An efficient up-link load reduction model based on clustering in vanets

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) enable communication between vehicles to avoid the accident. Cluster is a technique in VANETs used to group vehicles. The aim of this thesis is to mitigate uplink load at Base-Stations (BSs) resulted from the following: first, increased number of vehicles in the urban city leads to an increase in the number of cluster head (CH) in the network while each CH required uplink channel from BS. Second, increased vehicles mobility makes the clusters unstable and try to reserve another uplink channel from the BS. Third, the handover problem in the cell edges makes the CHs try to reconnect with the BS. Fourth, duplicated information sent from CHs to the BSs at the intersections make the BSs loaded by unnecessary information. This study proposed an Efficient Up-link Load Reduction (EULR) model to mitigate the uplink load at BSs. EULR model consisted of three parts: the first part, two novel algorithms Smart CH Election (SCHE) and Hybrid Cluster-Head Election (HCHE) to increase cluster stability and reduce the number of CHs changes in the network by selecting the best vehicle as cluster head (CH) based on two dynamic thresholds. Second part, Intelligent Cluster-Head (ICH) method is proposed which aims to mitigate handover problem of a CHs at the cell edge of a neighbor's BSs by transferring uplink connection to the CH that has the highest RSS and hence reducing load at the BSs. Last part, Dynamic Multi-Agent (DMA) method is proposed to avoid duplicated information transmission from CHs at intersections to the BSs. The DMA method filtered the CHs information by sending only new information to the BS; therefore, this method helped to reduce the load at BSs. Performance of the EULR model is evaluated through simulation with real-time datasets. Overall, the EULR model reduces the number of CHs by 9.53%, increased CHs stability by 40.38%, achieved less packet loss by 26.81% and reduced the duplicated information at the intersection by 81% than the previous related works. Finally, the proposed methods have shown significant network performance results compared to previous related works as stated in this thesis

Status of Rural Women: Patriarchy and Inevitability of Subjugation; A Study of Rural Area in Multan, Pakistan

Women are oppressed in every walk of life but oppression may differ from place to place. Urban Rural divide has shown the different social structures for women. The present research was conducted with these objectives: to identify the status of women in rural settings, to analysis perception of society about social status of women, to explore the impact of Patriarchy on women in context of rural settings of Multan, Pakistan. Mix research methods were used to carry this research. Interviews were conducted from 100 married women, living in rural areas of Multan. A Focus Group Discussion was also conducted to address the research questions. The findings of the study suggest that women’s health, education and economic status is poor, whereas women’s status stems from patriarchy, the power and controlling structure where men dominates over women. This is patriarchy which maintains the women’s submissive role and it generates a structure which subjugates women of rural area. The study suggests that by expanding the canvas of formal economy, it may channelize the women’s low paid or unpaid work. This can help enhance women’s economic and social status in rural areas. Key Words: Patriarchy, Status of Women, Rural Women, Gender Inequalit

Characterizations of Synthesized Nano Hybrid Octyl Gallate with ZnO LHS and Determined its Anti Microbial Activities

ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by sol-gel reaction between zinc oxide and (Octyl gallate), Octyl gallate Evolution was characterized by UV-VIS spectroscopy,), Fourier  transform  infrared  (FT-IR) spectroscopy technique, X-ray  diffraction  (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and  Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). A well crystalline fiber-like structure was formed. Controlled release was fitted with different modules. Antimicrobial activity tests were done against eight bacterial and three fungal isolates, results showed that nano hybrid composite was efficient in inhibiting both gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well as the fungal isolates used in this study. Keywords: ZnO; nano materials; antimicrobial activity; intercalations

Correlation between Anti cyclic-citrullinated-‎eptide and rheumatoid Factor Antibodies ‎‎“levels in” Patients with from Rheumatoid ‎Arthritis

