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In today developing consequence, innovative alternates are being familiarized from recycled wastages used in concrete construction. This study concentrates on alternate reinforcement in the structural elements. The conventional reinforcement is replaced by the rubber composite reinforcement using in-filled tubes. The bond relation among the mild steel tube and concrete is simply good. The performance of the composite reinforcement using rubber in-filled tubes are comparing to the conventional reinforcement. The composite reinforcement is made by in-filling the mild steel tubes with cement slurry and crumb rubber. And the crumb rubber gained from the cracker mill. This crumb rubber institutes to the solid waste management. The scrap tires are prepared into crumb rubber and mixed with water – cement in a mortar ratio of 1:1:2 (water: cement: sand) to attain the colloidal consistency. 40% of 177-micron size crumb rubber sieves replaced instead of sand. This crumb rubber constitutes to the solid waste management and light weight. Hence these composite reinforcements will reduce weight of steel in reinforced concrete along with the decrease in cost of construction. This idea inspects the flexural strength of concrete beam with composite reinforcement, Mild steel pipe reinforcement and ordinary reinforcement by third point loading.

Abstract In this study, we investigate the communication networks of urban, suburban, and rural communities from three US Midwest counties through a stochastic model that simulates the diffusion of information over time in disaster and in normal situations. To understand information diffusion in communities, we investigate the interplay of information that individuals get from online social networks, local news, government sources, mainstream media, and print media. We utilize survey data collected from target communities and create graphs of each community to quantify node-to-node and source-to-node interactions, as well as trust patterns. Monte Carlo simulation results show the average time it takes for information to propagate to 90% of the population for each community. We conclude that rural, suburban, and urban communities have different inherent properties promoting the varied flow of information. Also, information sources affect information spread differently, causing degradation of information speed if any source becomes unavailable. Finally, we provide insights on the optimal investments to improve disaster communication based on community features and contexts.

Integrating photovoltaic (PV) systems plays a pivotal role in the global shift toward renewable energy, offering significant environmental benefits. However, the PV installation should provide financial benefits for the utilities. Considering that the utility companies often incur costs for both energy and peak demand, PV installations should aim to reduce both energy and peak demand charges. Although PV systems can reduce energy needs during the day, their effectiveness in reducing peak demand, particularly in the early morning and late evening, is limited, as PV generation is zero or negligible at those times. To address this limitation, battery storage systems are utilized for storing energy during off-peak hours and releasing it during peak times. However, finding the optimal size of PV and the accompanying battery remains a challenge. While valuable optimization models have been developed to determine the optimal size of PV–battery systems, a certain gap remains where peak demand reduction has not been sufficiently addressed in the optimization process. Recognizing this gap, this study proposes a novel statistical model to optimize PV–battery system size for peak demand reduction. The model aims to flatten 95% of daily peak demands up to a certain demand threshold, ensuring consistent energy supply and financial benefit for utility companies. A straightforward and effective search methodology is employed to determine the optimal system sizes. Additionally, the model’s effectiveness is rigorously tested through a modified Monte Carlo simulation coupled with time series clustering to generate various scenarios to assess performance under different conditions. The results indicate that the optimal PV–battery system successfully flattens 95% of daily peak demand with a selected threshold of 2000 kW, yielding a financial benefit of USD 812,648 over 20 years.

Summary: This study investigates the potential use of circulating extracellular vesicles’ (EVs) DNA and protein content as biomarkers for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a mouse model. Despite an overall decrease in EVs count during the acute phase, there was an increased presence of exosomes (CD63+ EVs) during acute and an increase in microvesicles derived from microglia/macrophages (CD11b+ EVs) and astrocytes (ACSA-2+ EVs) in post-acute TBI phases, respectively. Notably, mtDNA exhibited an immediate elevation post-injury. Neuronal (NFL) and microglial (Iba1) markers increased in the acute, while the astrocyte marker (GFAP) increased in post-acute TBI phases. Novel protein biomarkers (SAA, Hp, VWF, CFD, CBG) specific to different TBI phases were also identified. Biostatistical modeling and machine learning identified mtDNA and SAA as decisive markers for TBI detection. These findings emphasize the importance of profiling EVs’ content and their dynamic release as an innovative diagnostic approach for TBI in liquid biopsies.

