Distributed Visual Crowdsensing Framework for Area Coverage in Resource Constrained Environments.

Visual crowdsensing applications using built-in cameras in smartphones have recently attracted researchers' interest. Making the most out of the limited resources to acquire the most helpful images from the public is a challenge in disaster recovery applications. Proposed solutions should adequately address several constraints, including limited bandwidth, limited energy resources, and interrupted communication links with the command center or server. Furthermore, data redundancy is considered one of the main challenges in visual crowdsensing. In distributed visual crowdsensing systems, photo sharing duplicates and expands the amount of data stored on each sensor node. As a result, if any node can communicate with the server, then more photos of the target region would be available to the server. Methods for recognizing and removing redundant data provide a range of benefits, including decreased transmission costs and energy consumption overall. To handle the interrupted communication with the server and the restricted resources of the sensor nodes, this paper proposes a distributed visual crowdsensing system for full-view area coverage. The target area is divided into virtual sub-regions, each of which is represented by a set of boundary points of interest. Then, based on the criteria for full-view area coverage, a specific data structure theme is developed to represent each photo with a set of features. The geometric context parameters of each photo are utilized to extract the features of each photo based on the full-view area coverage criteria. Finally, data redundancy removal algorithms are implemented based on the proposed clustering scheme to eliminate duplicate photos. As a result, each sensor node may filter redundant photographs in dispersed contexts without requiring high computational complexity, resources, or global awareness of all photos from all sensor nodes inside the target area. Compared to the most recent state-of-the-art, the improvement ratio of the added values of the photos provided by the proposed method is more than 38%. In terms of traffic transfer, the proposed method requires fewer data to be transferred between sensor nodes and between sensor nodes and the command center. The overall reduction in traffic exceeds 20% and the overall savings in energy consumption is more than 25%. It was evident that in the proposed system, sending photos between sensor nodes, as well as between sensor nodes and the command center, consumes less energy than existing approaches due to the considerable amount of photo exchange required. Thus, the proposed technique effectively transfers only the most valuable photos needed.

Functionalized Gold Nanorod Probes: A Sophisticated Design of SERS Immunoassay for Biodetection in Complex Media.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes offer considerable opportunities in label-based biosensing and analysis. However, achieving specific and reproducible performance, where low detection limits are needed in complex media, remains a challenge. Herein, we present a general strategy employing gold nanorod SERS probes and rationally designed surface chemistry involving protein resistant layers and antibodies to allow for the selective detection of species in complex media. By utilizing the ability of gold nanorods for selective surface modification, Raman reporters (4-mercaptobenzoic acid) were attached to the tips. Importantly, the sides of the nanorods were modified using a mixed layer of two different length stabilizing ligands (carboxyl-terminated oligo ethylene glycols) to ensure colloidal stability, while antibodies were attached to the stabilizing ligands. The nanoparticle interfacial design improves the colloidal stability, unlocks the capability of the probes for targeting biomolecules in complex matrices, and gives the probes the high SERS efficiency. The utility of this probe is demonstrated herein via the detection of Salmonella bacteria at the single bacterium level in complex food matrices using an anti-Salmonella IgG antibody-conjugated probe. The modular nature of the surface chemistry enables the SERS probes to be employed with a molecularly diverse range of biorecognition species (e.g., antibodies and peptides) for many different analytes, thus opening up new opportunities for efficient biosensing applications.

Ultrasensitive detection of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in whole blood using dispersible electrodes.

The direct quantification of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) as a biomarker for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment efficacy is an unmet clinical need. Herein, we demonstrate the first report of rapid, ultrasensitive and selective electrochemical detection of PD-L1 directly in undiluted whole blood using modified gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles as "dispersible electrodes" with an ultralow detection limit of 15 attomolar and a response time of only 15 minutes.

