A Survey of Enabling Technologies for Smart Communities

In 2016, the Japanese Government publicized an initiative and a call to action for the implementation of a Super Smart Society announced as Society 5.0. The stated goal of Society 5.0 is to meet the various needs of the members of society through the provisioning of goods and services to those who require them, when they are required and in the amount required, thus enabling the citizens to live an active and comfortable life. In spite of its genuine appeal, details of a feasible path to Society 5.0 are conspicuously missing. The first main goal of this survey is to suggest such an implementation path. Specifically, we define a Smart Community as a human-centric entity where technology is used to equip the citizenry with information and services that they can use to inform their decisions. The arbiter of this ecosystem of services is a Marketplace of Services that will reward services aligned with the wants and needs of the citizens, while discouraging the proliferation of those that are not. In the limit, the Smart Community we defined will morph into Society 5.0. At that point, the Marketplace of Services will become a platform for the co-creation of services by a close cooperation between the citizens and their government. The second objective and contribution of this survey paper is to review known technologies that, in our opinion, will play a significant role in the transition to Society 5.0. These technologies will be surveyed in chronological order, as newer technologies often extend old technologies while avoiding their limitations

Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Anxiety in Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the brief fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety in young adults. Sample of 230 young adults (110=males, 120=females)was taken from different departments of Bahaudin Zakriya University Multan. The study aimed to check the correlation between fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety and differences in fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety among males and females as well as among undergraduate and post graduate students. Brief fear of negative evaluation scale (Leary, M. R., 1983) and Liebowitz social anxiety scale (Michael R. Liebowitz, 1987) was used. Findings revealed positive correlation between social anxiety and Brief fear of negative evaluation. The study concluded that fear of negative evaluation produce social anxiety in young adults (university students). Independent t test confirmed the significant difference among male, females as well as among undergraduate and post graduate on these two variables. Female students showed more fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety than male students; similarly, undergraduate students showed more social anxiety

Hepatitis C Screening in Pregnancy:

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Nosocomial vs Healthcare Associated vs Community Acquired SBP –

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Mantle Cell Lymphoma With GI Involvement Presenting as Bilateral Eyelid Swelling

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Role of Urban Parks in Carbon Sequestration– A Case Study of Safari Park, Karachi, Pakistan

Urban parks besides their recreational use can be the potential source of climate mitigation through carbon sequestration. Present study aims to identify the carbon sequestration potential of Safari Park which is by far the largest public park of Karachi established in 1970 covering an area of 0.72 km2. A total of 153 individual trees belonging to 25 species and 14 families were included in the study. Five dominant species with highest Important Value Index (IVI) were Cocos nucifera (14.62 %), Azadirachta indica (14.21 %), Guaiacum officinale (9.93 %), Washington robusta (9.31 %) and Delonix regia (7.11 %). The highest carbon content was sequestered by C. nucifera (9472 kg) followed by D. regia (7599 kg), W. robusta (3576 kg), A. indica (1861.5 kg) while, C. erectus sequestered the lowest carbon content (765.6 kg). Pearson coefficient of all 5 dominant species showed a significantly positive correlation (p \u3c 0.05) between volume and diameter at breast height (DBH) at 0.80 - 0.93 cm, providing an assumption that trees with high DBH have a greater role in carbon sequestration. With a ratio of 17 native and 8 non-native species, the park can serve as an example of well-balanced and diverse ecosystem (Shanon and Simpson Indices of 2.8 and 0.92) focused on yielding maximum carbon content. Because of its large area with high DBH, Cocos nucifera accumulated the most carbon. The tree composition can be taken as a foundation for urban planners who are focused to integrate species diversity, richness and carbon offsetting requirements while setting up a public park in similar arid and semi-arid conditions

PRIMARY BILATERAL BREAST LYMPHOMA: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND REPORT OF FOUR CASES FROM A SINGLE CENTRE

Primary breast lymphoma is a rare entity and carries poor prognosis, bilateral breast lymphoma is even rarer and carries worst prognosis. Bilateral breast lymphoma is a rare disease and lacks treatment. Out of the 2766 cases of non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma registered at our institute from 1994 to 2013, 31 cases of breast lymphoma were found, of which four cases had bilateral involvement. In this review, we describe clinical presentation, histopathological subtypes, treatment administered and outcome of those four cases retrospectively. All patients were female with a median age of 31 years (range 24–64 years). Three patients were diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma detected in one patient. Chemotherapy remained the main treatment modality and surgery (excision biopsy) was reserved for diagnostic purpose only, none of the patients received radiation therapy. Key words: Breast lymphoma, histopathological subtypes, palliation

Development and validation of sunlight exposure measurement questionnaire (SEM-Q) for use in adult population residing in Pakistan