Due to increasing environmental concerns and demand for clean energy resources, photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming more prevalent. Considering that in several instances, customers pay for both energy and power, PV installations not only must reduce the customers’ energy purchases but also lower their peak demand for maximum financial benefits. However, in many cases, the peak demand does not coincide with the peak of photovoltaic generation. To address this issue, excess energy generated during low-demand periods can be stored in a battery, which can then be used to meet peak demand. Determining the optimal size of photovoltaic and battery components while ensuring system performance and financial benefits is significantly challenging. This study proposes a novel statistical methodology for optimizing PV-battery system size. In the proposed method, the PV-battery system must meet peak demand thresholds with a specific probability. Further, cost and benefit functions are used for financial evaluation. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations, developed using time series clustering and a Bayesian model are utilized to assess system performance and financial feasibility.

As the global demand for data has continued to rise exponentially, some have begun turning to the idea of semantic communication as a means of efficiently meeting this demand. Pushing beyond the boundaries of conventional communication systems, semantic communication focuses on the accurate recovery of the meaning conveyed from source to receiver, as opposed to the accurate recovery of transmitted symbols. In this survey, we aim to provide a comprehensive view of the history and current state of semantic communication and the techniques for engineering this higher level of communication. A survey of the current literature reveals four broad approaches to engineering semantic communication. We term the earliest of these approaches classical semantic information, which seeks to extend information-theoretic results to include semantic information. A second approach makes use of knowledge graphs to achieve semantic communication, and a third utilizes the power of modern deep learning techniques to facilitate this communication. The fourth approach focuses on the significance of information, rather than its meaning, to achieve efficient, goal-oriented communication. We discuss each of these four approaches and their corresponding studies in detail, and provide some challenges and opportunities that pertain to each approach. Finally, we introduce a novel approach to semantic communication, which we term context-based semantic communication. Inspired by the way in which humans naturally communicate with one another, this context-based approach provides a general, optimization-based design framework for semantic communication systems. Together, this survey provides a useful guide for the design and implementation of semantic communication systems.

Objective: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a silent killer, because its detection is difficult and to date no effective treatment has been developed. In the US, the current 5-year survival rate of 11%. Therefore, PC has to be detected as early as possible. Methods and procedures: In this work, we have combined the use of ultrasensitive nanobiosensors for protease/arginase detection with information fusion based hierarchical decision structure to detect PC at the localized stage by means of a simple Liquid Biopsy. The problem of early-stage detection of pancreatic cancer is modelled as a multi-class classification problem. We propose a Hard Hierarchical Decision Structure (HDS) along with appropriate feature engineering steps to improve the performance of conventional multi-class classification approaches. Further, a Soft Hierarchical Decision Structure (SDS) is developed to additionally provide confidences of predicted labels in the form of class probability values. These frameworks overcome the limitations of existing research studies that employ simple biostatistical tools and do not effectively exploit the information provided by ultrasensitive protease/arginase analyses. Results: The experimental results demonstrate that an overall mean classification accuracy of around 92% is obtained using the proposed approach, as opposed to 75% with conventional multi-class classification approaches. This illustrates that the proposed HDS framework outperforms traditional classification techniques for early-stage PC detection. Conclusion: Although this study is only based on 31 pancreatic cancer patients and a healthy control group of 48 human subjects, it has enabled combining Liquid Biopsies and Machine Learning methodologies to reach the goal of earliest PC detection. The provision of both decision labels (via HDS) as well as class probabilities (via SDS) helps clinicians identify instances where statistical model-based predictions lack confidence. This further aids in determining if more tests are required for better diagnosis. Such a strategy makes the output of our decision model more interpretable and can assist with the diagnostic procedure. Clinical impact: With further validation, the proposed framework can be employed as a decision support tool for the clinicians to help in detection of pancreatic cancer at early stages.

Distribution system planning and operation has seen many structural changes due to the increased participation of consumers in the energy market and the adaptation of new technologies such as distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicles (EV) and local energy storage systems (ESSs). Despite the convenience of such technologies and the gradual drop in their prices, new technical challenges (e.g., excessive power losses) have emerged at the system level. Over the past few decades, power loss minimization in distribution systems has gained popularity and the need for loss sensitivity analysis (LSA) frameworks has become a necessity for its successful implementation. Existing work on LSA mostly focuses on system planning aspects through DER optimal placement and sizing. However, enabling LSA-based system operational applications is a vital step toward the successful transition to modern distribution systems (MDSs). Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive overview on the state of the art in LSA for MDSs. First, the theoretical formulations of existing LSA methods are summarized. Then, the applications of LSA in distribution systems are highlighted. Finally, based on the analysis of literature, open research gaps and future research pathways are discussed.

