Search

This paper explores how the integration and performance of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) contribute to sustainable healthcare practices. WBANs play a crucial role in reducing the environmental footprint of healthcare systems by providing continuous monitoring that can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and reduce the consumption of disposable medical supplies. Additionally, the design of WBANs using environmentally friendly materials, low-power devices, and recyclable components is discussed to optimize the sustainability of healthcare practices. To enhance infrastructure, services, and quality of life, new technologies have been integrated to improve WBANs. Patients' essential health data may be continuously and instantly collected thanks to these networks, and healthcare providers can receive the data right away for quick analysis and action. WBANs have healthcare benefits, but there are also major drawbacks. Technologies that can combine low power consumption, minimal delay, and high enough data rates are needed for WBANs in order to support a variety of medical applications. The effectiveness of the LoRaWAN and IEEE 802.15.6 technologies in WBAN is assessed in this paper. With the use of seven crucial metrics which are throughput, arrival rate, delay, energy consumption, residual energy, network lifetime, and packet delivery ratio (PDR), this paper seeks to study which technology is appropriate with WBANs using NS3 as a simulation program. With network parameters, 1000 seconds, and 50 nodes, the paper evaluated the performance of each technology. The results show that IEEE 802.15.6 is superior in terms of throughput, PDR, and arrival rate whereas LoRaWAN is superior in terms of energy consumption, residual energy, network lifetime, and delay.

Wireless body area networks (WBANs), which continually gather and transmit patient health data in real time, are essential for improving healthcare administration. Patient outcomes can be improved by sending these data to medical professionals for prompt review and treatment. For the effective deployment of WBANs, communication solutions are necessary to maximize critical performance parameters, such as low power consumption, minimal delay, and acceptable data rates, while guaranteeing dependable transmission. Two prominent technologies in this field are LoRaWAN, which is renowned for its long-range capabilities and energy efficiency, and IEEE 802.15.6, which was created especially for short-range medical applications with high data throughput. This study provides a comparative evaluation of these two technologies to determine their suitability for diverse WBAN healthcare scenarios. By using the NS3, a simulation was performed to calculate six key performance metrics: throughput, arrival rate, delay, energy consumption, packet delivery ratio (PDR), and network lifetime. The study analyzed each technology’s performance under varying node counts. At a density of 50 nodes, IEEE 802.15.6 demonstrated superior throughput, with 45 kbps, compared to LoRaWAN, and a higher PDR of 30%. Additionally, IEEE 802.15.6 showed a higher arrival rate, of 0.33%, than LoRaWAN. On the other hand, LoRaWAN showed notable strengths in energy consumption, with only 42 J, compared to IEEE 802.15.6, and significantly lower delay, with a delay of 7 s. Additionally, LoRaWAN offered an extended network lifetime, of 18 h, compared to IEEE 802.15.6.

In this research, the geotechnical properties of the soil profile in Hilla city within Babylon Governorate in the middle parts of Iraq are described. The geotechnical data at the specific sites were collected from some geotechnical investigation reports performed at some selected locations. This article is devoted to studying the distribution of soil properties (the physical and mechanical) in the horizontal and vertical directions. Moreover, a correlation between different physical and mechanical properties is performed. The correlation is executed using statistical analysis by Microsoft Excel Software (2016). From the regression results, it was found that the nature of the soil is cohesive up to 15 m under the natural ground level, and the soil will change to noncohesive. The new line in the plasticity chart has been drawn parallel to A-line especially for the investigated region, the shear strength parameters depend on the consistency of the soil and the depth, and finally, there is a direct correlation between mechanical and physical parameters. Using these correlations with some available information help to predict the value of shear strength and consolidation parameters.

