Deep Reinforcement Learning for Multi-User RF Charging with Non-linear Energy Harvesters

Radio frequency (RF) wireless power transfer (WPT) is a promising technology for sustainable support of massive Internet of Things (IoT). However, RF-WPT systems are characterized by low efficiency due to channel attenuation, which can be mitigated by precoders that adjust the transmission directivity. This work considers a multi-antenna RF-WPT system with multiple non-linear energy harvesting (EH) nodes with energy demands changing over discrete time slots. This leads to the charging scheduling problem, which involves choosing the precoders at each slot to minimize the total energy consumption and meet the EH requirements. We model the problem as a Markov decision process and propose a solution relying on a low-complexity beamforming and deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The results show that the proposed beamforming achieves near-optimal performance with low computational complexity, and the DDPG-based approach converges with the number of episodes and reduces the system's power consumption, while the outage probability and the power consumption increase with the number of devices.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Nanomedicines towards targeting intracellular Mtb for the treatment of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), causes the most human deaths than any other diseases from a single infectious agent. Treatments are long and costly and have many associated side effects. Intracellular bacilli are slow growing and difficult to target, which is augmenting the emergence of multi?drug resistance. A hallmark trait of TB is the formation of granulomas, chronic cellular aggregates, which limit bacterial growth but provides a survival reservoir where bacilli may disseminate from. Targeting intracellular Mtb is challenging, but nanomedicine may offer a solution. Nanomedicine is a significantly growing research area and offers the potential for specific disease targeting, dosage reduction, and intracellular drug delivery. This review discusses the application of the various forms of nanomedicine towards targeting of Mtb

Genetic enhancement of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] germplasm through wide hybridization

IntroductionThe introgression of genetic material from one species to another through wide hybridization and repeated back-crossing, plays an important role in genetic modification and enriching the cultivated gene-pool with novel genetic variations. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus [(L.) Moench)] is a popular vegetable crop with high dietary fibre and protein, rich in essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. The wild Abelmoschus genepool has many desirable traits like ornamental value, short internodal length, more number of productive branches, extended bearing, perennation tendency, reduced fruit length (more consumer preferred trait), high mucilage content (medicinal value), abiotic stress tolerances such as drought, high temperature and biotic stress resistances such as okra Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (YVMV) and Enation Leaf Curl Virus (ELCV) diseases. The repeated use of elite breeding lines led to narrowing of the genetic base of the okra crop, one of the major factors attributed to breakdown of resistance/ tolerance to biotic stresses. YVMV and ELCV are the two major diseases, causing significant yield loss in okra. Hence, wide hybridization was attempted to transfer tolerance genes from wild species to the cultivated genepool to widen the genetic base.Material and methodsThe screening of germplasm of wild Abelmoschus species at hotspots led to the identification of tolerant species (Abelmoschus pungens var. mizoramensis, A. enbeepeegeearensis, A. caillei, A. tetraphyllus and A. angulosus var. grandiflorus), which were further used in a wide-hybridization programme to generate interspecific hybrids with the cultivated okra. Presence of pre- and post-zygotic barriers to interspecific geneflow, differences in ploidy levels and genotype specific variations in chromosome numbers led to varying degrees of sterility in F1 plants of interspecific crosses. This was overcome by doubling the chromosome number of interspecific hybrids by applying Colchicine at the seedling stage. The 113 cross derivatives generated comprising amphidiploids in the F1 generation (30), F3 (14), one each in F2 and F4 generations, back cross generation in BC1F2 (03), BC1F3 (25), and BC2F3 (02), crosses between amphidiploids (27), multi-cross combinations (07) and inter-specific cross (between A. sagittifolius × A. moschatus subsp. moschatus) selfed derivatives at F8 generation (03) were characterized in the present study. Besides they were advanced through selfing and backcrossing.Results and DiscussionThe amphidiploids were found to possess many desirable genes with a considerable magnitude of linkage drag. Majority of the wide cross derivatives had an intermediate fruit morphology and dominance of wild characters viz., hispid fruits, stem, leaves, tough fruit fibre, vigorous perennial growth habit and prolonged flowering and fruiting. The fruit morphology of three BC progenies exhibited a high morphological resemblance to the cultivated okra, confirming successful transfer of useful genes to the cultivated okra genepool. The detailed morphological characteristics of the various combinations of Abelmoschus amphidiploids and the genetic enhancement of the genepool achieved in this process is reported here

Wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping of intermediate redshift quasars HE 0413-4031 and HE 0435-4312: Dissecting Mg II, optical Fe II, and UV Fe II emission regions

