Early-detection scheme based on sequential tests for low-latency communications.

We propose an early-detection scheme to reduce communications latency based on sequential tests under finite blocklength regime for a fixed-rate transmission without any feedback channel. The proposed scheme processes observations sequentially to decide in favor of one of the candidate symbols. Such a process stops as soon as a decision rule is satisfied or waits for more samples under a given accuracy.

XyloFUNS: Xylocaine to freeze during unpleasant nasopharyngeal swabs in children-a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of intranasal vaporized lidocaine in reducing pain for children undergoing a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab in the Emergency Department (ED).

Study Design: A randomized blinded clinical trial was conducted in a paediatric ED. Both participants and the researcher evaluating the primary outcome were blinded.

Nasopharyngeal swabs vs. saliva sampling for SARS-CoV-2 detection: A cross-sectional survey of acceptability for caregivers and children after experiencing both methods.

Background: Saliva sampling is a promising alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 testing, but acceptability data is lacking. We characterize the acceptability of saliva sampling and nasopharyngeal swabs for primary decision makers and their children after experiencing both testing modalities.

Methods: We administered a cross-sectional survey to participants aged 6-to-17 years and their primary decision makers at an Ottawa community COVID-19 testing centre in March 2021.

Lung ultrasound findings in asymptomatic healthy children with asthma.

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been shown to be an effective tool to rapidly diagnose certain causes of pediatric respiratory distress. However, very little is known about LUS findings in pediatric asthma.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to characterize LUS findings in a cohort of pediatric patients with a definitive diagnosis of asthma, outside of an asthma exacerbation.

Diverting people who use drugs from the criminal justice system: A systematic review of police-based diversion measures.

Background: Previous reviews of the effectiveness of measures to divert those who use drugs from the criminal justice system have focused mainly on post-conviction or post-sentence programs and report mixed results. The present systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of police-based diversion measures in reducing criminal offenses and other harms related to drug use and then summarizes evidence from qualitative studies to identify facilitators and barriers associated with the implementation of such measures.

Methods: Eight databases were searched to find evaluations of police-based diversion measures for drug-related offenders.

Municipal regulation of cannabis and public health in Canada: A comparison of Alberta, Ontario, and Québec.

Canada legalized nonmedical cannabis in October 2018, but significant variations in municipal regulations exist. This study explored the variations that exist and pondered their potential public health consequences. A comparative analysis was completed on the regulations and guidelines that addressed retailers' location and public consumption in the municipalities of Alberta, Ontario, and Québec.

Characterizing pediatric lung ultrasound findings during a chemically induced bronchospasm.

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been shown to be a useful clinical tool in pediatrics, but very little is known about the LUS findings of asthma in children.

Objectives: The primary objective was to characterize LUS findings of pediatric patients before and after a chemically induced bronchospasm. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of bronchodilators on LUS findings.

Three sequential outbreaks of Group A over a two-year period at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, St. Jean Garrison, Québec.

Background: Since December 2016, the basic military training (BMT) facility for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has experienced repeated outbreaks of Group A (GAS). In 2018, a voluntary mass antibiotic prophylaxis (MAP) program was implemented to interrupt GAS transmission among recruits. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of three GAS outbreaks and a period of increased pharyngitis infections at the CAF BMT facility in Québec over a two-year span, and to detail the prevention and control measures implemented to mitigate the risk to recruit health.

Adverse events following mass antibiotic prophylaxis during a Group A outbreak in the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School.

Background: Between December 2016 and March 2018, two outbreaks of Group A (GAS) infection occurred at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School. A voluntary mass antibiotic prophylaxis (MAP) program was implemented in March 2018, to interrupt an ongoing GAS outbreak, and to prevent future outbreaks.

Methods: Instructors and recruits were offered a one-time intramuscular injection of 1.

Analysis and Experimental Validation of Efficient Coded OFDM for an Impulsive Noise Environment.

The importance of synergy with industry lies in the possibility of experimental validation of the work research results. With Software-Defined Radio (SDR) platforms, it is possible to implement a physical layer and to have tests with hardware in a real environment. In this paper, we investigate the validation of an impulsive noise resistant physical layer based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and an interesting concatenation of forward error correcting codes: Rank metric Code (RC) and Convolutional Code (CC).

Peripheral human CD4CD8 T lymphocytes exhibit a memory phenotype and enhanced responses to IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15.

CD4CD8 T lymphocytes account for 1-2% of circulating human T lymphocytes, but their frequency is augmented in several diseases. The phenotypic and functional properties of these T lymphocytes are still ill-defined. We performed an ex vivo characterization of CD4CD8 T lymphocytes from the blood of healthy individuals.

Influencing public policies: Two (very good) reasons to look toward scientific knowledge in public policy.

The healthy public policy movement rests on the belief that a range of public policies should be at least partly informed by evidence demonstrating the positive effects of these policies on population health, health inequalities and their determinants. In order to address certain difficulties that the movement faces, knowledge produced in various scientific disciplines regarding public policies may provide some valuable guidance. In this short commentary, we examine how knowledge from the scientific disciplines investigating public policies makes it possible to address two difficulties in the development of healthy public policies: 1) adequately anticipating the effects of public policies, and 2) assessing the political viability of the policies being promoted.

A randomized, single-blind, controlled, parallel assignment study of exercise versus education as adjuvant in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain.

Objective: Some forms of chronic pain are receptive to exercise therapy for maintenance of pain relief. We evaluated the impact of a balanced exercise program in the management of human peripheral neuropathic pain compared with an educational intervention.

Methods: This was a single-center, randomized, single-blind, controlled study using an intention-to-treat protocol.

A family of Nyquist pulses for coherent optical communications.

A new family of Nyquist pulses for coherent optical single carrier systems is introduced and is shown to increase the nonlinearity tolerance of dual-polarization (DP)-QPSK and DP-16-QAM systems. Numerical investigations for a single-channel 28 Gbaud DP-16-QAM long-haul system without optical dispersion compensation indicate that the proposed pulse can increase the reach distance by 26% and 19%, for roll-off factors of 1 and 2, respectively. In multi-channel transmissions and for a roll-off factor of 1, a reach distance increase of 20% is reported.