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The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging and groundbreaking technology in which devices, individuals, and processes seamlessly exchange substantial volume of data without causing disruption. This paradigm offers a wide range of services like healthcare, transportation, education, and smart home operations. However, owing to factors like deployment unpredictability, battery-operated nature, and the intricate nature of IoT networks, the energy levels of these diminutive sensor nodes are rapidly depleted, significantly curtailing the network’s overall lifespan. Moreover, energy utilization and reputation assessment are pivotal in establishing dependability, reliability, and collaboration among sensor nodes, thereby profoundly influencing the decision-making framework. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces a State-based Energy Calculation Scheme (SECS) that leverages nodes’ statuses and the functions encompassing direct and indirect energy utilization. The scheme identifies energy-depleted nodes, segregating them within the context of end-to-end reliable path selection, all while minimizing control broadcasts. Empirical results underscore the enhanced performance of the proposed scheme, as evidenced by augmented network throughput, elevated packet delivery ratios, diminished node energy utilization, and truncated end-to-end delays.

Metal halide perovskites have emerged in recent years as promising photovoltaic materials due to their excellent optical and electrical properties, enabling perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) greater than 25%. Provided radiative recombination is the dominant recombination mechanism, photon recycling – the process of reabsorption (and re-emission) of photons that result from radiative recombination – can be utilized to further enhance the PCE toward the Shockley–Queisser (S-Q) theoretical limit. Geometrical optics can be exploited for the intentional trapping of such re-emitted photons within the device, to enhance the PCE. However, this scheme reaches its fundamental diffraction limits at the submicron scale. Therefore, introducing photonic nanostructures offer attractive solutions to manipulate and trap light at the nanoscale via light coupling into guided modes, as well as localized surface plasmon and surface plasmon polariton modes. This review focuses on light-trapping schemes for efficient photon recycling in PSCs. First, we summarize the working principles of photon recycling, which is followed by a review of essential requirements to make this process efficient. We then survey photon recycling in state-of-the-art PSCs and propose design strategies to invoke light-trapping to effectively exploit photon recycling in PSCs. Finally, we formulate a future outlook and discuss new research directions in the context of photon recycling.

The purpose of this study was to find out kinanthropometric profile of 20 Athletes of middle distance 800 meters, & long distance runners 5000 meters of Track Event of age 17 years were assessed for the present study. The data of athletes was collected at Athletics Summer Camp 2015 in Kashmir region. The athletes having participation of at least two years were selected for the current study. All subjects were assessed for height, weight, girths, diameters, and skin fold thickness. The data was analyzed by applying descriptive statistic i.e., mean, standard deviation & t-test to find out the significant differences of/in middle distance and Long distance runners. The long distance runners had taller than long distance runners for standing height, upper leg length, and lower leg length. The middle distance runners 800 significantly greater in weight, skin fold measurements (p<0.05). In Body girths and skeletal diameters no significant differences were found (p>0.05). It is concluded that in some of the parameters there were significant differences between middle distance & long distance runners Long distance runners athletes showed better kinanthropometric measurement.

Internet availability and its integration with smart technologies have favored everyday objects and things and offered new areas, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to a concept where smart devices or things are connected and create a network. This new area has suffered from big data handling and security issues. There is a need to design a data analytics model by using new 5G technologies, architecture, and a security model. Reliable data communication in the presence of legitimate nodes is always one of the challenges in these networks. Malicious nodes are generating inaccurate information and breach the user’s security. In this paper, a data analytics model and self-organizing architecture for IoT networks are proposed to understand the different layers of technologies and processes. The proposed model is designed for smart environmental monitoring systems. This paper also proposes a security model based on an authentication, detection, and prediction mechanism for IoT networks. The proposed model enhances security and protects the network from DoS and DDoS attacks. The proposed model evaluates in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity by using machine learning algorithms.

