' (PHEEGR) was developed.Results: Low income countries have occupied none of the leadership positions of chief editor or associate /assistant chief editors and middle income countries at maximum shared less than 5 percent. The PHEEGR gap in access to the different editorial positions between highest to the lowest representation of countries was 16/1 for chief editors, 12/1 for associate editors , 335/1 for editorial boards and 202/1 for associate editorial boards. However, after normalizing the data to the country's population, the gap increased significantly.Conclusion: There is an imbalance and possibly even inequity in the composition of editorial boards and offices of interna­tional health journals that should be paid significant attention. This can contribute to fill the equity gap exists between health in developing and developed countries

Low-profile dual-band pixelated defected ground antenna for multistandard IoT devices.

A low-profile dual-band pixelated defected ground antenna has been proposed at 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands. This work presents a flexible design guide for achieving single-band and dual-band antenna using pixelated defected ground (PDG). The unique pixelated defected ground has been designed using the binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) algorithm. Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio incorporated with Matlab has been utilized in the antenna design process. The PDG configuration provides freedom of exploration to achieve the desired antenna performance. Compact antenna design can be achieved by making the best use of designated design space on the defected ground (DG) plane. Further, a V-shaped transfer function based on BPSO with fast convergence allows us to efficiently implement the PDG technique. In the design procedure, pixelization is applied to a small rectangular region of the ground plane. The square pixels on the designated defected ground area of the antenna have been formed using a binary bit string, consisting of 512 bits taken during each iteration of the algorithm. The PDG method is concerned with the shape of the DG and does not rely on the geometrical dimension analysis used in traditional defected ground antennas. Initially, three single band antennas have been designed at 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz and 5.8 GHz using PDG technique. Finally, same PDG area has been used to design a dual-band antenna at 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz. The proposed antenna exhibits almost omnidirectional radiation performance with nearly 90% efficiency. It also shows dual radiation pattern property with similar patterns having different polarizations at each operational band. The antenna is fabricated on a ROGERS RO4003 substrate with 1.52 mm thickness. Reflection coefficient and radiation patterns are measured to validate its performance. The simulated and measured results of the antenna are closely correlated. The proposed antenna is suitable for different applications in Internet of Things

High-Sensitivity and Compact Time Domain Soil Moisture Sensor Using Dispersive Phase Shifter for Complex Permittivity Measurement

This article presents a time domain transmissometry soil moisture sensor (TDT-SMS) using a dispersive phase shifter (DPS), consisting of an interdigital capacitor that is loaded with a stacked four-turn complementary spiral resonator (S4-CSR). Soil moisture measurement technique of the proposed sensor is based on the complex permittivity sensing property of a DPS in time domain. Soil relative permittivity which varies with its moisture content is measured by burying the DPS under a soil mass and changing its phase difference while excited with a 114-MHz sine wave (single tone). DPS output phase and magnitude are compared with the reference signal and measured with a phase/loss detector. The proposed sensor exhibits accuracy better than ±1.2% at the highest volumetric water content (VWC = 30%) for sandy-type soil. Precise design guide is developed and simulations are performed to achieve a highly sensitive sensor. The measurement results validate the accuracy of theoretical analysis and design procedure. Owning the advantages of low profile, low power consumption, and high sensitivity makes the proposed TDT-SMS a good candidate for precision farming and internet of things (IoT) systems

Development of novel antibacterial active, HaCaT biocompatible and biodegradable CA-g-P(3HB)-EC biocomposites with caffeic acid as a functional entity

International audienceWe have developed novel composites by grafting caffeic acid (CA) onto the P(3HB)-EC based material and laccase from Trametes versicolor was used for grafting purposes. The resulting composites were designated as CA-g-P(3HB)EC i.e., P(3HB)-EC (control), 5CA-g-P(3HB)-EC, 10CA-g-P(3HB)-EC, 15CA-g-P(3HB)-EC and 20CA-g-P(3HB)-EC. FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) was used to examine the functional and elemental groups of the control and laccase-assisted graft composites. Evidently, 15CA-g-P(3HB)-EC composite exhibited resilient antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Moreover, a significant level of biocompatibility and biodegradability of the CA-g-P(3HB)-EC composites was also achieved with the human keratinocytes-like HaCaT cells and soil burial evaluation, respectively. In conclusion, the newly developed novel composites with multi characteristics could well represent the new wave of biomaterials for medical applications, and more specifically have promising future in the infection free would dressings, burn and/or skin regeneration field due to their sophisticated characteristics