Improving the resilience of the power distribution networks is becoming a top priority for the utility companies. Robustness is a key part of resilience, and is often studied through failure-based analysis. Furthermore, with the increasingly dynamic nature of the grid, voltage fluctuation is an important factor to consider while assessing system robustness. Very few metrics exist for capturing robustness to voltage fluctuations, primarily due to their complex computation process. While several failure-based robustness metrics have been proposed in the literature, there is no strict consensus regarding the applicability of these metrics. Therefore, this paper addresses two key gaps in robustness analysis of power distribution networks. First, this paper presents a systematic study of different failure-based robustness metrics by comparing their similarity and dissimilarity in ranking critical nodes of the power distribution network. Secondly, the efficacy of these metrics in characterizing voltage fluctuations is evaluated by comparing their ranking to that of voltage influencing scores. From experimental results, it is shown that hybrid failure-based metrics can quantify voltage fluctuations to a reasonable extent. We highlight the major shortcomings of current metric formulations and discuss possible future research directions related to robustness characteristics and analysis.

AbstractAbamectin is a potentially fatal agricultural pesticide and antihelmenthic agent. Reports of human toxicity are rare. Here we describe a case of acute poisoning with an abamectin in an adult woman who presented with severe nausea, vomiting, altered consciousness, ptosis, mydriasis, and confusion. She recovered completely recovery with supportive care.

Recognition of dichotomous emotional states such as happy and sad play important roles in many aspects of human life. Existing literature has recorded diverse attempts in extracting physiological and non-physiological traits to record these emotional states. Selection of the right instrumental approach for measuring these traits plays a critical role in emotion recognition. Moreover, various stimuli have been used to induce emotions. Therefore, there is a current need to perform a comprehensive overview of instrumental approaches and their outcomes for the new generation of researchers. In this direction, this study surveys the instrumental approaches in discriminating happy and sad emotional states that are elicited using audio-visual stimuli. A comprehensive literature review is performed using PubMed, Scopus, and ACM digital library repositories. The reviewed articles are classified with respect to the i) stimulation modality, ii) acquisition protocol, iii) instrumentation approaches, iv) feature extraction, and v) classification methods. In total, 39 research articles were published on the selected topic of instrumental approaches in differentiating dichotomous emotional states using audio-visual stimuli between January 2011 and April 2021. The majority of the papers used physiological traits, namely electrocardiogram, electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, photoplethysmogram, and electroencephalogram based instrumental approaches for recognizing the emotional states. The results show that only a few articles have focused on audio-visual stimuli for the elicitation of happy and sad emotional states. This review is expected to seed research in the areas of standardization of protocols, enhancing the diagnostic relevance of these instruments, and extraction of more reliable biomarkers.

Heart rate variability (HRV) features support several clinical applications, including sleep staging, and ballistocardiograms (BCGs) can be used to unobtrusively estimate these features. Electrocardiography is the traditional clinical standard for HRV estimation, but BCGs and electrocardiograms (ECGs) yield different estimates for heartbeat intervals (HBIs), leading to differences in calculated HRV parameters. This study examines the viability of using BCG-based HRV features for sleep staging by quantifying the impact of these timing differences on the resulting parameters of interest. We introduced a range of synthetic time offsets to simulate the differences between BCG- and ECG-based heartbeat intervals, and the resulting HRV features are used to perform sleep staging. Subsequently, we draw a relationship between the mean absolute error in HBIs and the resulting sleep-staging performances. We also extend our previous work in heartbeat interval identification algorithms to demonstrate that our simulated timing jitters are close representatives of errors between heartbeat interval measurements. This work indicates that BCG-based sleep staging can produce accuracies comparable to ECG-based techniques such that at an HBI error range of up to 60 ms, the sleep-scoring error could increase from 17% to 25% based on one of the scenarios we examined.