Smart healthcare environments are growing at a rapid pace due to the services and benefits offered to healthcare practitioners and to patients. At the same time, smart healthcare environments are becoming increasingly complex environments where a plethora of devices are linked with each other, to deliver services to patients, and they require special security measures to protect the privacy and integrity of user data. Moreover, these environments are exposed to various kinds of security risks, threats, and attacks. Firewalls are considered as the first line of defense for securing smart healthcare networks and addressing the challenges mentioned above. Firewalls are applied at different levels in networks, and range from conventional server-based to cloud-based firewalls. However, the selection and implementation of a proper firewall to get the maximum benefit is a challenging task. Therefore, understanding firewall types, the services offered, and analyzing underlying vulnerabilities are important design considerations that need addressing before implementing a firewall in a smart healthcare environment. The paper provides a comprehensive review and best practices of firewall types, with offered benefits and drawbacks, which may help to define a comprehensive set of policies for smart healthcare devices and environments.

The origins of parasitic heating for photovoltaic (PV) technologies based on silicon, perovskites, and their combination in monolithic tandems are investigated. To quantify heating losses, the cooling score (CS) as a new simple metric, representing the percentage of incident solar irradiance not contributing to module heating is introduced. This is a function of both the optical structure and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PV modules and allows a fair comparison between different technologies under identical performance‐evaluation scenarios. Silicon single‐junction devices have the lowest CS due to their low bandgap (causing significant carrier thermalization losses) and their use of light‐trapping structures to increase their PCE which also undesirably increases parasitic absorption of sub‐bandgap photons. Conversely, perovskite single‐junction devices show the highest CS in all studied performance‐evaluation scenarios thanks to their wider bandgap and high absorption coefficient, enabling absorption of all solar photons that may contribute to the photocurrent without requiring light‐trapping structures. While perovskite/silicon tandems minimize thermalization losses, they also usually employ light‐trapping structures in their bottom cell to increase their PCE, which lowers their CS. Through simulation and outdoor experiments, it is demonstrated that an efficient module‐cooling environment may significantly suppress the detrimental effects associated with a low CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleed is a common emergency presenting to emergency departments all over the world. Since the spectrum of UGI bleeding varies from region to region, it is important to know the profile of UGI bleed for proper management approach. Here, we present the endoscopic profile of UGI bleed presenting to a tertiary care setting in Northern India. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to determine the epidemiological and endoscopic profile of patients with UGI over twenty years. Materials and Methods: The retrospective and observational study included adults patients (above 18 years of age) of either gender, who presented with UGI bleed at our center over a twenty year period from January 1999 to December 2018. Results: A total of 13418 patients with UGI bleed had esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) done on them during this period. Six thousand one hundred and thirty-two patients (45.7%) were females while 7285 were males (54.3%). Mean age was 46±16 years. The common endoscopic findings were peptic ulcer disease in 7508 (48.25%) patients followed by erosive gastritis in 2305 (14.81%), UGI tract malignancy in 1152 (7.8%). Variceal bleed was seen in 900 (5.77%) patients. Conclusion: Peptic ulcer related bleed is the most common cause of UGI bleed in our center. Portal hypertension is relatively less frequent a cause of UGI bleed in our place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have the potential to reach very high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in a cost‐effective manner. In the last decade, significant technological advancements have been made for lab‐scale devices (~1 cm2), with PCEs now higher than the theoretical PCE limit of single‐junction silicon solar cells. For market entry of such tandems, the involved processing steps need to be scaled to industrial wafer dimensions, typically >244 cm2, which also mandates the development of adequate electrode‐metallization strategies. Here we discuss challenges and opportunities related to this, including the required properties of the front metal grid for perovskite/silicon tandems, as well as key motivations and challenges in adopting screen‐printed metallization, which is the current standard for mainstream silicon solar cells. We give a cost estimation for the front metal grid by considering the cost of low‐temperature metal pastes that are compatible with the thermal budget limitations imposed by the perovskite top cell. We also consider opportunities to employ alternative metallization schemes that arise from the reduction in current density in tandem solar cells compared to single‐junction devices. Lastly, we discuss possible routes to replace or minimize the silver content in costly silver‐based metallization for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed control systems (DCS) have revolutionized the communication process and attracted more interest due to their pervasive computing nature (cyber/physical), their monitoring capabilities and