AN AUTOMATED ENERGY BILL METERING SYSTEM BASED ON GSM TECHNOLOGY

The measurement of the energy consumed by residential and commercial buildings by utility provider is important in billing, control, and monitoring of the usage of energy. Traditional metering techniques used for the measurement of energy are not convenient and is prone to different forms of irregularities. These irregularities include meter failure, meter tampering, inaccuracies in billing due to human error, energy theft, and loss of revenue due to corruption, etc. This research study proposed the design and construction of a microcontroller-based electric energy metering system using the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network. This system provides a solution to the irregularities posed by the traditional metering technique by allowing the utility provider have access to remote monitoring capabilities, full control over consumer load, and remote power disconnection in the case of energy theft. Proteus simulation software was used to model the system hardware and the software was obtained by using embedded C programming and visual basic. It was observed that the system could remotely take accurate energy readings, provided full control over consumer loads and execute remote disconnection in case of energy theft. The system provides high performance and high accuracy in power monitoring and power management.   &nbsp

VOIP vs GSM Technology: The Way of the Future for Communication

This chopter presents ~·(;/?as o disruptive lechnology to GSM technnfog_1· as \l'c/1 os the issues. controFersies, and problems surmunding its deployment. It gin•s o gent'ral introduction oftlze evolution o/ communication svsten1s fim11 thE! POTS. /u (}SAf, and IWW ~'(J/P Se1•ur~.d issues that swTound the deployment of Voir such tiS [Jrovision of PSTN equivalent sen ices hy Voir scf'l'i<:c pml'iclers. regulation ofthe service. introduction (~{latency and other counter measures bv some operators. threat posed io PSTN providers due to eme1gence ol T-iJ!P. the needfin· technical stundardi:::ation of Vu!P. securill' issues, different cost structure, and cjuality ofservh:e pruvided H'<:'re alsu discussed in details Solutions and recommendations wei·e suggested to overcome rheclwllenges outlined. Tli)[P is eri!sented us the trul· o/the.fillurcj(n' communication T1'hen thisfinallv happens depends 011 how .fits! I he choll<'llges outlined in this chapter are addressed Fulurc and ell/crging re.\'Curdltrends in the dep/ovmenl of Vn!P such cts locating users in a st!cure a11d reliahle wuy, monitoring IIJ!P 11Cllt'ork.1·. as ll;elf us inrrusion derecriun and prevention on SIP tt•ere also considered. alter whic/1. conc/usiun ti'US made This dWjJ/er is hnth informative and interestin

Dual-Sim Phones· A Disruptive Technology?

/)uul-.\'1;\f mnhile pllfmes U!ili::e lr:chnologv thut;Jennits the use olt>l'O SlAts ur u lime The leclmulogJ· pamits simultaneous uccess to !hi! muhile ne111:ork Sr.!rvices. Its di.ITIIJilil•e nuture is with re(erencc· !o the mohile phone market in Nigeria and other parts o/lhe Jrorld Earlier murket trend was inclinution to "nnver" and "better .. phones. inj{tvour ofestahlished sin;;;le-SJAJnwhile phone monll/ucturcr:. like Nokia and Samsung: lntroduclion ~~ldual-S"'-1 pizones mainlv manuj(JL'!llred bv Chinese mohile rhone manulacturingfirms propelled userprejerenceforphones acquis.irionl,rhich permits dual and simuitwwous access to mohi/e m:flFork. This technologv has compelled its culoption hy estuh/isiJCd monufucwring names in order thutthc1· 1110)' remoin competitive. it is a c/eur case ofa disrupt ire technology, and this clwplerlocuses on it need. cftixts. uml disrupt in: natur

Effect of palm bunch ash treatment on remediation and growth performance of Zea mays in crude oil polluted soil