We present the wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping (RM) of combined MgII and UV FeII broad-line emissions for two intermediate redshifts (z$\sim$1), luminous quasars - HE 0413-4031 and HE 0435-4312, monitored by the SALT and 1-m class telescopes between 2012-2022. Through this technique, we aim to disentangle the Mg II and FeII emission regions and to build a radius-luminosity relation for UV FeII emission, which has so far remained unconstrained. Several methodologies have been applied to constrain the time delays for total MgII and FeII emissions. In addition, this technique is performed to quantify the inflow or outflow of broad-line region gas around the supermassive black hole and to disentangle the emission/emitting regions from lines produced in proximity to each other. The mean total FeII time delay is nearly equal to the mean total Mg II time delay for HE 0435-4312 suggesting a co-spatiality of their emissions. However, in HE 0413-4031, the mean FeII time delay is found to be longer than the mean MgII time delay, suggesting that FeII is produced at longer distances from the black hole. The UV Fe II R-L relation is updated with these two quasars and compared with the optical FeII relation, which suggests that the optical FeII region is located further than the UV FeII by a factor of 1.7-1.9 i.e. $R_{\rm FeII-opt}\sim(1.7-1.9)R_{\rm FeII-UV}$. We detected a weak pattern in the time delay vs. wavelength relation, suggesting that the MgII broad-line originates a bit closer to the SMBH than the UV FeII, however, the difference is not very significant. Comparison of MgII, UV, and optical FeII R-L relations suggests that the difference may be larger for lower-luminosity sources, possibly with the MgII emission originating further from the SMBH. In the future, more RM data will be acquired to put better constraints on these trends, in particular the UV FeII R-L relation.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables, Accepted for publication in A&A, in Pres

Health facilities readiness for standard precautions to infection prevention and control in Nepal: A secondary analysis of Nepal Health Facility Survey 2021

Data Availability: The data is available publicly in the open-access repository. The data can be downloaded from the official website of “The Demographic and Health Surveys” program (https://dhsprogram.com/data/dataset/Nepal_SPA_2021.cfm?flag=0). The dataset used in this study has been deposited to Open Science Framework (OSF) public repository with URL: https://osf.io/bkyva/.Acknowledgments: We would like to thank “The DHS program” for data access.Supporting information is available online at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0307589#sec020 .Background: Improvements in standard precaution related to infection prevention and control (IPC) at the national and local-level health facilities (HFs) are critical to ensuring patient’s safety, preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), protecting health workers, and improving trust in HFs. This study aimed to assess HF’s readiness to implement standard precautions for IPC in Nepal. Methods: This study conducted a secondary analysis of the nationally-representative Nepal Health Facility Survey (NHFS) 2021 data and used the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) Manual from the World Health Organization (WHO) to examine the HF’s readiness to implement standard precautions for IPC. The readiness score for IPC was calculated for eight service delivery domains based on the availability of eight tracer items: guidelines for standard precautions, latex gloves, soap and running water or alcohol-based hand rub, single use of standard disposal or auto-disable syringes, disinfectant, safe final disposal of sharps, safe final disposal of infectious wastes, and appropriate storage of infectious waste. We used simple and multiple linear regression and quantile regression models to examine the association of HF’s readiness with their characteristics. Results were presented as beta (β) coefficients and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: The overall readiness scores of all HFs, federal/provincial hospitals, local HFs, and private hospitals were 59.9±15.6, 67.1±14.4, 59.6±15.6, and 62.6±15.5, respectively. Across all eight health service delivery domains, the HFs’ readiness for tuberculosis services was the lowest (57.8±20.0) and highest for delivery and newborn care services (67.1±15.6). The HFs performing quality assurance activities (β = 3.68; 95%CI: 1.84, 5.51), reviewing clients’ opinions (β = 6.66; 95%CI: 2.54, 10.77), and HFs with a monthly meeting (β = 3.28; 95%CI: 1.08, 5.49) had higher readiness scores. The HFs from Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim had readiness scores higher by 7.80 (95%CI: 5.24, 10.36), 7.73 (95%CI: 4.83, 10.62), 4.76 (95%CI: 2.00, 7.52), 9.40 (95%CI: 6.11, 12.68), and 3.77 (95%CI: 0.81, 6.74) compared to Koshi. Conclusion: The readiness of HFs to implement standard precautions was higher in HFs with quality assurance activities, monthly HF meetings, and mechanisms for reviewing clients’ opinions. Emphasizing quality assurance activities, implementing client feedback mechanisms, and promoting effective management practices in HFs with poor readiness can help to enhance IPC efforts.The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Sundar Budhathoki is supported in part by the NW London NIHR Applied Research Collaboration. Imperial College London is grateful for support from the NW London NIHR Applied Research Collaboration

