Effectiveness of Air Cleaning Systems in Crushing Zones of Dressing Mills

Body sensor networks (BSN) are an important research topic due to various advantages over conventional measurement equipment. One main advantage is the feasibility to deploy a BSN system for 24/7 health monitoring applications. The requirements for such an application are miniaturization of the network nodes and the use of wireless data transmission technologies to ensure wearability and ease of use. Therefore, the reliability of such a system depends on the quality of the wireless data transmission. At present, most BSNs use ZigBee or other IEEE 802.15.4 based transmission technologies. Here, we evaluated the performance of a wireless transmission system of a novel BSN for biomedical applications in the 433 MHz ISM band, called Integrated Posture and Activity NEtwork by Medit Aachen (IPANEMA) BSN. The 433 MHz ISM band is used mostly by implanted sensors and thus allows easy integration of such into the BSN. Multiple measurement scenarios have been assessed, including varying antenna orientations, transmission distances and the number of network participants. The mean packet loss rate (PLR) was 0.63% for a single slave, which is comparable to IEEE 802.15.4 BSNs in the proximity of Bluetooth or WiFi networks. Secondly, an enhanced version is evaluated during on-body measurements with five slaves. The mean PLR results show a comparable good performance for measurements on a treadmill (2.5%), an outdoor track (3.4%) and in a climate chamber (1.5%)

Polycythemia Vera Presenting as Tinnitus and Hearing Loss: A Case Report

BACKGROUND: Polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by erythrocytosis and commonly associated with the JAK2 V617F mutation. PV is a relatively rare disease with a prevalence rate of 22 per 100,000. Historically, hearing impairments were first described as a complication of PV in 1963, and it was stated that symptoms recovered after a phlebotomy. Occlusion and thrombosis of the feeding labyrinthine artery causing cochlear ischemia were thought to be the cause of such symptoms and complaints. CASE PRESENTATION: We are reporting a case of PV that was presented in our ENT outpatient clinic. The patient presented with a main complaint of sudden-onset bilateral tinnitus with one-sided hearing loss. The patient was treated medically with hydroxyurea, aspirin, and phlebotomy. On improvement of the hematological parameters, the patient noted an improvement in his hearing and it was confirmed with the finding on the repeated hearing assessment. CONCLUSION: This case emphasizes the importance of otolaryngologists remaining vigilant and maintaining a high index of suspicion as PV can present with audiological symptoms. The early diagnosis and initiation of treatment can improve patients’ hearing and reduce the morbidity of such patients

A Place to Stand

The first part of a novel submitted to the University of Canterbury to fulfil the requirements of the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing