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Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarms have emerged as a promising technology for various applications, such as delivery, surveillance, and infrastructure inspection. An additional feature of deploying large UAV swarms is their use in mobile offloading networking. At the same time, this implies a key challenge in the efficient management of the computational and networking requirements for these offloading processes. This paper aims to fill this gap through a systematic literature review (SLR) analysing the research on distributed task offloading in UAV swarms. We conducted a systematic search of major scientific databases to identify relevant literature published between 2019 and 2023. A total of 63 papers were selected through a multistage screening process and their key contributions. This SLR aims to provide the current state of research on UAV swarm task offloading, including considerations for computation offloading, the role of UAV swarms, different aspects of UAV swarms, the number of UAVs in swarms impacting performance, and open issues. Our review also highlights UAV swarm offloading in various domains and discusses the challenges and limitations that must be addressed to ensure the widespread adoption of this technology. We outline the future research directions and potential applications of UAV swarm offloading, including its integration with other technologies.

Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as flying edge nodes to support task offloading from terminal devices has recently attracted significant research attention. However, the literature lacks a systematic perspective on this emerging topic. The goals are to understand the volume and trends of research, identify use case scenarios and proposed architectures, classify the core topics addressed, explore group techniques explored, recognize task types considered, and summarize open issues needing further work. Publications are mapped by type and source from 2019 to 2023 to assess the maturity and activity level in this field over time. Various use case scenarios for UAV-enabled Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) task offloading are identified and categorized, and different proposed architectures for offloading between UAV-MEC platforms are summarized. Techniques for offloading decision-making and performance enhancement are grouped to identify popular and less explored methods. The literature is also mapped based on the types of tasks considered for offloading to UAV-enabled MEC platforms to recognize the focus areas. Open issues that are briefly discussed across papers but require additional research are summarized on basis of the gaps identified. This systematic perspective consolidates existing research in an organized manner to guide future works and establish a coherent taxonomy to organize future studies and reviews. Overall, mapping trends helps characterize research maturity, guiding its continued development.

The lack of resource constraints for edge servers makes it difficult to simultaneously perform a large number of Mobile Devices’ (MDs) requests. The Mobile Network Operator (MNO) must then select how to delegate MD queries to its Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server in order to maximize the overall benefit of admitted requests with varying latency needs. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Artificial Intelligent (AI) can increase MNO performance because of their flexibility in deployment, high mobility of UAV, and efficiency of AI algorithms. There is a trade-off between the cost incurred by the MD and the profit received by the MNO. Intelligent computing offloading to UAV-enabled MEC, on the other hand, is a promising way to bridge the gap between MDs' limited processing resources, as well as the intelligent algorithms that are utilized for computation offloading in the UAV-MEC network and the high computing demands of upcoming applications. This study looks at some of the research on the benefits of computation offloading process in the UAV-MEC network, as well as the intelligent models that are utilized for computation offloading in the UAV-MEC network. In addition, this article examines several intelligent pricing techniques in different structures in the UAV-MEC network. Finally, this work highlights some important open research issues and future research directions of Artificial Intelligent (AI) in computation offloading and applying intelligent pricing strategies in the UAV-MEC network.

In the fifth-generation (5G) cellular network, the Mobile Network Operator (MNO), and the Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) platform will play an important role in providing services to an increasing number of vehicles. Due to vehicle mobility and the rise of computation-intensive and delay-sensitive vehicular applications, it is challenging to achieve the rigorous latency and reliability requirements of vehicular communication. The MNO, with the MEC server mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), should make a profit by providing its computing services and capabilities to moving vehicles. This paper proposes the use of dynamic pricing for computation offloading in UAV-MEC for vehicles. The novelty of this paper is in how the price influences offloading demand and decides how to reduce network costs (delay and energy) while maximizing UAV operator revenue, but not the offloading benefits with the mobility of vehicles and UAV. The optimization problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). The MDP can be solved by the Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm, especially the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG). Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed pricing model outperforms greedy by 26%and random by 51% in terms of delay. In terms of system utility, the proposed pricing model outperforms greedy only by 17%. In terms of server congestion, the proposed pricing model outperforms random by 19% and is almost the same as greedy.