The objective of this study is to measure the impact of commercial bank financing via Salam mode of finance on the Sudanese agricultural production and determine whether the Salam mode is suitable for financing agriculture or not. For the purpose of the analysis, the ordinary least squares method (OLS) was applied to a log - linear form of a simple regression model with a time series data on Sudan’s total annual agricultural production as a dependent variable and the commercial banks total annual financing via Salam for explanatory variable. The empirical results indicated that Salam mode of finance is appropriate for financing agriculture in Sudan due to its significant effects on agricultural production with a significant and positive relationship. In addition, agricultural sector highly contributed to the country economy during the study period and highly positively elastic to bank financing. However, it is hindered by heavy direct and indirect taxes, high marketing cost, long distance with poor rural infrastructure and weak agricultural returns. Therefore, relevant policy implications for both agriculture and bank financing are required. Hence, results of study suggest that banks should increase the provision for Salam mode for high agricultural production, reduce tax burdens, renovate the infrastructure, and facilitate financing procedures to agricultural sector.

Background: Pathogenic variants in ALDH7A1 are associated with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE), a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by epileptic seizures, unresponsiveness to standard antiseizure medications (ASM), and a response only to pyridoxine. Here, we report two patients (from a consanguineous family) with neonatal seizures and developmental delay. Case presentation: Patient 1 (a 13-year-old girl) was born normally at term. Her pregnancy was complicated by antiphospholipid syndrome, and persistent vomiting was managed with several medications, including pyridoxine (40 mg daily). Seizures occurred 6 h after birth and did not respond to antiseizure medications. However, they ceased 2 days later when pyridoxine (40 mg daily) was administered. She continued her medications and had delayed early milestones. Phenobarbitone was discontinued at 18 months, and pyridoxine was increased to 100 mg daily at 8 years of age. She was able to join a regular school and performed well. Patient 2, a 12-year-old boy, was delivered normally at term. Seizures started 10 h after birth, and he immediately received 40 mg of pyridoxine. Seizures have been controlled since then, and he experienced delayed milestones. Pyridoxine was increased to 100 mg daily at 7 years of age. He is currently in fifth grade and has dyslexia. Whole exome sequencing (WES) revealed that both patients 1 and 2 harbor a novel homozygous missense variant in ALDH7A1 (NM_001202404: exon 12: c.1168G>C; (p.Gly390Arg)). Conclusion: The present study reports a novel ALDH7A1 variant causing PDE and highlights the associated developmental delay and intellectual disability, despite early seizure control treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless body area networks (WBANs), which continually gather and transmit patient health data in real time, are essential for improving healthcare administration. Patient outcomes can be improved by sending these data to medical professionals for prompt review and treatment. For the effective deployment of WBANs, communication solutions are necessary to maximize critical performance parameters, such as low power consumption, minimal delay, and acceptable data rates, while guaranteeing dependable transmission. Two prominent technologies in this field are LoRaWAN, which is renowned for its long-range capabilities and energy efficiency, and IEEE 802.15.6, which was created especially for short-range medical applications with high data throughput. This study provides a comparative evaluation of these two technologies to determine their suitability for diverse WBAN healthcare scenarios. By using the NS3, a simulation was performed to calculate six key performance metrics: throughput, arrival rate, delay, energy consumption, packet delivery ratio (PDR), and network lifetime. The study analyzed each technology's performance under varying node counts. At a density of 50 nodes, IEEE 802.15.6 demonstrated superior throughput, with 45 kbps, compared to LoRaWAN, and a higher PDR of 30%. Additionally, IEEE 802.15.6 showed a higher arrival rate, of 0.33%, than LoRaWAN. On the other hand, LoRaWAN showed notable strengths in energy consumption, with only 42 J, compared to IEEE 802.15.6, and significantly lower delay, with a delay of 7 s. Additionally, LoRaWAN offered an extended network lifetime, of 18 h, compared to IEEE 802.15.6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Environmental Pollutants Particulate Matter PM2.5, PM10, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and Ozone (O3) on lung airway inflammation by assessing the Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) in students studying in schools located in or away from airpolluted areas. Methods: This matched case-control cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from August 2022 to July 2023. In this study, two schools were selected, one was located near a traffic-polluted area (School #1), and the second was located away from the traffic-polluted area (School #2). A total of 300 students were recruited, 150 (75 male and 75 female) students from the school located in a traffic-polluted area, and 150 students (75 male and 75 female) from the school located away from a traffic-polluted area. Environmental pollutants PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2, were recorded. The Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) was measured using a Niox Mino. Results: The mean concentration of PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2 were 35.00±0.65 significantly higher in a school located in motor vehicle polluted area compared to a school located away from a motor vehicle-polluted area (29.95±0.32) (p=0.001). The mean values for FeNO were significantly higher (18.75±0.90) among students studying in a school located in the motor vehicle-polluted area compared to students studying in a school located away from the motor vehicle-polluted area (11.26±0.56) (p=0.001). Conclusions: Environmental pollution can cause lung inflammation among students in schools located in trafficpolluted areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution casting technique has been successfully employed to prepare nano-composite films. Various weight ratios of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticle were added to a PEO:NH4SCN:xCeO2 polymer matrix to enhance the ionic conductivity at ambient temperature. The electrical and electrochemical properties of the composite electrolyte systems have been investigated using impedance, dielectric properties (ɛ*, tanδ, and M*), transfer number measurement (TNM), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The highest ionic conductivity of ∼8.57 × 10−4 S/cm is obtained for the system incorporated with 3 wt.% of CeO2 filler. This study presented a new approach and the complex permittivity confirmed that the real part value of dielectric constant (ɛ′) for all samples has found to be much higher than the imaginary part (ɛ″) value. The appearance of the peaks at a characteristic frequency in the loss tangent indicates the existence of relaxation. Low dielectric modulus is observed for 3 wt.% of CeO2 incorporated. The TNM measurements confirmed the ionic conductivity of NCSPEs and ion transport tion of films have been found to be 0.84, 0.96 and 0.92 for 1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 5 wt.% of CeO2, respectively. The system incorporated with 3 wt.% of CeO2 has discovered to be electrochemically stable up to 1.4 V. From the CV analysis it is noticeable that the energy storage mechanism of the EDLC is a combination of double-layer capacitance and pseudo capacitance. A value of 88.9 F/g is achieved at 20 mV/s.