Automated remote intraoperative cochlear implant device testing (CR220). Is it clinically efficient?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical efficiency of the CR220 intraoperative remote assistant device used by the surgical team with that of the custom sound (CS) system used by an audiologist. METHODS: This was a prospective clinical study in a quaternary care center (King Abdullah Ear Specialist Centre) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between October 2018 and March 2019. We included adult and pediatric patients who underwent cochlear implant (CI) surgeries. For every participant, the intraoperative CI testing was performed via both the aforementioned methods. The time taken to complete the measurements with both approaches, including the time required by the audiologist to reach the operating room (OR) and to complete the test, was recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the number of responding electrodes between the 2 approaches. For the 25 participants, the time taken for the measurements was 566 minutes with the CS and 173 with the CR220 systems. This significant difference indicates that considerable time can be saved. CONCLUSION: The CR220 enables intraoperative CI electrode tests and auto-NRT measurements. Its ergonomics and ease-of-use help the surgical team conduct the tests without an audiologist in the OR, resulting in the efficient use of clinical resources. Further, the results generated were consistent with those of the CS system.

Relationship between proximity to a cochlear implant center and early presentation in children with congenital hearing loss.

OBJECTIVES: To  determine whether distance from a cochlear implant (CI) center can influences the ages of presentation and intervention for CI, which thus may influence CI outcomes in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This study comprised a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 221 patients who presented to the CI committee between March 2016 and March 2018 at King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Through phone interviews and patients' files, age at suspicion, audiology testing, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, and CI discussion were recorded for prelingually deaf children; additionally, demographic information were recorded. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the distance between their place of residence and the nearest CI center (residing within 200 km, 200-500 km, and greater than 500 km). RESULTS: Patients living within 200 km showed the youngest mean age for all tested checkpoints; however, there were no statistically significant differences among the groups. CONCLUSION: In Saudi Arabia, distance from CI center does not have a significant effect on age of presentation for CI intervention.

The use of a personal glucose meter for detecting procalcitonin through glucose encapsulated within liposomes.

Herein, a glucose meter-based immunosensing platform is developed that allows the quantification of procalcitonin (PCT) in whole blood samples. PCT is a biomarker for sepsis and its early detection would improve the safety of the patient, as the diagnostic process will be easier and faster. The method employs liposomes with encapsulated glucose as a signal generation tag, which are then used in a sandwich immunoassay by conjugating an antibody to the liposome. The optimal liposomes' size and concentration of encapsulated glucose is determined experimentally to be 200 nm and 27.8 mM, respectively. Upon the addition of a surfactant (Triton X-100), the glucose is released and a signal is detected with a personal glucose meter (PGM). This signal is directly proportional to the concentration of the PCT in the sample. The dynamic range of the assay developed was 0.153-15.38 nM, and could allow the detection of PCT as low as 0.15 nM. The assay showed a high selectivity toward PCT against other proteins such as C-reactive protein and human serum albumin and good reproducibility. This assay was able to quantitatively determine the amount of PCT in whole blood samples at clinically-relevant concentrations.

Zarqa River pollution: impact on its quality.

Pollutants released to the Zarqa River have been identified, quantified, and linked to their sources. The methodology included field observation of the river, collection of available quality data, literature review, and grab sampling. Identified pollution sources to the Zarqa River are wastewater treatment plants, overflow of wastewater pumping stations, and leaks from sewer lines and manholes that pass through the riverbed, in addition to industrial, commercial, domestic, and agricultural activities along the river course. The main pollutants released to the river from these sources are organics, nutrients, heavy metals, raw wastewater, solids, and solid waste. The results showed that the concentrations of organics, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the river are within the Jordanian standards for reclaimed water use in restricted irrigation. Between the river confluence with As Samra wastewater treatment plant effluent and King Talal Dam, where the river water is used for restricted irrigation, B, Cr, Mn, and Ni have exceeded the Jordanian guidelines for reclaimed water use in irrigation; however, frequencies of exceedances were low. Immediately downstream of King Talal Dam, cadmium and nickel concentrations have exceeded the recommended limits once, while boron concentration has exceeded the recommended limit 15 times during the sampling period between 2003 and 2010. However, exceedances in this zone are expected to disappear after the river water mixes with King Abdulla Canal freshwater. The mixed water is then used for unrestricted irrigation in the middle Jordan Valley. Upstream of As Samra, where exceedances occurred more frequently, groundwater is used for irrigation.