OBJECTIVES This objective of this study was to evaluate the role of a heavy metal- lead acetate in the eruption rate of hypo functional incisors in albino Wistar rats. METHODOLOGY An experimental study was done in animal house of Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore since March 2019 to March 2020. 34 adult albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups (n=17 for each group) i.e., control and lead acetate group. Right mandibular incisors were selected for this study. Selected incisors were marked 1mm above the level of gingival papillae. The incisors were cut above this mark to make it hypo-functional. The readings were measured by digital Vernier caliper. This was considered as day 0. Incisors length was measured at day 0, 3, 6, 12 and 15 and eruption was calculated. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. RESULTS Eruption rate was similar throughout the study except last follow up. At the end of this study eruption of incisors in albino Wistar rats in control was 03.30±0.72mm, in lead 02.43±1.19mm. At day 15, the difference between control and lead group was statistically significant (p-value 0.033). CONCLUSION These results reveal that besides other causes of delayed tooth eruption excessive lead intoxication are also acausative factor of delayed tooth eruption.

The rapid development of industrialization, transportation, and urbanization has a negative impact on nature such as increased pollution, decreased pervious surface area, and increased temperatures. Researchers are consistently trying to find out ways that can facilitate the reduction of naturally unfriendly impacts. In this context, “green corridors” play a critical role. The main goal of the “green corridors” is to help build sustainable industrial, urban, and transportation networks by meeting requirements for environmental, technical, economic, social, and space planning issues. This paper provides a critical perspective on extant “green corridor” research by analyzing its performance and unwinding the intellectual structure. The perspective also sheds light on gaps in current literature and, therefore, possible future research avenues and calls for research in the field of “green corridor.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) has provided significant help in many fields of life. This study proposed a framework that helped in understanding customers’ attitudes about the adoption of Robo-advisors. The role of the Technology Readiness Index moderated as one of the primary relationships. A total of 208 potential users of Robo-advisor services provided the data that confirmed the validity of the model. This model provided the input for structural equation modeling and analysis of the study hypotheses. The results indicated that consumers showed positive attitudes about Robo-advisor services, with the moderating effect of Technology Readiness Index dimensions, namely, contributors and inhibitors. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived convenience influenced consumers in developing positive attitudes about this service. Financial businesses can design better AI Robo-advisor services to fulfill the requirements of a wide range of consumers. This proposed framework contributes to the consumers’ understanding of behavioral intentions for the use of Robo-advisors in FinTech.

Introduction: The increased prevalence of overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome has revealed that liver enzymes have a potential role as determinants of metabolic conditions such as, hyperlipidemia, and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Aim: The study aimed to investigate the correlation between liver enzymes with anthropometric indices of obesity and lipid profile in different obese phenotypes at a tertiary care. Materials and Methods: The present observational study was conducted on a total of 180 obese participants of either gender in the age group 18-59 years for a from December 2018 to May 2019. These were further divided into two phenotypic groups viz., Metabolically Healthy Obese (MHO group; n=90) and Metabolically Unhealthy Obese (MUHO group; n=90) according to National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP) criteria. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated in the study participants through anthropometric viz., Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Waist–Hip Ratio (WHR), blood pressure and biochemical investigations i.e., serum glucose, lipid profile and liver enzymes. Data was analysed by using Microsoft excel software. Results: Among 180 obese participants, 76 were males and 104 females with mean age 40.42±10.84 years. In MUHO phenotype, Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) showed a strong positive correlation with BMI (r=0.413, p=0.00001), lipid parameters viz., LDL-C (r=0.3785, p=0.0001), TC (r=0.2953, p=0.0023), TG (r=0.2623, p=0.006) and negative correlation with HDL-C (-r=0.3167, p=0.0011). No significant correlation was found in MHO phenotype between liver enzymes, BMI and lipid profile parameters. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that GGT shows a strong positive correlation with traditional risk factors in MUHO participants. Thus, raised GGT may be considered as a risk marker of CVD in MUHO phenotype.

Objectives To understand the impact of COVID-19 on delivery and outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). Furthermore, to compare clinical presentation and outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with active COVID-19 against those without COVID-19.Methods We systematically analysed 348 STEMI cases presenting to the PPCI programme in London during the peak of the pandemic (1 March to 30 April 2020) and compared with 440 cases from the same period in 2019. Outcomes of interest included ambulance response times, timeliness of revascularisation, angiographic and procedural characteristics, and in-hospital clinical outcomesResults There was a 21% reduction in STEMI admissions and longer ambulance response times (87 (62–118) min in 2020 vs 75 (57–95) min in 2019, p

Gitelman syndrome is one of the few inherited causes of metabolic alkalosis due to salt losing tubulopathy. It is caused by tubular defects at the level of distal convoluted tubules, mimicking a thiazide-like tumor. It usually presents in late childhood or in teenage as nonspecific weakness, fatigability, polyuria, and polydipsia but very rarely with seizures. It is classically associated with hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalciuria, hyperreninemia, and hyperaldosteronism. However, less frequently, it can present with normal magnesium levels. It is even rarer to find normomagnesemic patients of GS who develop seizures as the main complication since hypomagnesemia is considered the principal etiology of abnormal foci of seizure-related brain activity in GS cases. Interestingly, patients with GS are oftentimes diagnosed during pregnancy when the classic electrolyte pattern consistent with GS is noticed. Our case presents GS with normal serum magnesium in a patient, with seizures being the main clinical presentation. We also did a comprehensive literature review of 122 reported cases to show the prevalence of normal magnesium in GS cases and an overview of clinical and biochemical variability in GS. We suggest that further studies and in-depth analysis are required to understand the pathophysiology of seizures in GS patients with both normal and low magnesium levels.