The power distribution grid is typically unobservable due to a lack of measurements. While deploying more sensors can alleviate this issue, it also presents new challenges related to data aggregation and the underlying communication infrastructure. Therefore, developing state estimation methods that enhance situational awareness at the grid edge with compressed measurements is critical. For this purpose, a suite of sparsity-based approaches that exploit the correlation among states/measurements in spatial as well as temporal domains have been proposed recently. This article presents a systematic comparison and evaluation of these approaches. Specifically, the performance and complexity of spatial methods (1-D compressive sensing and matrix completion) and spatio-temporal methods (2-D compressive sensing and tensor completion) are compared using the IEEE 37 and IEEE 123 bus test systems. Additionally, new robust formulations of these sparsity-based methods are derived and shown to be robust to bad data and network parameter uncertainties. Among the sparsity-based approaches, compressive sensing methods tend to outperform matrix completion and tensor completion methods in terms of error performance.

Impulsive noise (IN) and Doppler shift can significantly degrade the performance of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based underwater acoustic (UWA) communication systems. In this paper, we propose a receiver structure that deals efficiently with both these channel impairments in a coded OFDM-based UWA system. First, an analog nonlinear preprocessor (ANP) is proposed to efficiently detect and mitigate IN in an analog domain. The proposed ANP exhibits intermittent nonlinearity when there is impulsivity. Next, the impact of IN on a two-step Doppler shift compensation approach is quantified. Specifically, the ability of the ANP to improve the robustness of Doppler shift compensation in the presence of IN is highlighted. The performance improvement of the proposed receiver is due to the fact that unlike the other nonlinear methods, the ANP is implemented in the analog domain where the outliers are still broadband and distinguishable. The simulation results also demonstrate the superior bit-error-rate (BER) performance of our approach relative to classic approaches that use blanking and/or clipping for IN mitigation.

Non-intrusive sleep monitoring is critical for certain populations such as severely disabled autistic children. Nocturnal disturbance analysis is an important diagnostic tool for assessing sleep issues. The objective of this paper is to detect and minimize the effects of motion artifacts in signals recorded via an unobtrusive electromechanical film-based ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensor integrated into a smart bed system. The goal is to have a reliable estimation of beat-to-beat (B-B) interval. The proposed algorithm includes two main stages: a motion detection algorithm followed by a motion artifact removal system. Motion detection involves a sequential detection algorithm in which successive data frames are compared to two thresholds: upper and lower thresholds. Each motion corrupted frame can then be reconstructed by an approach that relies on a parametric model of the BCG signal. Exploiting the fact that the underlying BCG parameters (J-peak-to-J-peak interval, J-peak-to-K-peak amplitude, and the most significant frequency component) change slowly and are correlated across time; an autoregressive model-based tracking and Wiener smoother based parameter estimation strategies are proposed. The experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed motion artifact detection and removal algorithms. The probability of detection of 96% and high average coverage of 84% with over 90% precision for the estimated B-B intervals are achieved on recordings for 19 h of sleep from three subjects. Our novel motion detection and removal methods demonstrate the feasibility of using bed-based BCG signals for providing a reliable unobtrusive way to estimate the B-B interval in the presence of motion.

Dehydration in the human body arises due to inadequate replenishment of fluids. An appropriate level of hydration is essential for optimal functioning of the human body, and complications ranging from mild discomfort to, in severe cases, death, could result from a neglected imbalance in fluid levels. Regular and accurate monitoring of hydration status can provide meaningful information for people operating in stressful environmental conditions, such as athletes, military professionals and the elderly. In this study, we propose a non-invasive hydration monitoring technique employing non-ionizing electromagnetic power in the microwave band to estimate the changes in the water content of the whole body. Specifically, we investigate changes in the attenuation coefficient in the frequency range 2–3.5 GHz between a pair of planar antennas positioned across a participant’s arm during various states of hydration. Twenty healthy young adults (10M, 10F) underwent controlled hypohydration and euhydration control bouts. The attenuation coefficient was compared among trials and used to predict changes in body mass. Volunteers lost 1.50±0.44% and 0.49±0.54% body mass during hypohydration and euhydration, respectively. The microwave transmission-based attenuation coefficient (2–3.5 GHz) was accurate in predicting changes in hydration status. The corresponding regression analysis demonstrates that building separate estimation models for dehydration and rehydration phases offer better predictive performance (88%) relative to a common model for both the phases (76%).