A de novo evolved gene in the house mouse regulates female pregnancy cycles

The de novo emergence of new genes has been well documented through genomic analyses. However, a functional analysis, especially of very young protein-coding genes, is still largely lacking. Here, we identify a set of house mouse-specific protein-coding genes and assess their translation by ribosome profiling and mass spectrometry data. We functionally analyze one of them, ̑extitGm13030}, which is specifically expressed in females in the oviduct. The interruption of the reading frame affects the transcriptional network in the oviducts at a specific stage of the estrous cycle. This includes the upregulation of ̑extit{Dcpp} genes, which are known to stimulate the growth of preimplantation embryos. As a consequence, knockout females have their second litters after shorter times and have a higher infanticide rate. Given that ̑extit{Gm13030 shows no signs of positive selection, our findings support the hypothesis that a de novo evolved gene can directly adopt a function without much sequence adaptation

Design of a single chamber air cathode microbial fuel cell using a stainless steel spiral anode and 3D printing techniques for continuous flow dye decolourisation

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) offer a novel solution in wastewater treatment systems. Their capacity for COD removal and concomitant electricity generation are highly attractive properties for reducing costs & environmental impacts in industry. MFCs require expensive membranes & catalysts such as Nafion and platinum respectively to achieve increased power output, but the cost of these materials is prohibitive for real world applications. An air breathing, 1 litre-scale spiral anode MFC was designed (Fig. 1) to provide a high electrode surface area to reactor volume ratio using commonly and cheaply available materials such as stainless steel and activated carbon. Non-platinum group metal catalysts (FeAAPyr family) were integrated into a PVDF cathode fabricated using single step phase inversion to improve rate of the oxygen reduction reaction. Anode surface area was maximized by concertina folding and spiral arrangement and its surface was modified using sulphuric acid, heat treatment & carbon black adsorption to provide a more biocompatible surface for biofilms. The performance characteristics of the designed MFC are currently being investigated. Decolourisation of Acid orange-7 azo dye & COD removal were initially investigated in recirculating batch mode followed by continuous flow configuration with a hydraulic retention time of 36 hours. Optimisation of hydraulic retention times, cathode construction & anode surface modification will present a feasible system for the scale up of microbial fuel cells for industrial use, maximizing COD removal & electricity production

A morphometric study of sea urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville, 1825) on beaches of Lengeh Port, Persian Gulf

Some of valuable species of Persian Gulf, such as sea urchins, are accounted less scientific studies due to the lack of any position in the local food baskets. Therefore, this survey is investigated the biometrical parameters of sea urchin Echinometra mathaei for a period of seven months (March– September, 2014) in the intertidal zone of Lengeh Port (26˚32ʹ28̋ N, 54˚52ʹ29̋ E). Random samples were collected monthly during spring tides and transferred alive to the laboratory and then the dissection and the separation of different parts of the body were started. Each part of the body length and weight was measured. By a mathematical method the volume of samples was calculated as an elliptical object. This study illustrated the largest and smallest sample were 0.07 and 103.77 grams, respectively. Results showed that the relationships between Total wet weight and Test Diameter (Total Wet Weight = 0.0053 Test Diameter2.3933), Total Wet Weight and Height (Total Wet Weight = 0.0122 Height2.5872) and Total Wet Weight and Volume (Total Wet Weight= 0.0071 Volume0.8706). The correlation coefficient between volume and total wet weight of samples was r=0.94 which shows the accuracy of Disk method. On the other hand, the HDR index was more in compared with the HWR index and it illustrates larger values of Test Diameter in compare with Height. Statical analyses prove that higher values of DWR in compared with HWR are reasonable and accurate in both sexes