02/28/1984 - Cager Could Come Up With Upset

We propose the realization of a compact fully-passive biotelemetry tag composed of a high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) connected to a wireless link. The Gallium Arsenide based gateless HEMT serves both as the environmental sensing element and as the amplitude modulator of the carrier signal received by the antenna. A prototype demonstrator operating in the MHz range has been developed: it consists of an array of transistors with different gate geometries and two spiral loop resonators implementing the wireless link. More specifically, one resonator (Tag-resonator) is connected to the array of transistors, while the other one (Reader-resonator) is connected to a power generator/reader device; the wireless link uses the magnetic coupling between the two resonators. Experimental results demonstrate that the reader-resonator exhibits an intensity modulation of the resonance dip depending on the voltage applied to the HEMT gate. These results will be used as a guideline for the realization of biocompatible sub-millimeter tags operating in the Gigahertz frequency range

Analysis of shared common genetic risk between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy

Because hyper-excitability has been shown to be a shared pathophysiological mechanism, we used the latest and largest genome-wide studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 36,052) and epilepsy (n = 38,349) to determine genetic overlap between these conditions. First, we showed no significant genetic correlation, also when binned on minor allele frequency. Second, we confirmed the absence of polygenic overlap using genomic risk score analysis. Finally, we did not identify pleiotropic variants in meta-analyses of the 2 diseases. Our findings indicate that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy do not share common genetic risk, showing that hyper-excitability in both disorders has distinct origins

Genetic correlation between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia

A. Palotie on työryhmän Schizophrenia Working Grp Psychiat jäsen.We have previously shown higher-than-expected rates of schizophrenia in relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting an aetiological relationship between the diseases. Here, we investigate the genetic relationship between ALS and schizophrenia using genome-wide association study data from over 100,000 unique individuals. Using linkage disequilibrium score regression, we estimate the genetic correlation between ALS and schizophrenia to be 14.3% (7.05-21.6; P = 1 x 10(-4)) with schizophrenia polygenic risk scores explaining up to 0.12% of the variance in ALS (P = 8.4 x 10(-7)). A modest increase in comorbidity of ALS and schizophrenia is expected given these findings (odds ratio 1.08-1.26) but this would require very large studies to observe epidemiologically. We identify five potential novel ALS-associated loci using conditional false discovery rate analysis. It is likely that shared neurobiological mechanisms between these two disorders will engender novel hypotheses in future preclinical and clinical studies.Peer reviewe

Resonant Inductive Link for Remote Powering of Pacemakers

This paper presents a wireless power link for powering implantable medical devices. The proposed link operates at 403 MHz and exploits magnetic coupling between an external resonator and an implanted resonator to wirelessly provide power to implantable devices. Experimental results for remote powering of pacemakers are reported and the compliance with safety guidelines is discussed. It is demonstrated that the proposed wireless link is able to deliver up to 1 mW with an induced 10-g average specific absorption rate lower than 1.08 W/kg. This value is significantly below the 2-W/kg recommended limit, thus proving the suitability of the proposed system to be used to energize modern pacemakers

Resonant Energy Scavenger for Sensor Powering by Spurious Emissions From Compact Fluorescent Lamps

This paper focuses 1 on power generation by spurious electromagnetic emissions from compact fluorescent lamps. Based on magnetic induction, a novel device consisting of a resonant loop and an RF-to-dc voltage converter is presented. Experimental tests referring to different configurations and fluorescent lamps are reported and discussed. It is demonstrated that the proposed harvester is an optimum candidate for enabling energy autonomy of a wireless sensor node

Power generation by spurious emissions from compact fluorescent lamps

Based on a magnetic coupling, this paper presents a novel device for power generation by spurious electromagnetic emissions from compact fluorescent lamps. The proposed scavenger consists of a resonant loop and an RF-to-DC voltage converter. Results of experimental tests performed with a 30 W compact fluorescent lamp are reported and discussed. It is shown that 0.61 mW can be generated, thus demonstrating the suitability of the proposed device for powering low-consumption sensors

Energy harvesting of spurious emissions of compact fluorescent lamps for home monitoring applications

This paper proposes a novel harvester for sensors powering by spurious electromagnetic emissions from compact fluorescent lamps. The proposed device is based on a magnetic coupling and consists of a resonant loop and an RF-to-DC rectifier. Experimental results are reported and discussed. It is shown that up to 0.61 mW can be generated from a 30 W compact fluorescent lamp, thus demonstrating that the proposed harvester is an optimum candidate for powering low-power sensors

Analysis of shared common genetic risk between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy

Because hyper-excitability has been shown to be a shared pathophysiological mechanism, we used the latest and largest genome-wide studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 36,052) and epilepsy (n = 38,349) to determine genetic overlap between these conditions. First, we showed no significant genetic correlation, also when binned on minor allele frequency. Second, we confirmed the absence of polygenic overlap using genomic risk score analysis. Finally, we did not identify pleiotropic variants in meta-analyses of the 2 diseases. Our findings indicate that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy do not share common genetic risk, showing that hyper-excitability in both disorders has distinct origins