للتعرف على استخدام الانتي سايكلك للبروتين سيتروليناتد ببتايد  والعامل الروماتزم ونسبة ترسيب كريات الدم الحمراء في تشخيص المرضى المصابين بالروماتزم الرثياني. جمعت  خمسين عينه لمرضى مصابين بالروماتزم الرثياني  من قسم الامراض الثيانيه في مدينة الصدر الطبية التعليميه , حدوث نسبة مستوى عامل الروماتزم  والانتي سايكلك سيتروليناتد ببتايد  بطريقة الامتزاز المناعي المرتبط بالانزيم , بينما تم  قياس نسبة ترسيب الخلايا الحمراء بطريقة الويستركرين. بينت الدراسه بأن نسبة توزيع المرضى المصابين بالروماتزم في النساء اكثر من الرجال 80%, 20% بالتتابع حسب مجاميع المرضى. قسمت المرضى الى ثلاث مجاميع حسب العمر  أقل من (30),  (30 – 50) وأكثر من (50)  أظهرت نسبة هذه المجاميع كالتالي 16%, 52% , و 32%  كما بينت الدراسه بأن نسبة (49) 98%  كان لديهم فحص موجب للانتي سايكلك ستروليناتد ببتايد ونسبة (22) 44% لديهم فحص لعامل الروماتزم و نسبة (37) 74% كان لديهم ارتفاع في مستوى ترسيب كريات الدم الحمراء.  أخيرا̋ أظهرت النتائج بأن متوسط القيم للانتي  سايكلك ستروليناتد ببتايد وترسيب كريات الدم الحمراء كان عالي المنويه (0.05 P< )  بينما اظهرت النتائج ارتفاع معنوي في مستوى عامل الروماتزم. لذلك فأن استخدام سايكلك ستروليناتد ببتايد  يعتبر فحص مفيد لتشخيص الروماتزم, وكذلك استخدام عامل  الروماتزم  والانتي سايكلك ستروليناتد ببتايد  ممكن ان يعطي قيمة تشخيصيه للروماتزم الرثياني.To  identify  diagnostic   utilities  of   Anti   citrullinated   protein   (ACCP)   and Rheumatoid   factor  (RF)   are  autoantibodies (Abs  directly  against an self-individual antigens),  Analytical  study.  The  questioner  reported  for  50  patients  with  RA were collected  from  Department  of  Rheumatology¸  AL˗Sader  Teaching  Hospital.  Serum levels  of  RF & (ACCP)  Abs  were  determinated  by enzyme ˗ linked immunosorbent assay”, while  the  level  of  erythrocyte  sedimentation  rate  (ESR)  was determined by westergreen  method.   Distribution  of  RA occur  in  females  more  than  males which  reached  (80%)  &  (20%)  respectively  according  to  the  patients group. The patients divided  according  to the  age  into  three  groups (<30)¸ (30˗50) &  (>50). The  percent for  these  groups  were  (16%)¸ (52%) & (32%). Among the 50 patients with RA¸ CCP and  ESR  49  patients  (98%)  tested  positive  for  (ACCP)  antibodies¸ and 22 patients (44%)  tested  positive for RF. and 37  patients(74% ) tested increasing levels of ESR in RA  patients. The  mean  value of (ACCP) & ESR shows highly significance  (P<0∙05), while the  RF serum  levels increase significantly. Demonstrate  the (ACCP) antibodies assay is a useful test for diagnosing RA. However, the use of RF and (ACCP)auto- antibodies  in  combination  further  elevated   the diagnostic  value  for  R

Measurement of Radon-222 Concentrations in Selected Soil Samples in Al-Mothafeen Area (Kerbala, Iraq) by Using the CN-85 Detector

In this work, alpha emitters in the twenty soil samples in Al-Mothafeen sites were measured using the CN-85 detectors. The results show that the average values of radon concentration in the air space of the tube and in the sample were 163.15±3.37 Bq/m3 and 5090.54±155.3 Bq/m3, respectively, while the results of annual effective dose were varied from 10.2±0.3 mSv/y to 2.1±0.1 mSv/y with a mean value of 4.1±0.2 mSv/y, radium content were varied from 0.3±0.06 Bq/kg-1 to 0.06±0.02 Bq/kg with a mean value of 0.12±0.03 Bq/kg, and uranium contractions were varied from 9.29±0.33 Bq/kg to 1.90±0.15 Bq/kg with an average of 3.72±0.21 Bq/kg. Also, the average values of mass and surface exhalation rates were 0.95±8.64 mBq/kg.h and 44.59±0.79 mBq/m2.h, respectively. The results were within the normal limits of radiation, according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)

Quality-improved and secure multicast delivery method in mobile IPv6 networks

With widespread deployment of multicast over Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), several issues including fixed data rate transmission, multicast key distribution security, and overlapped multicast address have to be addressed for accommodating an efficient multicast scheme for WLANs. The latter problem can be addressed by utilizing Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) which provides significantly more address space compare to existing IPv4. However, in multicast IPv6 over WLANs, when a mobile moves to the border of the multicast group, the data are transmitted at the lowest base rate to support more coverage area, leading to poor Quality of Service (QoS). In this paper, a novel multicast data delivery method over WLANs based on IPv6 protocol is proposed to overcome the problem of fixed base rate and security key distribution in WLANs. Specifically, the proposed method dictates a WLAN Access Point (AP) to encapsulate the multicast packets into unicast Medium Access Control (MAC) packets, and subsequently forward them to the mobile host. In addition, the AP is also responsible for updating and distributing security keys whenever a join or leave operation occurs. The results from our test-bed indicate that the proposed method significantly improve the QoS metrics (i.e., throughput and delay) compared to the existing multicast scenario, as well as able to reduce the amount of generated keys in the networks

Guess the time of implementation of residential construction projects using neural networks ANN