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been identified as a major public health problem worldwide. Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D and its measurement using dosimeters is expensive and difficult for use in population-based studies. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop and validate questionnaires to assess sunlight exposure in healthy individuals residing in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Two questionnaires with seven important items for sunlight exposure assessment were developed. Fifty four healthy adults were enrolled based on their reported sunlight exposure (high = 17, moderate = 18, low = 19) from Aga Khan University, Karachi. Over four days, study participants were asked to wear a dosimeter between sunrise and sunset and report time spent and activities undertaken in the sun for questionnaire validation. Algorithm for item weightage was created as an average score based on ultraviolet B percentage received. Blood samples were obtained for serum vitamin D. Results: The mean time (minutes) spent in sun over 4 days (±SD) was 69.5 (±32) for low, 83.5 (±29.7) for moderate and 329 (±115) for high exposure group. The correlation between average time (minutes) spent in sun over 4 days and mean change in absorbance of UV dosimeters for 4 days was 0.60 (p \u3c 0.01). Correlation between average score and vitamin D levels was found to be 0.36 (p = 0.01) for short term questionnaire score, 0.43 (p = 0.01) for long term questionnaire score in summers and 0.48 (p = 0.01) in winters. Conclusions: The sunlight exposure measurement questionnaires were valid tools for use in large epidemiological studies to quantify sunlight exposure

Role Of Low Dose Aspirin In Preventing Preterm Birth In Patients With Previous History Of Preterm Delivery

Objective: Preterm birth (PTB) occurs between 24-37 weeks of gestation. The important risk factor for PTB is a previous PTB and currently progesterone is used for the management of recurrent spontaneous PTB. Some studies have shown good outcomes but recent studies revealed that the use of vaginal progesterone was not related to a decreased likelihood of PTB or neonatal adverse effects. Thus, the controversy in the literature suggests multiple underlying pathological mechanisms involved in the progression of PTB. This study aims to determine the role of low-dose aspirin in the prevention of preterm birth in patients with a previous history of preterm delivery. Methodology: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 172 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected from the inpatient and outpatient departments. Patients were divided randomly into two groups (group A and group B), using random number tables. In Group A, low-dose aspirin (75mg) was given while group B was taken as a control group. Patients were called every 8 weeks in the outpatient department for the assessment of compliance and side effects of the drug. The data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS v25.0. Chi-square was used to compare the two groups for incidence of preterm birth. Relative risk (along with a 95% confidence interval) for the decrease in the incidence of preterm birth with the use of aspirin was calculated. Results: The age of participants included in the study was 18 to 40 years. The mean age of patients in group A was 33.85±5.210 years and in group B was 32.86±4.139 years. The mean fetal birth weight in group A was 2281.1962±363.125 grams and in group B was 2271.4344±374.797 grams. In the low-dose aspirin group, 10(11.6%) had preterm birth and 31(36.0%) in the control group with a p-value of 0.001, which is statistically significant. The risk of having preterm birth with low-dose aspirin was 1.801 times less than controls. Conclusion: aspirin in low dose  given before 14 weeks of gestation decrease spontaneous preterm birth as compared to the control group in a woman with a history of previous  preterm birth which was spontaneou

Lifestyle changes and glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus: A trial protocol with factorial design approach

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been increasing globally over the past three decades. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is a challenge in both developed as well as developing countries. Self-management guidelines include maintaining logbooks for blood glucose, physical activity, and dietary intake that affect glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and a multitude of life-threatening acute complications. Innovative, cost-effective interventions along with beneficial lifestyle modifications can improve home-based self-monitoring of blood glucose in T1D patients. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between maintaining log books for blood glucose levels, reinforcement by e-messages, and/or daily step count and changes in HbA1c.Methods/design: A randomized controlled trial will enroll participants aged 15 years and above in four groups. Each group of 30 participants will be working with a newly designed standard log book for documenting their blood glucose. The first group will be entirely on routine clinical care, the second group will be on routine care and will receive an additional e-device for recording step count (fit bit), the third group will receive routine care and daily motivational e-messages to maintain the log book, and the fourth group along with routine care will receive an e-device for measuring step count (fit bit) and e-messages about maintaining the log book. Patients will be enrolled from pediatric and endocrine clinics of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. All groups will be followed up for a period of 6 months to evaluate outcomes. Log book data will be obtained every 3 months electronically or during a patient\u27s clinic visit. HbA1c as a main outcome will be measured at baseline and will be evaluated twice every 3 months. A baseline questionnaire will determine the socio-demographic, nutritional, and physical activity profile of patients. Clinical information for T1D and other co-morbidities for age of onset, duration, complications, hospitalizations, habits for managing T1D, and other lifestyle characteristics will be ascertained. Behavioral modifications for maintaining daily log books as a routine, following e-messages alone, fit bit alone, or e-messages plus using fit bit will be assessed for changes in HbA1c using a generalized estimated equation.Discussion: The proposed interventions will help identify whether maintaining log books for blood glucose, motivational e-messages, and/or daily step count will reduce HbA1c levels