Propagation Modelling and Measurements in a Populated Indoor Environment at 5.2GHz

Human occupants within indoor environments are not always stationary and their movement will lead to temporal channel variations that strongly affect the quality of indoor wireless communication systems. This paper describes a statistical channel characterization, based on experimental measurements, of human body effects on line-of-sight indoor narrowband propagation at 5.2 GHz. The analysis shows that, as the number of pedestrians within the measurement location increases, the Ricean K-factor that best fits the empirical data tends to decrease proportionally, ranging from K=7 with 1 pedestrian to K=0 with 4 pedestrians. Level crossing rate results were Rice distributed, while average fade duration results were significantly higher than theoretically computed Rice and Rayleigh, due to the fades caused by pedestrians. A novel CDF that accurately characterizes the 5.2 GHz channel in the considered indoor environment is proposed. For the first time, the received envelope CDF is explicitly described in terms of a quantitative measurement of pedestrian traffic within the indoor environment

Spinal epidural abscess: a rare complication of olecranon bursitis

Spinal epidural abscess is a rare but potentially fatal condition if left untreated. We report the case of a 67-year old man who presented to the Accident and Emergency department complaining of acute onset of inter-scapular back pain, left leg weakness and loss of sensation in the left foot. On examination he was found to be pyrexial with long tract signs in the left lower leg. In addition he had a left sided olecranon bursitis of three weeks duration. Blood tests revealed raised inflammatory markers and a staphylococcal bacteremia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the diagnosis of spinal epidural abscess and he subsequently underwent a three level laminectomy with good resolution of his back pain and neurological symptoms. He has made a complete recovery with a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics

Elective Modernism and the Politics of (Bio) Ethical Expertise

In this essay I consider whether the political perspective of third wave science studies – ‘elective modernism’ – offers a suitable framework for understanding the policy-making contributions that (bio)ethical experts might make. The question arises as a consequence of the fact that I have taken inspiration from the third wave in order to develop an account of (bio)ethical expertise. I offer a précis of this work and a brief summary of elective modernism before considering their relation. The view I set out suggests that elective modernism is a political philosophy and that although its use in relation to the use of scientific expertise in political and policy-making process has implications for the role of (bio)ethical expertise it does not, in the final analysis, provide an account that is appropriate for this latter form of specialist expertise. Nevertheless, it is an informative perspective, and one that can help us make sense of the political uses of (bio)ethical expertise

Gender influence on participation in cassava value chains in smallholder farming sectors : evidence from Kigoma region, Tanzania

When the agricultural value chain involves profit making, it results in changes in the production and distribution relationships among men and women in terms of access to and control of markets, resources and benefits emanating from product value chain participation. This affects not only individual incomes but also gender equality. This study examined gender relationships in the cassava value chain in the Kigoma region of Tanzania. The aim was to assess gender participation in the cassava value chain. Multi-stage sampling was used to select the respondents in four districts. A structured questionnaire was administered to 384 randomly selected household heads. A chi-square test was used to test for significant relationships among the variables. Results indicated that gender was significantly related to socio-economic characteristics. About 34% of the women participating in the cassava value chain were young, some below 17 years of age. There were significant relationships between gender and access to resources (land, extension services and markets), control over resources (land, house and household assets) and benefits (revenue) generated from cassava value chains. Overall, there was gender disparity in participation along the cassava value chain. These results suggest that any intervention in the cassava value chain should consider gender relations to benefit men and women and alleviate household poverty.https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/experimental-agriculturehj2020Anthropology and Archaeolog

Submillimeter Studies of Prestellar Cores and Protostars: Probing the Initial Conditions for Protostellar Collapse

Improving our understanding of the initial conditions and earliest stages of protostellar collapse is crucial to gain insight into the origin of stellar masses, multiple systems, and protoplanetary disks. Observationally, there are two complementary approaches to this problem: (1) studying the structure and kinematics of prestellar cores observed prior to protostar formation, and (2) studying the structure of young (e.g. Class 0) accreting protostars observed soon after point mass formation. We discuss recent advances made in this area thanks to (sub)millimeter mapping observations with large single-dish telescopes and interferometers. In particular, we argue that the beginning of protostellar collapse is much more violent in cluster-forming clouds than in regions of distributed star formation. Major breakthroughs are expected in this field from future large submillimeter instruments such as Herschel and ALMA.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Chemistry as a Diagnostic of Star Formation" (C.L. Curry & M. Fich eds.

Randomised controlled trial of mammographic screening in women from age 40: results of screening in the first 10 years

Debate continues over the effectiveness of screening by mammography in women below age 50. We report here on results of screening in the first 10 years of a randomised trial to study the effect on breast cancer mortality of invitation to annual mammography from age 40 to 41 compared to first invitation to the 3-yearly UK national programme at age 50–52. The trial is taking place in 23 NHS breast screening centres. Between 1991 and 1997, 160 921 women were randomised in the ratio 1 : 2 to intervention and control arms. Screening is by two views at first screen and single view subsequently; data on screening up to and including round five are now complete. Uptake of invitation to screening is between 68 and 70% at all but the latest screening rounds. Rates of referral for assessment are 4.6% at first screen and 3.4% at subsequent screens. Invasive cancer detection rates are 0.09% at first screen, and similar at rescreens until the sixth and later screens. There is little evidence of regular mammography in the trial control arm. The setting of this trial within the NHS breast screening programme should ensure applicability of results to a national programme

Radiation-induced malignancies following radiotherapy for breast cancer

With advances in diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer is becoming an increasingly survivable disease resulting in a large population of long-term survivors. Factors affecting the quality of life of such patients include the consequences of breast cancer treatment, which may have involved radiotherapy. In this study, we compare the incidence of second primary cancers in women who received breast radiotherapy with that in those who did not (non-radiotherapy). All women studied received surgery for their first breast cancer. Second cancers of the lung, colon, oesophagus and thyroid gland, malignant melanomas, myeloid leukaemias and second primary breast cancers were studied. Comparing radiotherapy and non-radiotherapy cohorts, elevated relative risks (RR) were observed for lung cancer at 10-14 years and 15 or more (15+) years after initial breast cancer diagnosis (RR 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.54 and RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.05-2.14, respectively), and for myeloid leukaemia at 1-5 years (RR 2.99, 95% CI 1.13-9.33), for second breast cancer at 5-10 years (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.10-1.63) and 15+ years (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.00-1.59) and oesophageal cancer at 15+ years (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.10-4.62)

Cancer symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in England – Are we clear on cancer?

Background: Low cancer awareness may contribute to delayed diagnosis and poor cancer survival. We aimed to quantify socio-demographic differences in cancer symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in the English population. Methods: Using a uniquely large data set (n=49?270), we examined the association of cancer symptom awareness and barriers to presentation with age, gender, marital status and socio-economic position (SEP), using logistic regression models to control for confounders. Results: The youngest and oldest, the single and participants with the lowest SEP recognised the fewest cancer symptoms, and reported most barriers to presentation. Recognition of nine common cancer symptoms was significantly lower, and embarrassment, fear and difficulties in arranging transport to the doctor’s surgery were significantly more common in participants living in the most deprived areas than in the most affluent areas. Women were significantly more likely than men to both recognise common cancer symptoms and to report barriers. Women were much more likely compared with men to report that fear would put them off from going to the doctor. Conclusions: Large and robust socio-demographic differences in recognition of some cancer symptoms, and perception of some barriers to presentation, highlight the need for targeted campaigns to encourage early presentation and improve cancer outcomes