Abstract Many physical and engineered systems (e.g., smart grid, autonomous vehicles, and robotic systems) that are observed and controlled over a communication/cyber infrastructure can be efficiently modeled as stochastic hybrid systems (SHS). This paper quantifies the bias of a mode-based Kalman filter commonly used for state estimation in SHS. The main approach involves modeling the bias dynamics as a transformed switched system and the transitions across modes are abstracted via arbitrary switching signals. This general model effectively captures a wide range of SHS systems where the modes may follow deterministic, Markovian, or guard condition based transitions. By leveraging techniques developed to analyze the stability of switched systems, we derive conditions for statistical convergence of the bias in a mode-based Kalman filter in the presence of mode mismatch errors. Developed upon the foundations of Lyapunov theory, we demonstrate a linear matrix inequality condition that guarantees asymptotic stability of the corresponding autonomous switched system irrespective of the choice of mode mismatch probability. Furthermore, we obtain the range of mode mismatch probabilities that assures bounded input bounded output stability of the bias dynamics for both stable and unstable SHS. Using numerical simulations of a smart grid with network topology errors, we verify and validate the theoretical results and demonstrate the potency of using the analysis in critical infrastructures.

Abstract In this paper, we evaluate the performance of an enhanced cooperative MAC with busy tone (eBT-COMAC) protocol in mobile ad hoc networks via a combination of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Our previously proposed BT-COMAC protocol was enhanced by (1) redesigning the minislots used in the helper node selection procedure; (2) specifying complete frame formats for newly defined and modified control frames; and (3) using a new metric (the received SNR rather than the received power) in the helper node competition. In this eBT-COMAC protocol, cooperation probability is calculated based on a geometric analysis, and a Markov chain-based model is used to derive steady-state probabilities for backoff-related parameters. These results are used to analytically characterize two performance measures: system throughput and channel access delay. Numerical simulation of a mobile wireless network where all communication nodes are assumed to be uniformly distributed in space and move independently based on a random waypoint model is used to validate the analytical results and demonstrate the performance gains achieved by the proposed eBT-COMAC protocol.

With the overcrowded sub-6-GHz bands, millimeter wave (mmWave) bands offer a promising alternative for the next-generation wireless standard, i.e., 5-G. However, the susceptibility of mmWave signals to severe pathloss and shadowing requires the use of highly directional antennas to overcome such adverse characteristics. Building a network with directional beams changes the interference behavior, since, narrow beams are vulnerable to blockages. Such sensitivity to blockages causes uncertainty in the interfering node locations and not all of the potential interfering nodes actively contribute to the interference power level at a certain location of the network. Configuration uncertainty may also manifest in the spectral domain while applying dynamic channel and frequency assignment to support 5-G applications. In this paper, we first propose a blockage model considering mmWave specifications. Subsequently, using the proposed blockage model, we derive a spatial-spectral interference model for dense finite-area 5-G mmWave networks. The proposed interference model considers randomness of node configuration in both spatial and spectral domains. Finally, the error performance of the network from an arbitrarily located user perspective is calculated in terms of bit error rate and outage probability metrics. The analytical results are validated via Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that considering mmWave specifications and also randomness in both spectral and spatial node configurations leads to a noticeably different interference profile.

Emerging fifth generation (5G) wireless networks require massive bandwidth in higher frequency bands, extreme network densities, and flexibility of supporting multiple wireless technologies in order to provide higher data rates and seamless coverage. It is expected that the utilization of the large bandwidth in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) band and deployment of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) will help address the data rate requirements of 5G networks. However, high pathloss and shadowing in the mmWave frequency band, strong interference in the HetNets due to massive network densification, and coordination of various air interfaces are challenges that must be addressed. In this paper, we consider a relay-based multiband orthogonal frequency division multiple access HetNet in which mmWave small cells are deployed within the service area of macro cells. In particular, we attempt to exploit the distinct propagation characteristics of mmWave bands (i.e., 60 GHz-the V-band and 70-80 GHz-the E-band) and the long term evolution band to maximize overall data rate of the network via efficient resource allocation. The problem is solved using a modified dual decomposition approach and then a low complexity greedy solution based on the iterative activity selection algorithm is presented. Simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms conventional schemes.

