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1. The ability to forage and return home is essential to the success of bees as both foragers and pollinators. Pesticide exposure may cause behavioural changes that interfere with these processes, with consequences for colony persistence and delivery of pollination services. 2. We investigated the impact of chronic exposure (5-43 days) to field-realistic levels of a neonicotinoid insecticide (2·4 ppb thiamethoxam) on foraging ability, homing success and colony size using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in free-flying bumblebee colonies. 3. Individual foragers from pesticide-exposed colonies carried out longer foraging bouts than untreated controls (68 vs. 55 min). Pesticide-exposed bees also brought back pollen less frequently than controls indicating reduced foraging performance. 4. A higher proportion of bees from pesticide-exposed colonies returned when released 1 km from their nests; this is potentially related to increased orientation experience during longer foraging bouts. We measured no impact of pesticide exposure on homing ability for bees released from 2 km, or when data were analysed overall. 5. Despite a trend for control colonies to produce more new workers earlier, we found no overall impacts of pesticide exposure on whole colony size. 6. Synthesis and applications. This study shows that field-realistic neonicotinoid exposure can have impacts on both foraging ability and homing success of bumblebees, with implications for the success of bumblebee colonies in agricultural landscapes and their ability to deliver crucial pollination services. Pesticide risk assessments should include bee species other than honeybees and assess a range of behaviours to elucidate the impact of sublethal effects. This has relevance for reviews of neonicotinoid risk assessment and usage policy world-wide.

This chapter contains sections titled: Historical and Legal Background Philosophical Foundations Radio Frequency Identity Chips Item‐Level Tagging Human Implants RFID‐Chipped Identification Is RFID a Threat to Privacy?

PurposeThe purpose of the research has been the primary consideration and evaluation of a cost effective, reliable, robust and simple process of radio frequency identification (RFID)-based stock control, asset management and monitoring of concrete safety bollards used in the road environment. Likewise, the consideration of the use of the same system and technology to other items in and around the general road infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach undertaken has been an evaluation of the use of currently available RFID technology, with a key emphasis on low cost, ease of use, reliability and convenience. Practical field exercises completed in considering the relevant RFID tags and readers and associated software and apps and necessary software integration and development have been undertaken. At the same time, evaluating the specific limits created in the specific environment is being applied. Of particular interest has been the use of a moving scan in a vehicle drive-through or pass-bye, type reading system. This has been determined to be viable and completely practical, drastically reducing the key issue of time-taken. Practical application of the system from idea to real life application has been undertaken. The integration of the use of the RFID tag and reader system with necessary and related software to database upload and storage has been established. The creation of an online facility to allow the appropriate use of the data and to include the convenient output of an asset report has been undertaken.FindingsThe findings have provided the necessary insight confirming the use of RFID technology as a simple yet reliable, cost effective and adaptable stock control, asset management and geo-locating system in the road environment. The use of such systems in this particular environment is in its infancy, and is perhaps novel and original in the specific aspect of using the system to stock control, manage and monitor road safety concrete bollards and other roadside objects in the road environment.Originality/valueTo establish if in fact, stock control geo-locating can be reliably undertaken with the use of RFID tags and readers in the specific road and road construction environment, particularly with the use of moving RFID reading of passive tags. To establish the minimum requirements of a field usable RFID tag and reader, specifically applicable to the concrete safety bollards, however to other roadside furniture. To identify the minimum requirements of a function, simple app to minimise general requirements of the overall stock control and monitoring of the RFID-tagged objects. To establish the possibility of reading the tag data, global positioning system (GPS) location and video imaging footage as a single operation function. To determine the basic parameters or limits of the GPS geo-locating, on the proposed products selected and overall system. To determine the current best practice in respect of reasonable accuracy and detail in relation to price considerations to a fully function stock control and monitoring system. To identify the minimum requirements of an online database to receive, house and provide ongoing access to and report on the data. To identify the key differences and benefits between traditional stock control and monitoring systems, against that of proposed RFID tag, read and geo-locating system.