The construction duration of residential projects, especially in building processes, significantly impact the business of a construction company. The balance between the planned cost, direct cost, and overheads directly depend on the precision of the implementation phase of the project. The application of the artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the duration of implementation of a residential construction project from the pre-design stage to completion is comprehensively discussed in this research. The study applies the back-propagation (BP) network made of nodes for error evaluation of the training states. Further, the proposed system illustrated that the artificial neural network (ANN) satisfy the three crucial criteria (cost, quality, and time) used for the evaluation of projects. The ANN provided accurate data for the training and estimation of, the duration of a residential construction project with adequate resources of implementation. The performance of the results for the ANN at 105 iteration shows that the prediction was 99.841% accurate for the overall system. The best fit occurred at the 99th epoch with an MSE of 0.10286

Efficient beamforming and spectral efficiency maximization in a joint transmission system using an adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm

Next-generation cellular networks and beyond are expected to adopt a frequency reuse factor of one to support high spectral efficiency. Consequently, inter-cell interference (ICI) represents a serious issue among neighbouring cells, especially for cell-edge users. In addressing this, joint transmission (JT) represents one of the most sophisticated techniques for mitigating ICI stemming from implementing a frequency reuse factor of one. Moreover, JT also converts the interfering signals into useful signals to improve the spectral efficiency of the system. However, JT produces enormous overhead on both the feedback and backhaul interfaces; thus, partial JT was proposed as a trade-off between signaling demand and increased spectral efficiency. Maintaining an efficient beamforming (BF) matrix based on a sparse aggregated channel matrix is a challenging issue with regard to linear BF techniques such as zero-forcing (ZF). This is mainly because ZF BF can only invert a well-conditioned matrix. Therefore, an adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO) is included in this paper and used to present an efficient beamformer that achieves equivalent backhaul reduction and high spectral efficiency. Moreover, addressing the lack-of-diversity issue in basic particle swarm optimization (BPSO) is a primary concern of this work. The beamformer obtained with the objective function of sum rate maximization achieves a spectral efficiency of 17.24% compared to BPSO BF

An epidemiological, strategic and response analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia: A population-based observational study

Introduction: South Asia has had a dynamic response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The overall burden and response have remained comparable across highly-burdened countries within the South Asian Region. Methodology: Using a population-based observational design, all eight South Asian countries were analyzed using a step-wise approach. Data were obtained from government websites and publicly-available repositories for population dynamics and key variables. Results: South Asian countries have a younger average age of their population. Inequitable distribution of resources centered in urban metropolitan cities within South Asia is present. Certain densely populated regions in these countries have better testing and healthcare facilities that correlate with lower COVID-19 incidence per million populations. Trends of urban-rural disparities are unclear given the lack of clear reporting of the gaps within these regions. COVID-19 vaccination lag has become apparent in South Asian countries, with the expected time to complete the campaign being unfeasible as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. Conclusion: With a redesigning of governance policies on preventing the rise of COVID-19 promptly, the relief on the healthcare system and healthcare workers will allow for adequate time to roll out vaccination campaigns with equitable distribution. Capacity expansion of public health within the Region is required to ensure a robust healthcare response to the ongoing pandemic and future infectious disease outbreak

Profiling of compounds in hydrosol extract of Aquilaria (Agarwood) species using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS)

Most research involving agarwood mainly focused on extracting the agarwood oil from the infiltrated resin, the most sought non-timber forest product from Aquilariaspecies with high demand and prices. This led to other parts of this valuable plant species being considered as waste. This includes the agarwood hydrosol (by-product of water distillation). Hydrosol has been reported to retain certain aromatics of its primary essential oil. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to identify the composition of the agarwood hydrosol extracts from Aquilariaspecies by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Six agarwood hydrosol samples from different batches of production were used in this study and designated as S1 until S6. The hydrosol extracts were prepared in three steps; isolation of dissolved essential oil, filtration of the hydrosol extract and finally the evaporation of solvent (hexane). The resulting extracts were subjected to GCMS analysis. A total of 46, 48, 40, 53, 58 and 62 compounds were detected in hydrosol extract samples of S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and S6, respectively. Accordingly, the oxygenated and phenolic compounds were found to be present in all hydrosol extract samples. The detected phenolic compounds include phenol, 2,5-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)-,.phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)- and 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester. These compounds are believed to possess various potential biological activities including antioxidant activities. Sample S1 and S2 consist of sesquiterpene compounds such as (-)-aristolene, naphthalene, decahydro-4a-methyl-1- methylene-7- (1-methylethylidene)-,(4aR-trans), azulene,1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,7-octahydro-1,4-dimethyl-7- (1-methylethenyl)-,[1R-(1.alpha.,3a.beta.,4.alpha.,7.beta.)]- and alloaromadendrene where the later had the highest number of oxygenated and antioxidant compounds. In conclusion, results from this study suggests that agarwood hydrosol possesses myriad of compounds that warrant further investigation based on their potential medicinal benefits. This in turn could help realize the waste to wealth paradigm as well as promote the material as sustainable source for development of halal therapeutics