The study on the status of vultures in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BRT), central India was carried out from January 2011 to March 2013 in different seasons using opportunistic sightings. In total, 265 observations were made in which 1,366 individuals belonging to four species were recorded. Among these, Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus were more frequently sighted followed by White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus, Red-headed Vulture or Asian King Vulture Sarcogyps calvus and Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. During the study period, 27 vulture nests were identified, of these 25 nests belonged to Long-billed Vulture and two nests were that os White-backed Vulture. No attempts were made to examine the nesting site characteristics and the breeding status of vulture in BTR. Vultures were largely observed feeding on carnivore kills such as chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, domestic cattle and common langur. On a few occasions vultures were seen feeding on the dumped cattle carcasses near villages. The study reveals that vulture population in BTR was mainly dependent on large carnivore kills. Regular monitoring of vulture nest sites in the study area is recommended to assess their breeding success. Since we observed the vultures feeding on dumped livestock carcasss near villages, use of Diclofenac in the villages around the park should be monitored as it has caused a large-scale mortality in vultures in different regions of the country.

Radio frequency (RF) enabled energy harvesting has garnered increasingly broad applications in energy-constrained wireless networks. In this context, the actual available energy is constrained by the harvesting threshold of RF harvesters. In this paper, we first propose two new metrics, effective energy harvesting probability (EEHP) and spatial mean harvestable energy (SMHE) to characterize the availability of ambient RF energy. Assuming that the transmitters are spatially distributed according to a d-dimensional homogeneous Poisson point process (HPPP), we derive the distributions of the ambient RF energy for networks, from the perspective of information receivers, with and without interference control (IC). The corresponding EEHP and SMHE are given in integral forms for the case with IC and inverse Laplace transform form for the case without IC, respectively. For a special case where the dimension to path loss ratio equals 0.5, closed-form exact/approximate expressions for EEHP and SMHE are derived. Analytical results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results with distinct network parameters indicate that the harvesting threshold always has a significant effect on the EEHP, while the impact on SMHE can be ignored as the transmitter density increases. The general unified framework considered in this paper expands the applicability of the derived results to arbitrary dimensional networks.

This paper presents an energy harvesting wireless sensor network (EHWSN) architecture designed for use within an astronaut's space suit. The contribution of this work spans both physical (PHY) layer energy harvesting transceiver design and low power medium access control (MAC) solutions. The architecture consists of a star topology with two types of transceiver nodes: a powered gateway radio (GR) node and multiple energy harvesting biosensor radio (BSR) nodes. To demonstrate the feasibility of an EHWSN at the PHY layer, a representative BSR node is implemented. The BSR node is powered by a thermal energy harvesting system (TEHS) which exploits the difference between the temperatures of a space suit's cooling garment and the astronaut's body. It is shown that, through appropriate control of the duty cycle in transmission and receiving modes, it is possible to operate with less than 1 mW generated by the TEHS. This requires ultralow duty cycle which complicates MAC layer design because a BSR node must sleep for more than 99.6% of overall operation time. The challenge for MAC layer design is the inability to predict when the BSR node awakens from sleep mode due to unpredictability of the harvested energy. Therefore, a new feasible MAC layer design, GRI- (gateway radio initialized-) MAC, is proposed and analyzed.

We propose an optimized dedicated broadband sensing receiver architecture for use in cognitive radios supporting delay sensitive applications. Specifically, we first reason the need for a dedicated sensing receiver that employs a combination of coarse and fine scanning to reduce sensing time over a large bandwidth. We derive an expression for mean acquisition/detection time as a function of a number of parameters including the number of coarse and fine frequency bins employed. We then determine the optimal number of coarse and fine bins that minimize the overall detection time required to identify idle channels under various system conditions. Using analytical and simulation results, we quantify the dependence of optimal coarse and fine bin selection on system parameters such as (1) size of FFT used in scanning; (2) probability of detection and false alarm of the underlying sensing algorithm; (3) signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal, and (4) expected number of available channels. The primary contribution of this work lies in a practical realization of an optimal broadband sensing receiver.

