British Columbia Institute of Technology

About: British Columbia Institute of Technology is a education organization based out in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Smart grid & Belief revision. The organization has 458 authors who have published 785 publications receiving 16140 citations.

Neuropathic Pain, Depression, and Cardiovascular Disease: A National Multicenter Study

Abstract: Background: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a more than twofold increased risk of heart disease and stroke compared with able-bodied individuals. The increased risk appears to be in excess of the risk conferred by several well-established risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, and sex. This raises the question whether other factors, secondary to SCI, are also contributing to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Two potential factors associated with SCI and CVD are pain and depression. Both are frequently reported among individuals with SCI, develop in the acute stages of injury, and are commonly described as severe. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between pain (and types of pain) and depression with CVD among individuals with SCI. Methods: A total of 1,493 individuals (referred sample) with chronic SCI participated in a self-report cross-sectional multicenter Canada-wide survey from 2011-2012 (mean age ± standard deviation: 49.6 ± 13.9 years). Results: After adjustment for age, sex, and injury characteristics, neuropathic pain and depression were significantly and independently associated with CVD (adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 2.27 (1.21, 4.60) for neuropathic pain; 4.07 (2.10, 7.87) for depression). In contrast to neuropathic pain, non-neuropathic pain was not significantly associated with CVD (p = 0.13). Conclusion: In conclusion, these data illustrate important interrelationships between secondary complications following SCI, as well as raise the possibility of neuropathic pain (versus nociceptive pain) as a novel and emerging risk factor for CVD.

Visceral leishmaniasis affects liver and spleen concentrations of amphotericin B following administration to mice

Abstract: Objectives: To assess the impact of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) on the concentration of amphotericin B (AmB) recovered in the liver and spleen following either intravenous (AmBisome ® ) or oral (iCo-009) AmB administration to mice. Methods: Livers and spleens previously obtained from VL-infected BALB/c mice (following intravenous AmBisome ® or oral AmB treatments) were analysed for AmB concentrations. Then, non-infected BALB/c mice were divided into three treatment groups: a single dose of intravenous AmBisome ® (2 mg/kg, n=5); and oral AmB every 12 h for 5 days (10 mg/kg, n=6 and 20 mg/kg, n=6). The animals were sacrificed 7 days after the initiation of the treatment and the livers and spleens were harvested for drug analysis by HPLC. Results: The single intravenous injection of AmBisome ® resulted in a 77-fold lower concentration of AmB in infected compared with non-infected liver tissue, while the difference in AmB concentration in the spleen was only 5-fold. The multiple dose oral administration of AmB resulted in a 3-fold lower concentration of AmB in infected compared with non-infected livers for both oral doses, while the differences in AmB concentrations in the spleen were not statistically different for the oral treatment groups. Conclusions: VL significantly lowered the concentration of AmB in the liver and the spleen when compared with uninfected animals. This effect seems to correlate with the degree of infection of the tissue. In the case of the intravenous liposomal formulation (AmBisome ® ), the differences between the infected and non-infected tissues are of a higher magnitude than in the case of orally administered AmB (iCo-009).

LTE IoT Technology Enhancements and Case Studies

Abstract: Many devices and machines used in diverse applications require ubiquitous connectivity to the Internet through cellular network. These devices have different requirements in terms of their location, data rates, mobility, energy consumption, latency, complexity, power output level, spectrum, and security. These criteria impose specific requirements on the network infrastructure. While some Internet of Things (IoT) enabling technologies exist today that may be able to address the wide area coverage requirement of the IoT devices, they fall short as compared to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technology in terms of coverage, scalability, interoperability, Quality of Service (QoS), and security. 3GPP Release 13 introduced two categories of IoT technologies called LTE-M and narrow band IoT (NB-IoT). In LTE release, 14, and 15, the enhancements of LTE IoT continued to provide cellular IoT connectivity to more IoT devices and in more diverse applications. In this article, we provide an overview of the evolution from Releases 13 to 15 (a rich technology roadmap toward 5G), and for multiple different use cases discuss the technology requirements that need to be met for each specific application.

Experiences with and perceptions of an adaptive hiking program.

Abstract: Purpose: Outdoor activities in natural settings have been found to be beneficial for overall health and well-being. However, people with disabilities may have different experiences accessing outdoor activities in natural settings. This research explored the experiences of users, volunteers, and staff, and perspectives of non-users about an adapted hiking program that uses a specialized mobility device called a TrailRider. The research had three objectives:1. Describe the experiences of users, volunteers, and staff;2. Identify perceived barriers to or limitations of participating for users, volunteers, staff, and non-users; and3. Explore the impact of participation for users, volunteers, and staff.Method: This ethnographic study used a combination of observations and in-depth interviews as a means of data collection.Results: Researchers accompanied 38 participants on five hikes and conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 participants. Analysis identified three themes: “Let the Good Times Roll”...