Feasibility of one-day activation in cochlear implant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if cochlear implants recipients can be safely and effectively fitted with their sound processor one day after their implant surgery. DESIGN: All subjects were implanted with MED-EL Concerto cochlear implant. Subjects' electrode impedance levels, maximum comfortable levels, and threshold levels were measured one day after surgery and compared to measurements obtained one month post implantation using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-nine participants in the age range of 1 to 42 years (average of 5 years). RESULTS: No adverse events were reported post-operatively. Measures after one day of surgery were significantly less than those measured one month post implantation. CONCLUSION: Early activation of the implant did not impact the healing process of the incision site, suggesting that one-day activation of the implant is feasible for some patients when medically possible. The evolution of the impedance and stimulation levels were consistent with that reported in previous studies, which indicates that early activation did not interfere with the physiological changes taking place after implantation.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial cutaneous infections: an updated review.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause cutaneous infections more commonly than Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the incidence of infection with these organisms is increasing with the use of immunosuppressive agents. Diagnosis of NTM cutaneous infections is not always straightforward. Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion is needed to make a diagnosis of NTM cutaneous infection.

Derivatization of 2-chlorophenol with 4-amino-anti-pyrine: a novel method for improving the selectivity of molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction of 2-chlorophenol from water.

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) may not selectively recognize small template of limited number of functional groups, such as 2-chlorophenol (2-CP). In this work, a novel method was proposed to improve the recognition ability of the molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) of 2-CP from environmental waters. This was achieved by derivatization of 2-CP with 4-amino-anti-pyrine (4-AAP) to enlarge its molecular size and add more binding sites. For that purpose, two MISPE methods of 2-CP were developed. In method 1, a polymer imprinted with 2-CP was used as the extracting sorbent but it suffered from low selectivity and high detection limit of 2-CP (7.10 ng L(-1)). In method 2, a polymer imprinted with 4-AAP derivatized 2-CP (2-CP-4-AAP) was used as the extracting sorbent. Prior to loading the water sample it was subjected to a simple derivatization procedure with 4-AAP. Method 2 showed high recognition ability/selectivity towards 2-CP-4-AAP with lower detection limit of 0.05 ng L(-1) for 2-CP-4-AAP. Method 2 was able to detect the presence of 2-CP-4-AAP in unspiked real water samples and almost full spike recovery was achieved.

Multiple subcutaneous mycetomas caused by Pseudallescheria boydii: response to therapy with oral potassium iodide solution.

We describe the case of a sixteen-year-old male who presented with multiple subcutaneous mycetomas proven on culture to be secondary to Pseudallescheria boydi., The lesions responded completely to oral potassium iodide solution. To our knowledge this has never been reported in humans.

Candida endophthalmitis: focus on current and future antifungal treatment options.

Candida endophthalmitis is a sight-threatening manifestation of disseminated candidiasis. The occurrence of endogenous candida endophthalmitis in patients with candidemia has ranged from 0-45% in the published literature. In critically ill patients, it has even been associated with increased mortality. In recent years, use of newer antifungal therapies for invasive candidiasis has increased given the rise in infections with non-albicans species of Candida. To identify current practices of the management of endogenous candida endophthalmitis and relevant antifungal drug research in this disease state, we conducted a MEDLINE search (1967-2006) and bibliographic search of the English-language literature. Treatments for candida endophthalmitis have not been evaluated through well-designed, well-powered clinical trials. Data have mainly been presented in case reports, case series, animal studies, pharmacokinetic studies, and as small subsets of larger trials. Traditional systemic therapies have been amphotericin B with or without flucytosine or fluconazole. Cure rates with antifungal drugs alone appear to be much higher in patients with chorioretinitis than in endophthalmitis with vitreal involvement. Pars plana vitrectomy with or without intravitreal amphotericin B injections has been advocated particularly for patients with moderate-to-severe vitritis and substantial vision loss. Information on new antifungal agents for endophthalmitis is limited, despite increasing use in patients with candidemia. Voriconazole may be a particularly attractive agent to consider for infections with fluconazole-resistant, voriconazole-susceptible strains. The current patchwork of animal studies and small patient reports provide clinicians with some insight into the role of newer agents in the treatment of candida endophthalmitis. In general, it appears that chorioretinitis infections can be more readily cured with most systemic antifungal agents, whereas more aggressive treatment, often including vitrectomy with or without intra-vitreal antifungal administration, is needed for patients with endophthalmitis with vitritis.

