Real Time Monitoring of Children, and Adults with Mental Disabilities Using a Low-Cost Non-Invasive Electronic Device

There are a growing number of small children-as well as adults-with mental disabilities (including elderly citizens with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of age-related dementia) that are getting lost in rural and urban areas for various reasons. Establishing their location within the first 72 h is crucial because lost people are exposed to all kinds of adverse conditions and in the case of the elderly, this is further aggravated if prescribed medication is needed. Herein we describe a non-invasive, low-cost electronic device that operates constantly, keeping track of time, the geographical location and the identification of the subject using it. The prototype was made using commercial low-cost electronic components. This electronic device shows high connectivity in open and closed areas and identifies the geographical location of a lost subject. We freely provide the software and technical diagrams of the prototypes.

Big Data Analytics, Infectious Diseases and Associated Ethical Impacts

The exponential accumulation, processing and accrual of big data in healthcare are only possible through an equally rapidly evolving field of big data analytics. The latter offers the capacity to rationalize, understand and use big data to serve many different purposes, from improved services modelling to prediction of treatment outcomes, to greater patient and disease stratification. In the area of infectious diseases, the application of big data analytics has introduced a number of changes in the information accumulation models. These are discussed by comparing the traditional and new models of data accumulation. Big data analytics is fast becoming a crucial component for the modelling of transmission-aiding infection control measures and policies-emergency response analyses required during local or international outbreaks. However, the application of big data analytics in infectious diseases is coupled with a number of ethical impacts. Four key areas are discussed in this paper: (i) automation and algorithmic reliance impacting freedom of choice, (ii) big data analytics complexity impacting informed consent, (iii) reliance on profiling impacting individual and group identities and justice/fair access and (iv) increased surveillance and population intervention capabilities impacting behavioural norms and practices. Furthermore, the extension of big data analytics to include information derived from personal devices, such as mobile phones and wearables as part of infectious disease frameworks in the near future and their potential ethical impacts are discussed. Considered together, the need for a constructive and transparent inclusion of ethical questioning in this rapidly evolving field becomes an increasing necessity in order to provide a moral foundation for the societal acceptance and responsible development of the technological advancement.

Increasing the Impact of Materials in and beyond Bio-Nano Science

This is an exciting time for the field of bio-nano science: enormous progress has been made in recent years, especially in academic research, and materials developed and studied in this area are poised to make a substantial impact in real-world applications. Herein, we discuss ways to leverage the strengths of the field, current limitations, and valuable lessons learned from neighboring fields that can be adopted to accelerate scientific discovery and translational research in bio-nano science. We identify and discuss five interconnected topics: (i) the advantages of cumulative research; (ii) the necessity of aligning projects with research priorities; (iii) the value of transparent science; (iv) the opportunities presented by "dark data"; and (v) the importance of establishing bio-nano standards.