PurposeIn breast conserving surgery, accurate lesion localization is essential for obtaining adequate surgical margins. Preoperative wire localization (WL) and radioactive seed localization (RSL) are widely accepted methods to guide surgical excision of nonpalpable breast lesions but are limited by logistical challenges, migration issues, and legislative complexities. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology may offer a viable alternative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, clinical acceptability, and safety of RFID surgical guidance for localization of nonpalpable breast cancer.MethodsIn a prospective multicentre cohort study, the first 100 RFID localization procedures were included. The primary outcome was the percentage of clear resection margins and re-excision rate. Secondary outcomes included procedure details, user experience, learningcurve, and adverse events.ResultsBetween April 2019 and May 2021, 100 women underwent RFID guided breast conserving surgery. Clear resection margins were obtained in 89 out of 96 included patients (92.7%), re-excision was indicated in three patients (3.1%). Radiologists reported difficulties with the placement of the RFID tag, partially related to the relatively large needle-applicator (12-gauge). This led to the premature termination of the study in the hospital using RSL as regular care. The radiologist experience was improved after a manufacturer modification of the needle-applicator. Surgical localization involved a low learning curve. Adverse events (n = 33) included dislocation of the marker during insertion (8%) and hematomas (9%). The majority of adverse events (85%) occurred using the first-generation needle-applicator.ConclusionRFID technology is a potential alternative for non-radioactive and non-wire localization of nonpalpable breast lesions.

Developing a compact circularly polarized (CP) antenna with good radiation characteristics for handheld radio frequency identification (RFID) readers is a very challenging task. Many compact CP antennas have been reported in the open literature, but most suffer from critical drawbacks of low gain and/or high back radiation. This paper presents a metasurface (MS) based CP antenna with compact size, high gain, and high front-to-back ratio characteristics. The compact size of the proposed design is achieved by using a 2 × 2 unit-cell MS, while the CP realization is accomplished through a coupling between the MS and a Y-shaped patch as a primary CP source. The final antenna has compact overall dimensions of 0.45λ × 0.45λ × 0.02λ, where λ is the guided wavelength at the center frequency. The operating bandwidth is about 2.0% (2.43–2.48 GHz) and the broadside gain is about 6.3 dBi. Besides, the front-to-back ratio (FBR) defined by the difference gain levels between the forward and backward directions is about 18 dB. Compared with the related compact CP antennas in the literature, the proposed design has the advantages of high gain and high FBR, making it suitable for compact RFID readers.

The article proposes a novel approach to assess rotor angle stability in microgrids by enhancing the Modified Galerkin Method (MGM), which is based on the Polynomial Approximation, using real-time RFID data acquisition. Due to their reliance on assumptions, traditional rotor angle stability methodologies frequently fail in online transient stability testing. MGM successfully captures the dynamic behavior of microgrids by approximating state variables using a sequence of polynomials and coefficients. Redundant data, like as vibrations or noise signals, can cause delays in defect diagnosis and decrease diagnostic accuracy. This problem is addressed by integrating RFID technology. RFID technology could potentially be used with a hybrid CNN-LSTM model to develop a sophisticated fault diagnostic system. This entails identifying fault characteristics through the use of signal processing techniques and feature extraction methods, such as the Fourier transform and time-domain statistical features. In addition, we use Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) to reduce superfluous data. The suggested techniques significantly increase fault detection efficiency and precision, outperforming existing techniques with a 0.94 classification accuracy. An extensive case study on an IEEE 3-machine 9-bus system is used to illustrate its efficacy, showing observable improvements in fault detection speed and accuracy that make microgrid operations safer and more dependable.

Ensuring the traceability of agricultural products is essential for quality control and food safety. Recent technological advances have provided new ways to enhance traceability systems. This study aims to use blockchain technology, centralized database and RFID tags to develop a secure agricultural product traceability system, retain the detailed information of agricultural products traceability, ensure that the summary information of agricultural products on the chain cannot be modified, and optimize the SM3 algorithm to effectively summarize the traceability data and improve the efficiency of the system. The aggregated data is time-stamped, recorded on the blockchain, and written into an RFID tag. The optimization of the SM3 algorithm improved the efficiency by 30% and reduced the execution time of 192-byte messages to 210µs. The system ensures accurate linking of traceability data through secure data retention and unalterable summaries on the blockchain. The integrated use of blockchain, centralized database and RFID technology, as well as the enhanced SM3 algorithm, allows the system to meet the standards for data accuracy and performance requirements in agricultural traceability applications.