Design of experiments to study the impact of process parameters on droplet size and development of non-invasive imaging techniques in tablet coating

Atomisation of an aqueous solution for tablet film coating is a complex process with multiple factors determining droplet formation and properties. The importance of droplet size for an efficient process and a high quality final product has been noted in the literature, with smaller droplets reported to produce smoother, more homogenous coatings whilst simultaneously avoiding the risk of damage through over-wetting of the tablet core. In this work the effect of droplet size on tablet film coat characteristics was investigated using X-ray microcomputed tomography (XμCT) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A quality by design approach utilising design of experiments (DOE) was used to optimise the conditions necessary for production of droplets at a small (20 μm) and large (70 μm) droplet size. Droplet size distribution was measured using real-time laser diffraction and the volume median diameter taken as a response. DOE yielded information on the relationship three critical process parameters: pump rate, atomisation pressure and coating-polymer concentration, had upon droplet size. The model generated was robust, scoring highly for model fit (R2 = 0.977), predictability (Q2 = 0.837), validity and reproducibility. Modelling confirmed that all parameters had either a linear or quadratic effect on droplet size and revealed an interaction between pump rate and atomisation pressure. Fluidised bed coating of tablet cores was performed with either small or large droplets followed by CLSM and XμCT imaging. Addition of commonly used contrast materials to the coating solution improved visualisation of the coating by XμCT, showing the coat as a discrete section of the overall tablet. Imaging provided qualitative and quantitative evidence revealing that smaller droplets formed thinner, more uniform and less porous film coats

Modulation of Host miRNAs Transcriptome in Lung and Spleen of Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Infected Sheep and Goats

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is one of the highly contagious viral disease, characterized by fever, sore mouth, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, and pneumonia, primarily affecting sheep and goats. Reports suggested variable host response in goats and sheep and this host response vis-a-vis the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has not been investigated. Here, miRNAs were sequenced and proteomics data were generated to identify the role of differentially expressed miRNA (DEmiRNA) in PPR virus (PPRV) infected lung and spleen tissues of sheep and goats. In lungs, 67 and 37 DEmiRNAs have been identified in goats and sheep, respectively. Similarly, in spleen, 50 and 56 DEmiRNAs were identified in goats and sheep, respectively. A total of 20 and 11 miRNAs were found to be common differentially expressed in both the species in PPRV infected spleen and lung, respectively. Six DEmiRNAs—miR-21-3p, miR-1246, miR-27a-5p, miR-760-3p, miR-320a, and miR-363 were selected based on their role in viral infections, apoptosis, and fold change. The target prediction analysis of these six selected DEmiRNAs from the proteome data generated, revealed involvement of more number of genes in lung and spleen of goats than in sheep. On gene ontology analysis of host target genes these DEmiRNAs were found to regulate several immune response signaling pathways. It was observed that the pathways viz. T cell receptor signaling, Rap1 signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, and B cell receptor signaling governed by DEmiRNAs were more perturbed in goats than in sheep. The data suggests that PPRV-induced miR-21-3p, miR-320a, and miR-363 might act cooperatively to enhance viral pathogenesis in the lung and spleen of sheep by downregulating several immune response genes. The study gives an important insight into the molecular pathogenesis of PPR by identifying that the PPRV—Izatnagar/94 isolate elicits a strong host response in goats than in sheep

Dietary Intake and Rural-Urban Migration in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Migration from rural areas of India contributes to urbanisation and lifestyle change, and dietary changes may increase the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. We tested the hypothesis that rural-to-urban migrants have different macronutrient and food group intake to rural non-migrants, and that migrants have a diet more similar to urban non-migrants. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The diets of migrants of rural origin, their rural dwelling sibs, and those of urban origin together with their urban dwelling sibs were assessed by an interviewer-administered semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A total of 6,509 participants were included. Median energy intake in the rural, migrant and urban groups was 2731, 3078, and 3224 kcal respectively for men, and 2153, 2504, and 2644 kcal for women (p<0.001). A similar trend was seen for overall intake of fat, protein and carbohydrates (p<0.001), though differences in the proportion of energy from these nutrients were <2%. Migrant and urban participants reported up to 80% higher fruit and vegetable intake than rural participants (p<0.001), and up to 35% higher sugar intake (p<0.001). Meat and dairy intake were higher in migrant and urban participants than rural participants (p<0.001), but varied by region. Sibling-pair analyses confirmed these results. There was no evidence of associations with time in urban area. CONCLUSIONS: Rural to urban migration appears to be associated with both positive (higher fruit and vegetables intake) and negative (higher energy and fat intake) dietary changes. These changes may be of relevance to cardiovascular health and warrant public health interventions