We propose an RNS arithmetic-based FH pattern design approach that is well suited and easy to implement for practical OFDMA systems. The proposed FH scheme guarantees orthogonality among intracell users while randomizing the intercell interferences and providing frequency diversity gains. We present detailed construction procedures and performance analysis for both independent and cluster hopping scenarios. Using simulation results, we demonstrate the gains due to frequency diversity and intercell interference diversity on the system bit error rate (BER) performance. Furthermore, the BER performance gain is consistent across all cells unlike other FH pattern design schemes such as the Latin squares (LSs-)-based FH pattern design where wide performance variations are observed across cells.

Relapsed/refractory peripheral T cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. Unlike B cell lymphomas, treatment of PTCL has not benefited from advances in immunotherapy. This is largely due to a lack of suitable target antigens that discriminate malignant from normal T cells, thus avoiding severe immunosuppression consequent to depletion of the entire T cell compartment. We recently described a targeting strategy based on the mutually exclusive expression of T cell antigen receptor beta-chain constant domain (TRBC) 1 and 2. Selective targeting of the T cell antigen receptor beta-chain expressed by the (clonal) malignancy spares normal T cells expressing the other chain. The LibraT1 study is an ongoing, multicenter, international, single-arm phase 1/2 study of TRBC1-directed autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (AUTO4) in relapsed/refractory TRBC1-positive PTCL. Primary objectives were assessment of safety and tolerability of AUTO4 infusion. Key secondary endpoints included efficacy, CAR T cell expansion and persistence. Here we describe the findings from dose escalation in LibraT1 in the first ten patients, in a non-prespecified interim analysis. AUTO4 resulted in low frequency of severe immunotoxicity, with one of ten patients developing grade 3 cytokine release syndrome. Complete metabolic response was observed in four of ten evaluable patients, with remissions being durable beyond 1 year in two patients. While an absence of circulating CAR T cells was observed, CAR T cells were readily detected in lymph node biopsy samples from sites of original disease suggesting homing to tumor sites. These results support the continuing exploration of TRBC1 targeting in PTCL. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT03590574 ., Competing Interests: Competing interests K.C.: consulting/advisory role: Roche, Takeda, Celgene, Atara, Gilead, KITE, Janssen, Incyte and AbbVie; speakers’ bureau: Roche, Takeda, KITE, Gilead and Incyte; conferences/travel support: Roche, Takeda, KITE, Janssen and BMS. G.I.: honoraria and travel support: Novartis, Kite/Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie, Autolus, Sandoz, Miltenyi and AstraZeneca. E.T.: speaker fees: Astellas, Jazz, Kite/Gilead, Pfizer and Vertex; ad boards: Autolus, BMS/Celgene, Jazz, Janssen and Vertex. M.P.: owns stock in and has research funding and salary contribution from Autolus. D.I.: travel grants and honoraria: Kite/Gilead and Janssen. T.M.: travel grants: Amgen, Jazz, Pfizer, Bayer, Kyowa Kirin, Celgene/BMS, Kite/Gilead, Janssen and Takeda; honoraria for advisory board meetings: Kite/Gilead, Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, Celgene/BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Atara, Roche and Janssen; honoraria for lectures: Kite/Gilead, Takeda, Janssen, Roche, Servier, Novartis, Celgene/BMS, Pfizer and Incyte; research funding: Janssen, AstraZeneca and Novartis. T.M.: consulting/advisory role: Roche/Ventana, Haematogenix and Autolus. P.M.: Autolus: stock holder and research funding. UCL business: patent royalties. All employees of Autolus have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The surgical intervention of refractory primary angle-closure glaucomas (PACGs) is a big challenge to any ophthalmologist since the efficacy of lens extraction in eyes with a long duration of angle closure is limited. Also, trabeculectomy in such eyes is not without vision-threatening complications., Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of diode laser transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (CPC) in eyes with refractory PACG., Methods: A retrospective study analyzing all patients who underwent CPC for refractory PACG in the year 2019 was conducted. Out of the 68 patients recruited, 56 PACG patients fulfilled the study criteria., Results: The mean age of the participants was 58.5 years. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) intraocular pressure (IOP) at baseline was 38.91 (14.86) mmHg, and it ranged from 21 to 74 mmHg. Participants' mean (SD) follow-up duration was 11.87 (7.83) months. Almost 90.9% of eyes showed IOP reduction from baseline during the follow-up period. There was also a reduction in the mean antiglaucoma medications (AGM) to 2.67 (1.29) in the final follow-up visit compared to the baseline of 3.30 (0.81). Chronic hypotony was noted in four eyes, out of which phthisis bulbi occurred in one eye. Six eyes underwent additional incisional surgical procedures., Conclusion: The outcomes from our study support the role of transscleral diode laser CPC in the interim optimization of IOP in PACG eyes refractory to other modalities. This is emerging as a primary treatment option to optimize IOP to safer limits before any planned incisional procedure. Though complications like chronic hypotony occur as anticipated, vision-threatening complications are rare., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Competing Interests: None

