Chitosan improves the efficacy of gentamicin against MDR and biofilm-forming URO pathogenic E. coli

Uropathogenic E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), accounting for 80-90% of community-acquired UTIs and 30-50% of hospital-acquired UTIs. Uropathogenic E. coli that form biofilms are linked to chronic and persistent inflammation, resulting in severe and recurring UTIs. Biofilms promote antibiotic resistance and the horizontal transfer of virulence genes, promoting the formation of multidrug-resistant organisms. This study aimed to combine low-molecular-weight chitosan with aminoglycoside gentamicin to improve its efficacy against biofilm formation and MDR E. coli.  Different strains of bacteria were isolated from urine samples of different patients at the Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, out of which 16 were identified as E. coli by API (Analytical Profile Index) 20E. The antibiotic sensitivity profile was determined using the disk diffusion method, and the results showed that a total of 10 isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant MDR (N=62.5%). Biofilm formation was tested using the TCP method, a total of 7 isolates were found to be strong biofilm producers (N=44%). Gentamicin exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against 10 isolates of E.coli, with MIC-p ranges of 4 and 2 µg/ml, respectively, while 6 isolates showed resistance to gentamicin with MIC-p ranges >512 µg/ml

A Hybrid Communication Scheme for Efficient and Low-Cost Deployment of Future Flying Ad-Hoc Network (FANET)

In recent years, FANET-related research and development has doubled, due to the increased demands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in both military and civilian operations. Equipped with more capabilities and unique characteristics, FANET is able to play a vital role in mission-critical applications. However, these distinctive features enforce a series of guidelines to be considered for its efficient deployment. Particularly, the use of FANET for on-time data communication services presents demanding challenges in terms of energy efficiency and quality of service (QoS). Proper use of communication architecture and wireless technology will assist to solve these challenges. Therefore, in this paper, we review different communication architectures, including the existing wireless technologies, in order to provide seamless wireless connectivity. Based on the discussions, we conclude that a multi-layer UAV ad-hoc network is the most suitable architecture for networking a group of heterogeneous UAVs, while Bluetooth 5 (802.15.1) is the most favored option because of its low-cost, low power consumption, and longer transmission range for FANET. However, 802.15.1 has the limitation of a lower data rate as compared to Wi-Fi (802.11). Therefore, we propose a hybrid wireless communication scheme so as to utilize the features of the high data transmission rate of 802.11 and the low-power consumption of 802.15.1. The proposed scheme significantly reduces communication cost and improves the network performance in terms of throughput and delay. Further, simulation results using the Optimized Network Engineering Tool (OPNET) further support the effectiveness of our proposed scheme

Evaluation of the effects of dental fluorosis (DF) on the oral health related life quality between 11–14 years school children in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa

Background: Teenagers' classroom absences were correlated with oral health issues including dental problems. In contrast to severe traumas, gingivitis and periodontal disease have been shown to have a negative effect on Oral Health-related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in teenagers. Objective: The research's objective was to evaluate how Dental fluorosis affected kids aged 11 to 14 in terms of their quality of life and condition-specific oral influence on daily performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted Between February 2021 and March 2022, to examine the effects of DF on OHRQoL among students aged 11 to 14 in Peshawar's fluoridated areas. 240 Peshawar-based school children between the ages of 11 and 14 took part in the research. Results: The mean CS OIDP score for high fluoridated areas was 38.84. Additionally, it demonstrates that students struggle most with socialising (7.87), which has the highest mean score, and eating (3.14), which has the lowest mean score. Conclusion: The findings of this research can serve as a warning to dental to conduct demographic research at the town and county level to identify risk variables and determine potential treatments and prevention methods

An Efficient and Provably Secure Certificateless Blind Signature Scheme for Flying Ad-Hoc Network Based on Multi-Access Edge Computing

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), when interconnected in a multi-hop ad-hoc fashion, or as a flying ad-hoc network (FANET), can efficiently accomplish mission-critical tasks. However, UAVs usually suffer from the issues of shorter lifespan and limited computational resources. Therefore, the existing security approaches, being fragile, are not capable of countering the attacks, whether known or unknown. Such a security lapse can result in a debilitated FANET system. In order to cope up with such attacks, various efficient signature schemes have been proposed. Unfortunately, none of the solutions work effectively because of incurred computational and communication costs. We aimed to resolve such issues by proposing a blind signature scheme in a certificateless setting. The scheme does not require public-key certificates, nor does it suffer from the key escrow problem. Moreover, the data that are aggregated from the platform that monitors the UAVs might be too huge to be processed by the same UAVs engaged in the monitoring task. Due to being latency-sensitive, it demands high computational capability. Luckily, the envisioned fifth generation (5G) mobile communication introduces multi-access edge computing (MEC) in its architecture. MEC, when incorporated in a UAV environment, in our proposed model, divides the workload between UAVs and the on-board microcomputer. Thus, our proposed model extends FANET to the 5G mobile network and enables a secure communication between UAVs and the base station (BS)

Experimental investigation of resonant MEMS switch with ac actuation

In this letter, modeling, analysis, and experimental investigation for a resonant MEMS switch are presented. The resonant switch harnesses its mechanical resonance to lower the required actuation voltage by a substantial factor over the switch with static actuation. With alternating actuation voltage at its mechanical resonance frequency of 6.6 kHz, the average capacitance is tuned by changing the gap between fixed and movable electrodes. Based on the proposed actuation method, the device offers 57.44% lower actuation voltage compared with the switch with static actuation

Multiaccess Edge Computing Empowered Flying Ad Hoc Networks with Secure Deployment Using Identity-Based Generalized Signcryption

A group of small UAVs can synergize to form a flying ad hoc network (FANET). The small UAVs are, typically, prone to security lapses because of limited onboard power, restricted computing ability, insufficient bandwidth, etc. Such limitations hinder the applicability of standard cryptographic techniques. Thus, assuring confidentiality and authentication on part of small UAV remains a far-fetched goal. We aim to address such an issue by proposing an identity-based generalized signcryption scheme. The lightweight security scheme employs multiaccess edge computing (MEC) whereby the primary UAV, as a MEC node, provides offloading to the computationally fragile member UAVs. The scheme is based on the concept of the hyperelliptic curve (HEC), which is characterized by a smaller key size and is, therefore, suitable for small UAVs. The scheme is robust since it offers confidentiality and authentication simultaneously as well as singly. Formal as well as informal security analyses and the validation results, using the Automated Validation for Internet Security Validation and Application (AVISPA) tool, second such notion. Comparative analysis with the existing schemes further authenticates the sturdiness of the proposed scheme. As a case study, the scheme is applied for monitoring crops in an agricultural field. It has been found out that the scheme promises higher security and incurs lower computational and communication costs