Association of hemochromatosis with infectious diseases: expanding spectrum.

Withholding iron from potential pathogens is a host defense strategy. There is evidence that iron overload per se compromises the ability of phagocytes to kill microorganisms. Several hypotheses exist to explain the association of hemochromatosis with infection. A combination of mechanisms likely contributes to the increase in susceptibility to infection in these patients. A review of the current literature delineating various pathogens to which patients with hemochromatosis are potentially susceptible, and recent advances in the understanding of the association of hemochromatosis with infection, are discussed.

Malignant hidradenoma: a report of two cases and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Malignant tumors of the sweat glands are very rare. Clear cell hidradenoma is a lesion with histopathological features resembling those of eccrine poroma and eccrine spiradenoma. The biological behavior of the tumor is aggressive, with local recurrences reported in more than 50% of the surgically-treated cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two patients are presented, the first with tumor in the right axillary region, the second with a recurrent tumor of the abdominal wall. The first patient underwent wide excision with clear margins and axillary lymph node dissection and the second patient underwent wide excision of the primary lesion and bilateral inguinal node dissection due to palpable nodes. RESULTS: The patients had uneventful postoperative courses. No additional treatment was administered. However, sixteen months after surgery, patient 2 developed extensive and massive recurrence involving almost the whole abdominal wall. Although he had received several chemotherapeutic agents, the disease had a relentless course and the patient succumbed two and a half years following surgery. CONCLUSION: Malignant tumors of the sweat glands are very rare neoplasms with no discrete clinical characteristics. It is necessary to suspect any lesion which shows evidence of enlargement and to verify its status by histological evaluation. Additional resection is generally required, with at least 2-cm clear margins, since surgery is the only effective treatment.

Meningitis due to Enterobacter aerogenes subsequent to resection of an acoustic neuroma and abdominal fat graft to the mastoid

Meningitis is an uncommon complication of neurosurgical procedures, with an incidence of 1.1 percent to 2.5 percent. Although unusual, the frequency of nosocomial Gram-negative meningitis appears to be increasing. Gram-negative meningitis has been documented following disruption of the dura-arachnoid barrier secondary to trauma or surgery. The association of Gram-negative bacillary meningitis with neurosurgical procedures was first reported in the 1940's. Wolff et al. described the association between Enterobacter species and post-neurosurgical infection. More recently, risk factors for nosocomial Enterobacter meningitis have been characterized by Parodi et al. Adipose graft, as an independent risk factor has not yet been reported. A patient with acoustic neuroma resection, who developed bacterial meningitis from an abdominal fat pad graft to a mastoidectomy bed is described. A brief overview was made of post-neurosurgical Gram-negative meningitis.

Meningitis due to Enterobacter aerogenes subsequent to resection of an acoustic neuroma and abdominal fat graft to the mastoid.

Meningitis is an uncommon complication of neurosurgical procedures, with an incidence of 1.1% to 2.5%. Although unusual, the frequency of nosocomial Gram-negative meningitis appears to be increasing. Gram-negative meningitis has been documented following disruption of the dura-arachnoid barrier secondary to trauma or surgery. The association of Gram-negative bacillary meningitis with neurosurgical procedures was first reported in the 1940's. Wolff et al. described the association between Enterobacter species and post-neurosurgical infection. More recently, risk factors for nosocomial Enterobacter meningitis have been characterized by Parodi et al. Adipose graft, as an independent risk factor has not yet been reported. A patient with acoustic neuroma resection, who developed bacterial meningitis from an abdominal fat pad graft to a mastoidectomy bed is described. A brief overview was made of post-neurosurgical Gram-negative meningitis.