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Internet of things (IoT) is in the forefront of many existing smart applications, including autonomous systems and green technology. IoT devices have been commonly used in the monitoring of energy efficiency and process automation. As the application spreads across different kinds of applications and technology, a large number of IoT devices need to be managed and configured, as they are capable of generating massive amount of sensory data. Looking from this perspective, there is a need for a proper mechanism to identify each IoT devices within the system and their respective applications. Participation of these IoT devices in complex systems requires a tamper-proof identity to be generated and stored for the purpose of device identification and verification. This chapter presents a comprehensive approach on identity management of IoT devices using a composite identity of things (CIDoT) with permissioned blockchain implementation. The proposed approach described in this chapter takes into account both physical and logical domains in generating the composite identity.

Candida species are important nosocomial pathogens in the newborn population, particularly among the premature very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Candida colonization in neonates and subsequent dissemination result in a plenty of morbidity and mortality risks. This work aims to determine the prevalence of Candida species colonization in preterms and VLBW newborns in NICU in Al-Hasa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and detect the relation of maternal colonization as a risk factor for transmitting the disease.One hundred two preterms were included; 70 delivered vaginally (index cases) and 32 delivered by cesarean section (control group). Several swabs from oral, umbilical and anus were taken at birth, at third day and 1 week after birth. High vaginal swabs were also taken from the mother before labor.Candida colonization was detected in 12.8% of index cases. Most of them (88.8%) were detected at the third day after birth. The initial site of colonization was the anus (88.8%) in comparison with oral cavity (66.6%) and the umbilicus (55%). Vaginal delivery and prolonged duration of premature rupture of membranes were significantly positively correlated to neonatal colonization (p 0.02 and p = 0.02, respectively). The lowest birth weight, gestational age and uses of invasive techniques have the highest significant risk for colonization after birth (p 0.04, p = 0.03 and p = 0.03, respectively). Candida albicans was the most common species detected (77.7% of the cases). The preterm's colonization species were all identical to their mother vaginal colonization species. Invasive candidiasis was detected in 22.2% of colonized preterm.Candida colonization has a considerable prevalence among the preterms in our NICU. Besides vaginal delivery, low birth weight and low gestational age could be considered as risk factors for colonization. Early screening of the mothers with preterm labor for Candida and proper management help to avoid colonization with subsequent risk of invasive Candidiasis.

Background: Ischaemic hepatitis is centrilobular necrosis which is usually associated with an acute cardiovascular event and in a general hospital setting has been considered to be a rare condition. It is though thought to be frequently unrecognized, which is important as it has implications for both investigations and drug therapy. Previous reports have not focused on the elderly. Objectives: (1) To determine the incidence of ischaemic hepatitis in elderly patients admitted to a Department of Geriatric Medicine and (2) to assess both the clinical and biochemical features of the condition. Methods: 1,905 elderly patients (1,270 F, 635 M) admitted consecutively to our department over a 2-year period were assessed prospectively. All were aged ≧65 years (mean 78, range 65–98). Ischaemic hepatitis was diagnosed by a rapid development of abnormal liver function tests of hepatocellular type in acutely ill patients in whom a fall in blood pressure occurred and other causes of liver dysfunction were excluded. The admission, lowest and subsequent blood pressures were recorded. Daily renal and liver function tests, including prothrombin times, were measured during the acute illness. Results: Nineteen patients (1%) developed ischaemic hepatitis. The clinical picture was dominated by the causal condition, the commonest being left ventricular failure (12 patients). The mean fall in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures were 61, 44 and 48 mm Hg, respectively. Within 3 days the alanine aminotransferase increased to more than 5 times normal and there were marked elevations of the lactic dehydrogenase. In those who survived, the liver enzymes returned to normal within 7–22 days (mean 13). The prothrombin time was prolonged to >20 s in 6 patients (32%). Six patients died, 5 from left ventricular failure; the mean creatinine in 5 of those who died was 244 µmol/l (range 174–355) and in each the urea was >25 µmol/l. Conclusion: Ischaemic hepatitis is an uncommon but not rare condition in elderly patients admitted acutely to a Department of Geriatric Medicine. There was a dramatic rise in liver enzymes which in survivors returned to normal within 3 weeks. Clinical features were dominated by the causal condition and a third of the patients died.

This paper presents a Differential Evolutionary (DE) algorithm for finding the optimal location and the best parameter setting of Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) for minimizing the active and reactive power losses in the power system. UPFC is one of the most important Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS) devices that can simultaneously control the voltage magnitude at the sending end and the active and reactive power flows at the receiving end bus. By re-dispatching the power flows in power systems, the minimization of power losses can be obtained through optimal allocation of UPFC. However, the cost of installing UPFC in the power system is too high. Therefore the objective function developed in this paper in such a way to find a compromise solution to this problem. Simulations have been implemented in MATLAB and the IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 30-bus systems have been used as a case study. Also for the purpose of comparison the proposed technique was compared with another optimization technique namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The results we have obtained indicate that DE is an easy to use, robust, and powerful optimization technique compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO). Installing UPFC in the optimal location determined by DE can significantly minimize the active and reactive power loss in the network.