the benefits they offer. However, due to distributed communication, flexible network topologies and lack of central control, the traditional security strategies are inadequate formeeting the unique characteristics of DCS. Moreover, malicious and untrustworthy nodes pose a significant threat during the formation of a DCS network. Trust-based secure systems not only monitor and track the behavior of the nodes but also enhance the security by identifying and isolating the malicious node, which reduces the risk and increases network lifetime. In this research, we offer TRUSED, a trust-based security evaluation scheme that both, directly and indirectly, estimates each node's level of trustworthiness, incorporating the cumulative trust concept. In addition, simulation results show that the proposed technique can effectively identify malicious nodes, determine their node's trustworthiness rating, and improve the packet delivery ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the primary factors associated with behavioural deviance among adolescent students. The researchers reviewed various national and international research papers, journals, research articles, theses, and dissertations in this regard. The literature revealed that behavioural deviance among adolescent students is an issue of global concern, emerging from several factors like family, school, peers, media, and community. The paper has also focused upon the factors which has a significant influence on the behavioural patterns of adolescent students. The study has substantial implications for school administrators, policy makers, parents, teachers and counselors as it provides an insight into handling the adolescent students who displayed behavioural deviance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are currently no preventive or disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson's Disease (PD). Failures in clinical trials necessitate a re-evaluation of existing pre-clinical models in order to adopt systems that better recapitulate underlying disease mechanisms and better predict clinical outcomes. In recent years, models utilizing patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have emerged as attractive models to recapitulate disease-relevant neuropathology in vitro without exogenous overexpression of disease-related pathologic proteins. Here, we utilized iPSC derived from patients with early-onset PD and dementia phenotypes that harbored either a point mutation (A53T) or multiplication at the α-synuclein/SNCA gene locus. We generated a three-dimensional (3D) cortical neurosphere culture model to better mimic the tissue microenvironment of the brain. We extensively characterized the differentiation process using quantitative PCR, Western immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining. Differentiated and aged neurospheres revealed alterations in fatty acid profiles and elevated total and pathogenic phospho-α-synuclein levels in both A53T and the triplication lines compared to their isogenic control lines. Furthermore, treatment of the neurospheres with a small molecule inhibitor of stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) attenuated the protein accumulation and aberrant fatty acid profile phenotypes. Our findings suggest that the 3D cortical neurosphere model is a useful tool to interrogate targets for PD and amenable to test small molecule therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet availability and its integration with smart technologies have favored everyday objects and things and offered new areas, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to a concept where smart devices or things are connected and create a network. This new area has suffered from big data handling and security issues. There is a need to design a data analytics model by using new 5G technologies, architecture, and a security model. Reliable data communication in the presence of legitimate nodes is always one of the challenges in these networks. Malicious nodes are generating inaccurate information and breach the user's security. In this paper, a data analytics model and self-organizing architecture for IoT networks are proposed to understand the different layers of technologies and processes. The proposed model is designed for smart environmental monitoring systems. This paper also proposes a security model based on an authentication, detection, and prediction mechanism for IoT networks. The proposed model enhances security and protects the network from DoS and DDoS attacks. The proposed model evaluates in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity by using machine learning algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is globally the most important food crop and there is a dire need to feed the ever-increasing population by improving its productivity. It has been realised that diseases are the major impediment towards enhancing the productivity of this crop. Despite the advent of modern effective disease control measures such as use of chemicals, bioagents and resistant varieties; agronomic practices still play a vital role in disease management in rice. Optimum use of different agro-techniques can be exploited for efficient control of various devastating diseases like rice blast, sheath blight, bakanae and many more by providing a favourable environment to better crop survival. Besides, appropriate selection of a variety, use of quality seed, method of establishment, planting time, nutrient, water and weed management practices can be well exploited to control various diseases. This manuscript entails to review the work pertaining to use of agronomic practices for exploiting the potential of crop environment interaction through reduced disease infection and to bridge the yield gap for ensuring sustained food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive hepatic