With the increasing demand for fruits and vegetables in the market, the development of cold chain logistics has put forward higher requirements for the quality of fruits and vegetables in storage. To ensure the freshness of fruits and vegetables during storage and transportation and avoid unnecessary loss, it is necessary to conduct real-time detection of their odor to ensure their quality. Therefore, based on nano-composite materials combined with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, this paper designs an integrated RFID sensor that can simultaneously detect temperature, carbon dioxide, and ethanol concentrations. The test results show that the sensor has a high sensitivity of 0.25 dB/°C, 0.011 dB/ppm, and 0.65 MHz/ppm for detecting temperature, carbon dioxide, and ethanol concentration, respectively. The sensor also uses Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology to make the sensor base, which has the advantages of low cost, easy portability, and mass production capability. The results obtained evidence that the system meets the requirements of environmental monitoring for fruit and vegetable storage, runs stably, and has a high use value. Graphical Abstract

PurposeRadiofrequency identification (RFID) tag localization (TL) is a technique of localizing non-palpable breast lesions that can be performed prior to surgery. We sought to evaluate whether TL is comparable to wire localization (WL) in regard to specimen size, operative time, and re-excision rate.MethodsA retrospective cohort analysis was performed on TL and WL excisional biopsies and lumpectomies performed by 5 surgeons at 2 institutions. Cases were stratified by surgery type and surgical indication. Associations between localization technique and specimen volume, operative time, and re-excision rate were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsA total of 503 procedures were included, 147 TL (29.2%) and 356 WL (70.8%). Nineteen (12.9%) RFID tags were placed before surgery, ranging 1–22 days. All intended targets were removed. TL and WL excisional biopsy and lumpectomy specimen volumes were similar (p = 0.560 and 0.494). TL and WL excisional biopsy and lumpectomy + SLNB operative times were similar (p = 0.152 and 0.158), but TL lumpectomies without SLNB took longer than WL (57 min vs 49 min; p = 0.027). Re-excision rates were similar by surgical procedure (p = 0.615), surgical indication (DCIS p = 0.145; invasive carcinoma p = 0.759), and confirmed by multivariable analysis (OR 0.754, 95% CI 0.392–1.450; p = 0.397).ConclusionsTL has similar surgical outcomes to WL with added benefit that TL can occur prior to the day of surgery. TL is an acceptable alternative to WL and should be considered for non-palpable breast lesions.

Tracing food products along the entire supply chain is important for achieving better management of food products. Traditionally, centralized traceability systems have been developed for such purposes. One major drawback of this approach is that different users of the supply chain have their own systems with their own complexities and distinct features; thus, the interaction among them creates challenges when implementing a single centralized system. Therefore, a decentralized traceability system is favorable for tracing food products along the supply chain. In this study, we develop a supply chain traceability system framework based on blockchain and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The system consists of a decentralized blockchain-enabled data storage platform for data management and an RFID system at the packaging level for data collection and storage. We applied a consortium blockchain to the application. Fabric 2.0 in Hyperledger was chosen as the development platform. The proposed blockchain-enabled platform can provide decentralized data management and its underlying algorithm can guarantee data security. The system includes a creatively designed blockchain-enabled data structure in the RFID tag. When people scan the tag, the relevant information is written in the tag as a block linked to the previous blocks; simultaneously, the information is transmitted to the blockchain platform and recorded on the platform. No battery is required and the system works when there is an RFID reader nearby. The usage conditions included shipment, stocking, and storage. The RFID tag can be directly attached to paper packaging. This approach embeds the blockchain technique into the RFID tag and develops a corresponding system. The new traceability system has the potential to simplify the tracking of products and can be scaled for industrial use.