The oil and gas sector plays a vital role in the economic development of Malaysia. The transportation of oil and gas product is a sensitive issue because a minor negligence of a tanker truck driver can cause a serious accident of heavy loss and fatality. To address this issue, the study of oil and gas truck drivers’ Fatigue is very important because most of the transportation activities depend on them. Further, the psychological risk factors (personality traits, behaviors and work stress) have a high impact on drivers' fatigue. The annual report has been taken from Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). The report has identified the fatalities rate among heavy vehicle drivers. Several fatal crashes’ results show the high fatalities rate in Malaysia. The concepts of mental fatigue, physical fatigue, task-related fatigue and socioeconomic impacts of drivers’ fatigue are discussed in this study. In conclusion, the proposed methodology and future recommendations are presented.

Objectives: We hypothesised that stress echocardiography (SE), may be superior to exercise ECG (ExECG), for predicting CAD and outcome, and cost-beneficial, when performed as initial investigation in newly suspected angina. Methods: All patients seen in 2011, with suspected angina, no history of CAD, pre-test likelihood of CAD of >10% and who underwent SE or ExECG as first line were identified retrospectively. Cost to diagnosis was calculated by adding the cost of all tests, up to and including coronary angiography (CA), on an intention-to-treat basis. Follow-up data on cardiac death and myocardial infarction (MI) were collected, 26 months after the presentation of the last study patient. Results: A total of 456 patients underwent ExECG (224 (49%) negative, 93 (20%) positive, 139 (31%) inconclusive) and 241 underwent SE (200 (83%) negative, 35 (15%) positive, 6 (2%) inconclusive) as first line. In patients subsequently undergoing CA, CAD was present in 46% (37/80) of patients with positive ExECG vs. 72% (23/32) patients with positive SE (p = 0.01). Mean cost to diagnosis was £456 for the ExECG vs. £360 for the SE group (p = 0.002). Over a mean follow-up period of 31 ± 5 months, cardiac events were 2% each in negative SE vs. negative ExECG (p = 0.9). Conclusions: SE is superior to ExECG for prediction of CAD and is cost-beneficial when used as initial test in patients with no history of CAD presenting with suspected angina.

Abstract Objective: This study has been planned to know that under standardized tooth preparation procedure what immediate morphological changes are observed in a different clinical setting, which could be the cause of pulp necrosis later on. Materials and Methods: 140 intact premolars were used as a subject and were equally divided in four groups (One control and three experimental groups). In each experimental group different depth of tooth preparation procedure was done along with copious irrigation of water and new dental bur for each subject. The teeth were extracted after the procedure and were fixed in 10% formalin solution. Teeth specimens were processed in laboratory and slides were observed under the light microscope. Results: In terms of acute inflammatory infiltrate and necrosis 100 % success was observed as none of the study groups revealed this abnormality however other morphological changes including, vacuolated odontoblastic layer with disrupted nuclei, and vasodilatation were observed in all study groups. Chi Square test was applied as inferential statistics. Conclusion: Morphological changes do occur in all experimental groups. These changes become more severe and aggressive as the depth of tooth preparation is increased.

The advancement in imaging technology coupled with development of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) has made it possible to detect and localize coronary artery disease at the bedside. Despite plethora of data published1, commercially available agents are still approved only for left ventricular opacification; but the true potential of these unique red blood cell tracers resides in the non-invasive assessment of myocardial perfusion during myocardial contrast echocardiography and that too with high spatial and temporal resolution than any other non-invasive bedside technique.