Although frequently associated with tumor progression, inflammatory cytokines initially restrain transformation by inducing senescence, a key tumor-suppressive barrier. Here, we demonstrate that the inflammatory cytokine, oncostatin M, activates a mesenchymal/stem cell (SC) program that engages cytokine-induced senescence (CIS) in normal human epithelial cells. CIS is driven by Snail induction and requires cooperation between STAT3 and the TGFβ effector, SMAD3. Importantly, as cells escape CIS, they retain the mesenchymal/SC program and are thereby bestowed with a set of cancer SC (CSC) traits. Of therapeutic importance, cells that escape CIS can be induced back into senescence by CDK4/6 inhibition, confirming that the mechanisms allowing cells to escape senescence are targetable and reversible. Moreover, by combining CDK4/6 inhibition with a senolytic therapy, mesenchymal/CSCs can be efficiently killed. Our studies provide insight into how the CIS barriers that prevent tumorigenesis can be exploited as potential therapies for highly aggressive cancers. IMPLICATIONS: These studies reveal how a normal cell's arduous escape from senescence can bestow aggressive features early in the transformation process, and how this persistent mesenchymal/SC program can create a novel potential targetability following tumor development., (©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.)

The brain is an intricate network with complex organizational principles facilitating a concerted communication between single-neurons, distinct neuron populations, and remote brain areas. The communication, technically referred to as connectivity, between single-neurons, is the center of many investigations aimed at elucidating pathophysiology, anatomical differences, and structural and functional features. In comparison with bulk analysis, single-neuron analysis can provide precise information about neurons or even sub-neuron level electrophysiology, anatomical differences, pathophysiology, structural and functional features, in addition to their communications with other neurons, and can promote essential information to understand the brain and its activity. This review highlights various single-neuron models and their behaviors, followed by different analysis methods. Again, to elucidate cellular dynamics in terms of electrophysiology at the single-neuron level, we emphasize in detail the role of single-neuron mapping and electrophysiological recording. We also elaborate on the recent development of single-neuron isolation, manipulation, and therapeutic progress using advanced micro/nanofluidic devices, as well as microinjection, electroporation, microelectrode array, optical transfection, optogenetic techniques. Further, the development in the field of artificial intelligence in relation to single-neurons is highlighted. The review concludes with between limitations and future prospects of single-neuron analyses.

Background: Proinflammatory role of serum cholesterol in asthma has been recently explored with contradicting results. Clarity on the link between serum cholesterol and asthma may lead to new evolutions in planning management strategies. The objective of our study was to examine the relationship between the serum cholesterol, asthma and its characteristics., Materials and Methods: A total of 40 asthmatics and 40 normal subjects were examined cross-sectionally and their serum fasting cholesterol and serum high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured along with other baseline investigations. All subjects were non-smokers., Results: Serum total cholesterol (mean ± SD) among asthmatics was 176.45 ± 30.77 mgs/dL as compared to 163.33 ± 26.38 mgs/dL among normal subjects (P < 0.05). This higher serum cholesterol level was found to be associated with asthma independent of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), socio-economic status and serum hsCRP levels. However, the association was only modest (adjusted odds ratio 1.033; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.008-1.059). There was no association between the serum cholesterol and asthma characteristics such as duration of illness, intake of inhaled steroids and frequency of emergency department visits. Other risk factors identified were poor ventilation (adjusted odds ratio 9.27; 95%CI 1.83-46.99) and overcrowding (adjusted odds ratio 41.9; 95% CI 3.15-557.46) at home., Conclusion: Our study found a modest but significant association between higher levels of serum cholesterol and asthma, which is independent of age, gender, BMI, socio-economic status and serum hsCRP. Future research is required in a larger population to substantiate above association and its clinical implications. Poor ventilation and overcrowding at home are risk factors for asthma possibly facilitating increased exposure to indoor allergens.