CERN Storage Systems for Large-Scale Wireless

The project aims at evaluating the use of CERN computing infrastructure for next generation sensor networks data analysis. The proposed system allows the simulation of a large-scale sensor array for traffic analysis, streaming data to CERN storage systems in an efficient way. The data are made available for offline and quasi-online analysis, enabling both long term planning and fast reaction on the environment

WSN and RFID Integration in the IoT scenario: an Advanced Safety System for Industrial Plants

The paper proposes and discusses the integration of WSN and RFID technologies in the IoT scenario. The proposed approach is based on the REST paradigm, thanks to which the two technologies can be seamless integrated by representing sensors, actuators and RFID related data as network resources globally addressable through state-of-the-art IoT protocols. The integration approach is detailed for the Smart Factory use case by proposing and developing an advanced IoT-based WSN and RFID integrated solution aiming at improving safety in industrial plants. The developed system can guarantee a safe access to factory dangerous areas in which safety equipments are required. In the paper, the system design is first presented, then, all the developed hardware and software solutions are described before presenting system performance results in a real test bed. System performance are reported in terms of response time and accuracy for authorization control and location tracking applications

Virtual Resources for the Internet of Things

We present Virtual Resources: a software architecture to resolve the tension between effective development and efficient operation of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Emerging IoT architectures exhibit recurring traits: resource-limited sensors and actuators with RESTful interfaces at one end; full-fledged Cloud-hosted applications at the opposite end. The application logic resides entirely at the latter, creating performance issues such as excessive energy consumption and high latencies. To ameliorate these, Virtual Resources allows developers to push a slice of the application logic to intermediate IoT devices, creating a continuum between physical resources and Cloud-hosted applications. With Virtual Resources, for example, developers can push processing of sensed data to IoT devices close to the physical sensors, reducing the data to transmit and thus saving energy. We describe the key concepts of Virtual Resources and their realization in a CoAP prototype atop resource-constrained devices. Experimental results from cycle-accurate emulation indicate that Virtual Resources enable better performance than Cloud-centric architectures, while retaining the RESTful interaction pattern. For example, energy consumption in representative scenarios improves up to 40% and control loop latencies reduce up to 60%

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections during cancer therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are drugs growingly employed in the treatment of cancers, but there are still uncertainties about their possible role in the risk of developing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections. To understand this, we performed a systematic review of the literature including studies published between 20 June 2012 and 20 June 2022 which described the occurrence of NTM infections among patients treated with ICIs. Overall, we included seven studies describing nine patients with NTM infection occurring during ICIs therapy. NTM infections occurring during ICIs therapy are mainly caused by germs belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex, involve primarily the lungs, on average 1 year after the start of treatment, and are not associated with immunosuppressive treatments

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria lung disease due to Mycobacterium chimaera in a 67-year-old man treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors for lung adenocarcinoma: infection due to dysregulated immunity?

Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are drugs growingly employed in cancer immunotherapy which have significantly improved the prognosis of several tumours. ICIs act by restoring the “exhausted” immune system and increasing the number of T cells active against pathogens losing tolerogenic signalling, which has been linked to an increased risk of infectious events. We present the case of a 67-year-old man with locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma treated with the anti-PD-L1 durvalumab. Three months after immunotherapy started, an apparent radiological progression was found with elements suggesting a parenchymal superinfection associated with weight loss, asthenia, and sputum emission. A bronchoalveolar lavage resulted positive for Mycobacterium chimaera, and treatment with amikacin iv (for eight weeks) and daily azithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin was started. Thirteen months after treatment started, the patient is alive with a stable lung condition. The case highlights the risk of non-tuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD) in patients receiving ICIs treatment. We hypothesise that durvalumab induced an exaggerated immune response toward the mycobacteria, leading to immunopathology and overt clinical manifestations. Clinicians should be aware of this possibility in patients receiving ICIs developing new signs/symptoms related to the respiratory tract, especially in countries with a high prevalence of NTM-LD

Critical water contents at leaf, stem and root level leading to irreversible drought-induced damage in two woody and one herbaceous species

Plant water content is a simple and promising parameter for monitoring drought-driven plant mortality risk. However, critical water content thresholds leading to cell damage and plant failure are still unknown. Moreover, it is unclear whether whole-plant or a specific organ water content is the most reliable indicator of mortality risk. We assessed differences in dehydration thresholds in leaf, stem and root samples, hampering the organ-specific rehydration capacity and increasing the mortality risk. We also tested eventual differences between a fast experimental dehydration of uprooted plants, compared to long-term water stress induced by withholding irrigation in potted plants. We investigated three species with different growth forms and leaf habits i.e., Helianthus annuus (herbaceous), Populus nigra (deciduous tree) and Quercus ilex (evergreen tree). Results obtained by the two dehydration treatments largely overlapped, thus validating bench dehydration as a fast but reliable method to assess species-specific critical water content thresholds. Regardless of the organ considered, a relative water content value of 60% induced significant cell membrane damage and loss of rehydration capacity, thus leading to irreversible plant failure and death

Varia

Le Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO) couvre l’ensemble des champs de l’égyptologie depuis sa première publication en 1901. Le BIFAO 118 regroupe 18 contributions dont l’aire chronologique s’étend de l’Ancien Empire jusqu’à l’époque byzantine et qui illustrent l’état des recherches actuelles dans les domaines de l’archéologie, l’épigraphie, la lexicographie, l’iconographie, la religion et la philologie. The Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO) has covered the entire field of egyptology since its first appearance in 1901. The BIFAO 118 holds 18 contributions with a chronological spread from the Old Kingdom up to the Byzantine period, and it illustrates the present state of research in the areas of archaeology, epigraphy, lexicography, iconography, religion and philology