The effect of polluted hydrocarbon (PHC) soil altering the fertility of the soil for effective plant growth yield is a major concern. This study examines the use of oil palm bunch ash as biostimulation technique for bioremediation of PHC soils. Under strict compliance of oil treatment of 10g, 20g, 30g, 40g, 50g, and 60g with oil palm bunch ash on soil samples of 2kg weighed surface soil of 0-20cm polluted and non-polluted sites were collected randomly into perforated planting bags. Various results of residual and cumulative effect on treated soil of oil palm bunch ash enhances the improvement of Zea mays growth performance at 7WAP (7 weeks after planting) after eight months post-treated soils. The residual result shows that optimum treatment favoured 40g/2kg soil with plant emergence ( 41.67% ), plant height ( 22.77cm) and dry matter ( 0.7235g ), while cumulative treatment revealed 30g/2kg treatment as optimum with plant emergence ( 91.67% ), plant height ( 24.40 cm) and dry matter ( 0.8202g ). No doubt, this study of treating PHC soil with oil palm bunch ash at the above mentioned treatment levels improved soil performance for plant growth by reducing the hydrophobic nature of soils which resulted to improvement in the availability of water, oxygen and mineralization of soils. Key words: Biostimulation, Bioremediation, Residual, Cumulative, Plant Performance.

The efficacy of intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor as primary treatment of retinopathy of prematurity: Experience from a tertiary hospital

Background. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative disease affecting premature babies and a major cause of blindness in childhood. Appropriate screening and treatment can prevent blindness.Objective. To report on the efficacy of using antivascular endothelial growth factor (bevacizumab) as first-line therapy in ROP.Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of patients with ROP treated at St John Eye Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa, over a 3-year period. Outcome measures were the clinical response to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) as well as the economic impact of IVB therapy.Results. Twenty-three patients were treated for active ROP or type 1 disease, in 44 eyes. Two patients required treatment in one eye only. The mean birth weight of these patients was 1 074 g (range 810 - 1 480). Response to treatment outcome was available for 22 patients (43 eyes). The mean follow-up period was 9 months (range 1 - 18). Forty-one eyes (95.3%) showed complete regression or non-progression of the disease. Two eyes (one eye each in two patients) progressed to advanced disease. There were no short-term adverse events. A cost-effective model showed that IVB treatment was much more economical than laser therapy.Conclusion. IVB is a safe and effective first-line treatment for ROP and should be considered in resource-limited centres

The efficacy of intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor as primary treatment of retinopathy of prematurity: Experience from a tertiary hospital

Background. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative disease affecting premature babies and a major cause of blindness in childhood. Appropriate screening and treatment can prevent blindness.Objective. To report on the efficacy of using antivascular endothelial growth factor (bevacizumab) as first-line therapy in ROP.Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of patients with ROP treated at St John Eye Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa, over a 3-year period. Outcome measures were the clinical response to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) as well as the economic impact of IVB therapy.Results. Twenty-three patients were treated for active ROP or type 1 disease, in 44 eyes. Two patients required treatment in one eye only. The mean birth weight of these patients was 1 074 g (range 810 - 1 480). Response to treatment outcome was available for 22 patients (43 eyes). The mean follow-up period was 9 months (range 1 - 18). Forty-one eyes (95.3%) showed complete regression or non-progression of the disease. Two eyes (one eye each in two patients) progressed to advanced disease. There were no short-term adverse events. A cost-effective model showed that IVB treatment was much more economical than laser therapy.Conclusion. IVB is a safe and effective first-line treatment for ROP and should be considered in resource-limited centres

Motor learning principles during rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament injury:Time to create an enriched environment to improve clinical outcome

Athletes who wish to resume high-level activities after an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are often advised to undergo surgical reconstruction. Nevertheless, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) does not equate to normal function of the knee or a reduced risk of subsequent injuries. A rising concern is the high rate of secondary ACL injuries, particularly in young athletes, with up to 40% of those returning to sport in the first year after surgery experiencing a second ACL rupture. Aside from the increased risk of secondary injury, patients after ACLR have an increased risk of developing early-onset osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, current ACLR rehabilitation programs may not be optimally effective in terms of addressing deficits related to the initial injury and the subsequent surgical intervention. Motor learning to (re)acquire motor skills and neuroplastic capacities are not sufficiently incorporated during traditional rehabilitation, attesting to the high reinjury rates. The purpose of this article is to present novel clinically integrated motor learning principles to support neuroplasticity that can improve patient functional performance and reduce the risk of secondary ACL injury. The novel motor learning principles presented in this manuscript may optimize future rehabilitation programs to reduce the risk of secondary ACL injury and early development of osteoarthritis by targeting changes in neural networks.</p