To provide convenient access to service ducts, beam and girder web openings are very prevalent in practice. The insertion of a reinforced concrete (RC) beam into the web, however, reduces the stiffness and strength of the beam because of the local cracking around the aperture. The employ of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminas in general and not a specific type of them for reinforcing the holes was showed in this paper including their dimension and some design parameters change, such as the number and placement of (FRP) sheets near the opening. The experimental work was presented by comprised the testing of ten reinforced concrete beams, four of them were tested without reinforcement, five of which had (FRP) sheets around the opening for reinforcement, and the remaining beam was solid. The (FE) program consists of ten beams were modelled by using Abaqus, one of them was control solid beam and other nine beams were with hollow. The load-deflection relationships were evaluated before failure, and crack patterns were obtained and compared with the experimental results available. The numerical and experimental results agreed well. Reinforced concrete beams are the cornerstone of modern infrastructure, carrying heavy loads and forming the basic structure of buildings and structures. However, these beams may be damaged or deteriorated over time due to multiple factors such as corrosion, overload, moisture, and fire. In addition, the need to make modifications or openings in these beams for maintenance or service installation purposes may negatively affect their load-bearing capacity. To overcome these challenges, modern techniques have emerged to strengthen concrete elements, the most important of which is the technique of strengthening concrete with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). This technique is highly effective in increasing the load-bearing capacity of concrete beams, improving their performance under different loads, and extending their service life. A brief critique of the limitations of existing studies should be included to highlight the significance of the present work. Inadequate studies on the interaction between FRP and concrete: There are still gaps in our understanding of the interaction between FRP and concrete at the microscopic level, which affects the accuracy of computational models. The research focused on the behavior of FRP-reinforced concrete hollow core beams under different loads, filling a gap in previous research. The research combined computer simulations and laboratory tests to ensure the accuracy of the results and provide a comprehensive picture of the behavior of the beams. The research identified the best methods for applying FRP sheets to improve the load-bearing capacity of beams around openings, providing practical guidance for engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]