Purpose: To investigate the association between pretreatment blood flow velocity in the choroid and optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal oxygen metabolism in the acute uveitic phase and the development of 'sunset glow fundus' in Vogt‐Koyanagi‐Harada (VKH) disease. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 41 patients (82 eyes). Laser speckle flowgraphy and retinal oximetry measurements were performed at the presentation. The main outcome measure was the development of 'sunset glow fundus'. Results: Twenty patients (40 eyes) presented in the phase preceding anterior segment inflammation (early presentation), and 21 patients (42 eyes) presented with anterior segment inflammation (late presentation). In ONH, mean blur rate (MBR)‐vessel, representing blood flow velocity in retinal vessels, was significantly lower in the late presentation group, while choroidal MBR was not significantly different. The late presentation group had significantly lower oxygen saturation in retinal venules, a higher arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference and a smaller calibre of retinal arterioles compared with the early presentation group. Eyes that subsequently developed 'sunset glow fundus' had significantly lower ONH MBR‐vessels, lower oxygen saturation in retinal venules, a higher arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference and a smaller calibre of retinal arterioles compared with eyes without 'sunset glow fundus'. ONH MBR‐vessel had a significant negative correlation with arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference and a significant positive correlation with calibre of retinal arterioles. Conclusions: In the acute uveitic phase of VKH disease, the development of 'sunset glow fundus' is associated with pretreatment reduced retinal blood flow velocity, calibre of retinal arterioles and oxygen saturation in retinal venules, as well as an increased arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Pediatric rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) represents a challenge for ophthalmologists and vitreoretinal surgeons. In this study, we aim to review the clinical features, and surgical and visual outcomes of pediatric RRD in a tertiary referral center. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study using the review of charts for all patients who presented to King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2005 to 2016. This study included patients 18 years old or younger, had undergone surgical repairs for RRD, and were followed up for 1 year or more. Results: Eighty-nine eyes of 70 children who underwent surgical repair for RRD were included in the current retrospective study. A previous history of intraocular surgeries was present in 31.5%. The majority of cases had known ocular disease or syndromes (n = 58, 65.2%). The majority of eyes which had a primary surgical intervention achieved anatomical success (n = 88). Corneal complications accounted for the majority of complications following primary and secondary surgical interventions. Forty-two percent of the eyes had vision better than 20/200, while thirty-five percent had vision of hand motion or worse. Conclusions: In conclusion, despite the variability in causes of RRD in children, successful anatomical outcomes can be achieved with the proper surgical approach. Visual outcomes are less predictable due to other ocular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate risk factors for developing endophthalmitis after repair of open globe injuries. Retrospective chart analysis of 1303 patients from May 1996 till December 2019. All patients received prophylactic intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics for 5–7 days. Endophthalmitis was clinically suspected in 37 (2.8%) eyes and was culture proven in 14 of these eyes (1.1%). Univariate analysis identified poor initial visual acuity at presentation, rural setting of injury, contaminated wound and lens injury as significant predictors for the development of clinically suspected endophthalmitis. Intravitreal antibiotics at the time of primary repair in eyes with high-risk characteristics decreased risk of developing endophthalmitis (OR: 2.28;95% CI,1.07–4.86; p =.033). Poor initial visual acuity, rural setting of injury, contaminated wound, and lens injury increased risk of suspected posttraumatic endophthalmitis. Prophylactic intravitreal antibiotics at the time of primary repair in eyes with high-risk characteristics reduced the risk of posttraumatic endophthalmitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of pretreatment indocyanine green angiographic (ICGA) features in initial‐onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt‐Koyanagi‐Harada (VKH) disease. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 84 patients (168 eyes). Main outcome measures were final visual acuity, development of 'sunset glow fundus' (SGF) and progression to chronic recurrent evolution. Results: Thirty‐eight patients (76 eyes) presented in the phase preceding anterior segment (AS) inflammation (early presentation) and 46 patients (92 eyes) had AS inflammation at presentation (late presentation). The mean number of hypofluorescent dark dots (HDDs) and frequency of disc hyperfluorescence were more in the late presentation group (p < 0.001 for both comparisons), whereas the early presentation group showed higher frequencies of peripapillary punctate choroidal hyperfluorescence (p < 0.001) and hypofluorescent patches involving macula corresponding to the areas of exudative retinal detachment (p = 0.012). The mean number of HDDs and the frequency of disc hyperfluorescence were higher among eyes that developed SGF (p < 0.001 for both comparisons) and eyes that progressed to chronic recurrent evolution (p < 0.001; p = 0.001, respectively). The frequencies of peripapillary punctate choroidal hyperfluorescence and hypofluorescent patches corresponding to the areas of exudative retinal detachment were less in the eyes that developed SGF (p = 0.019; p = 0.003, respectively). Punctate choroidal hyperfluorescence elsewhere was less frequent in the eyes that developed SGF (p < 0.001) and eyes that progressed to chronic recurrent evolution (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Pretreatment ICGA has a prognostic value in initial‐onset acute uveitis associated with VKH disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]