Determination of the rate of kill, mode of action, and the bioactive components from the ethyl acetate sub-fraction of methanol extract of Phyllanthus amarus.

The time-kill rate of methanol extract of Phyllanthus amarus was determined in this study which showed that the extract caused a reduction of the viable cells of all the test bacteria after a contact time of 30 mins and there were virtually no surviving cells of all the test bacteria after a contact time of 180 mins. The extract was also found to cause leakages of cellular materials such as potassium ions, sodium ions, protein and nucleic acids from the test bacteria which led to the loss of cell viability. The ethyl acetate sub-fraction of the extract was analyzed by GC-MS and FTIR analysis and the result revealed the presence of Phytochemicals such as 1, 2-Benzenedicarboxilic acid mono (2-Ethylhexyl) ester, Columbin, 2-(6-Methylpyridin-2-ylmethyl) cyclohexane, 2(1H) Naphthalenone,3,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-4,8a-dimethyl-6-(1-methylethenyl) which have all been reported to possess antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The result of this study will contribute to the baseline data on the pharmacodynamics of the extract if applied as herbal medicine for human treatment thereby reducing the dosage and period of treatment. The finding also revealed that the ethyl acetate sub-fraction of methanol extract of P. amarus contains antibacterial phytochemicals that may be used to develop more potent, safe and cheap antimicrobial agents using nanotechnology. &nbsp

Positive cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor expression in gastric cancer is linked to improved prognosis

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Accurate prediction of disease progression is difficult, and new biomarkers for clinical use are essential. Recently, we reported that the proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzyme UCHL5/Uch37 is a new prognostic marker in both rectal cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Here, we have assessed by immunohistochemistry UCHL5 tumor expression in gastric cancer. The study cohort comprised 650 patients, who underwent surgery in Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, between 1983 and 2009. We investigated the association of cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor expression to assess clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. Positive cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor immunoexpression is linked to increased survival of patients with small (Peer reviewe

HYPOGLYCAEMIC EFFECT OF SAPONIN FROM THE ROOT OF GARCINIA KOLA (BITTER KOLA) ON ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Garcinia kola Heckel is a species of flowering plant in the Guttiferae family. The plant has been reffered to as a ‘wonder plant’ because every part of it has been found to be of medicinal importance.  In this present study, saponin extract from the root of Garcinia kola was evaluated for antidiabetic activity in Wistar albino rats. Diabetes was induced in rats by single intraperitonial injection of alloxan(150mg/kg body weight). Three days after alloxan induction, the hyperglycemic rats were treated with  metformin, a standard antidiabetic drug and saponin from the root of Garcinia kola orally at the dose of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight daily for 7 days. The fasting blood glucose levels were measured on the 3rd and 7th day during the 7 days treatment. Serum biochemical parameters such as   Alanine Transaminase (ALT), Aspartate Transaminase (AST),  Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), and total protein were estimated. The saponin extract at the dose of 100mg/kg produced the maximum reduction of 35.98% in blood glucose after the 3rd day treatment as compared to the 31.26% observed for metformin. 200mg/kg dose of saponin produced a maximum reduction of about 72.67% after the 7th day treatment as compared to 35.84% observed for metformin. The present study infers that saponin extract from the root of Garcinia kola demonstrated remarkable antidiabetic activity even more than a standard antidiabetic drug in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Consequently, this plant may be of value in diabetes treatment. Key words: Antidiabetic, Saponin, Garcinia kola, Alloxan