ultrasound score for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by keeping computed tomography. (CT) as the gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Radiology and Imaging Rawalpindi from Dec 2017 to May 2018. Methodology: All patients from any ethnicity and gender with more than 18 and less than 60 years of age were considered for the study. Hepatic ultrasound score based on the anteroposterior diameter of the right lobe of the liver, deep beam attenuati on was calculated, and results were compared with CT scan findings. Results: A total of 101 patients were included. A total of 69 patients had a total Ultrasound score of 2 or more, fulfilling the study's criteria to be labelled as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. On a CT scan, 71 patients fulfilled the criteria to be labelled as having Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Keeping the Computed Tomography scan gold standard, 59 patients were true positive, and 10 were false positive. The sensitivity and specificity of this score were 83.09 % and 66.67%, respectively. The hepatic ultrasound score had a Positive Predictive Value of 85.50% and a Negative Predictive Value of 62.5%. Conclusion: Ultrasound score based on hepatic attenuation and the anteroposterior diameter of the right hepatic lobe is a reliable, reproducible and accurate tool for diagnosing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adherence to antihypertensive therapy is an important factor in determining the clinical course of hypertension. This study was planned to estimate adherence to antihypertensive therapy and its determinants among OPD patients attending two primary care hospitals in Kashmir valley. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional study design. All subjects who reported to OPD between October and December 2020 and had been prescribed antihypertensive medications for at least 1 year were included. Sociodemographic information was collected on a pretested schedule and adherence to medications was assessed by using the-14 item Hill-Bone HBP Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale (HB-HBP). Mann–Whitney test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used. Results: A total of 406 subjects were included in the final analysis with a mean age of 58 years for women and 56 years for men. The sample comprised 54% women. More than 60% of subjects were currently married, urban area residents, and belonged to middle strata of social class. The mean score obtained in the HB-MAS (maximum score 56) was 19.26 (SD ± 4.3). Subjects aged 60 years and above, those belonging to lower socioeconomic class, and subjects prescribed three or more drugs with more than once-daily dosing regimen had higher odds of having poor adherence. Conclusion: There is suboptimal adherence among OPD patients at primary care level. There is a need for enhanced counselling regarding medication adherence particularly for elderly, poor, illiterate persons and those prescribed multiple medicines with more than once-daily dosing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin solar cells can be a path forward to low‐cost photovoltaics due to their reduced material consumption and shorter required deposition times. With excellent surface passivation, such devices may feature higher open‐circuit voltages (VOC). However, their short‐circuit current density (JSC) may be reduced due to decreased light absorption. This mandates implementation of efficient light‐trapping structures. To design efficient ultrathin solar cells that combine surface‐passivation and light‐trapping features, accurate 3‐D modeling is necessary. To this end, a novel 3‐D optoelectrical finite‐element model is developed to analyze the performance of ultrathin solar cells. The model is applied to the case of ultrathin (<500 nm) chalcogenide solar cells (copper indium gallium (di) selenide, CIGSe), rear‐passivated with nanostructured Al2O3 to circumvent optical and electrical losses. It is found that such a nanopatterned dielectric passivation scheme enhances broadband light‐trapping with reduced rear‐surface recombination, resulting in an absolute power conversion efficiency enhancement of 3.9%, compared to cells without passivation structure. Overall, the work shows how 3‐D finite element modeling can aid in analyzing and developing new optical and electrical solar cell designs for ultrathin solar cells such as those based on chalcogenides and perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart healthcare environments are growing at a rapid pace due to the services and benefits offered to healthcare practitioners and to patients. At the same time, smart healthcare environments are becoming increasingly complex environments where a plethora of devices are linked with each other, to deliver services to patients, and they require special security measures to protect the privacy and integrity of user data. Moreover, these environments are exposed to various kinds of security risks, threats, and attacks. Firewalls are considered as the first line of defense for securing smart healthcare networks and addressing the challenges mentioned above. Firewalls are applied at different levels in networks, and range from conventional server-based to cloud-based firewalls. However, the selection and implementation of a proper firewall to get the maximum benefit is a challenging task. Therefore, understanding firewall types, the services offered, and analyzing underlying vulnerabilities are important design considerations that need addressing before implementing a firewall in a smart healthcare environment. The paper provides a comprehensive review and best practices of firewall types, with offered benefits and drawbacks, which may help to define a comprehensive set of policies for smart healthcare devices and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]