Novel Energy Efficient Clustering Approach For Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

The cognitive radio has been proposed as a promising technology to effectively utilize the radio spectrum to allow unlicensed users by allocating the spectrum dynamically on a non-interfering basis. The main challenge of cooperative spectrum sensing is the control channel overhead when the number of cognitive users becomes very large. Therefore, Cluster-based approach is applied to avoid the congestion on the control channel and reduce the sensing time. In this paper, an energy-efficient clustering approach is applied for electing cluster head in a distributed way assuming that a cluster head with more energy is selected in each round and sends the information to the fusion centre. The simulation results prove that the energy-efficient clustering approach enhances the lifetime of cognitive radio sensor network and try to maintain a balance energy consumption of cognitive users. The proposed approach shows that it is more robust than other conventional schemes in term of energy consumption

Design and implementation of hybrid vehicle using control of DC electric motor

The electric motors and its control technology are key components of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Control of the electric motor is a fundamental issue for traction application in electric vehicles and HEVs. This paper presents the design, development and implementation of a hybrid vehicle using both an electric motor and petrol engine to increase efficiency and decrease carbon footprint. Initially, a prototype of a HEV is designed and the performance values are calculated, before a control system is developed and implemented to control the DC motor speed using a microcontroller as the vehicle’s electronic control unit along with simple proportional integral derivative (PID) control using speed as a feedback mechanism. The prototype made incorporated voltage, current, speed and torque sensors for feedback resulting in a closed loop control system which successfully matched the speed input of a user-controlled pedal sensor. A user interface was developed to show the driver of the vehicle key variables such as the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the motor, the speed of the vehicle along with the current being drawn, and the voltage applied to the motor with overall power. To output a variable voltage from the Arduino, a digital output was used with pulse width modulation (PWM) capabilities in order to provide a variable DC voltage to the speed controller

Innovative Roofing System For Solar Heat Reduction Under Malaysian Sky Conditions

Sistem lurang cahaya-langit di tropika Malaysia menyebabkan ketidakselesaan haba justeru meningkatkan penggunaan sistem penyaman udara bagi tujuan penyejukan, khususnya di bangunan setingkat. Skylight systems in tropical Malaysia inherently produce an unacceptable level of comfort and thus result in greater use of air-conditioning systems for cooling, particularly in singlestorey buildings

مدى توفر المسؤولية الاجتماعية في حماية المستهلك من وجهة نظر مستهلكي الأدوات المنزلية الكهربائية في الساحل السوري

هدف البحث إلى تحديد مدى توفر المسؤولية الاجتماعية في حماية المستهلك في شركات الأدوات المنزلية الكهربائية في سورية, واعتمد الباحث على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي في تحقيق أهداف البحث, كما تم تصميم استبانة بالاعتماد على الدراسات السابقة تم توزيعها على 383 فرداً من مستهلكي الأدوات المنزلية الكهربائية في الساحل السوري, لدراسة مفردات البحث وحصر وتجميع المعلومات الميدانية اللازمة لموضوع البحث، ومن ثم تم تفريغها وتحليلها باستخدام البرنامج الإحصائي SPSS, وقد توصل إلى أهم النتائج الآتية: لازال هناك غموض وعدم دراية كافية من جانب المستهلك بمفهوم المسؤولية الاجتماعية للشركات وأبعادها ومدى تطورها وكذلك بمدى فعاليته وكيفية بلورته والإفادة منه, وإن شركات الأدوات المنزلية الكهربائية الأصلية تتمتع بالمسؤولية الاقتصادية والمسؤولية القانونية, والمسؤولية الأخلاقية, ولكن لا تتمتع بالمسؤولية الخيرية وذلك من وجهة نظر أفراد العينة, كما أن المسؤولية الخيرية أقل توافراً في الشركات الأصلية بنسبة 51.68% وتليها المسؤوليّة القانونية, ومن ثم المسؤوليّة الأخلاقيّة, في حين أن المسؤوليّة الاقتصاديّة تعد أكثر توافراً في حماية المستهلك من وجهة نظر أفراد العينة في الساحل السوري بنسبة 75.87%

A Massive Tuberculosis Abscess at the Erector Spinae Muscles and Subcutaneous Tissues in a Young Man

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic granulomatous infection which can present in an atypical form. Isolated muscle involvement is very rare. We report a 25-year-old man who presented with a massive cystic swelling on the right side of his back, extending from the lower thoracic to the gluteal region. He had a history of contact with a friend who was suspected of having TB. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the origin of the cyst was from the erector spinae muscles. The result of a fluid aspirate showed acid fast bacilli. The swelling disappeared after treatment with anti-tuberculous medications. Muscular involvement in TB is very rare. In our patient, the reports of an ultrasound and MRI confirmed isolated muscle and subcutaneous involvement without bony lesions. This case is reported to increase physician awareness regarding soft tissue TB. Although it is rare, similar cases may be seen in the future

The Moderate Effect of Audit Committee Independence on the Board Structure and Real Earnings Management: Evidence from Jordan

 The current study aimed to explore the moderate effected of independence of the audit committee on the connection between board structure (i.e. size, independence and CEO duality) and real earnings management (REM) in listed companies in Jordan. The current study covered 910 firm-year observations of the industrial and service sector listed companies in the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) from 2009 to 2018. Using the Fixed Effect approach, the results of the data analysis show a negative and significant impact of board size and CEO duality on REM. There was, however, a significant positive correlation between board independence and REM. In general, the findings showed that the structure of the board is a determinant of REM. In the case of the moderate effect, found the audit committee independence have moderately affected the relationship between board structure and REM. In short, the findings of this study indicate that the moderate effect of audit committee independence weakens the effect of board size and CEO duality on the determination of REM while increasing the effectiveness of board independence to control of REM. Furthermore, the findings of the current study have significant implications for audit practitioners, policymakers, investors and regulators in their efforts to limit REM activities and increase the quality of Jordanian firms' financial reporting

Impact of family structure and sociodemographic characteristics on parents headed families in Ramadi City, Iraq

Background: Several factors in the family profile contribute significantly to determining the effective policy when heading the family. This study aims to evaluate the sociodemographic and economic burdens on parents-headed families in Ramadi City, west of Iraq. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional household-based survey was conducted from 1st to 28th February 2019 among Iraqi people residents in Ramadi city, Anbar province. A multistage sampling technique was recruited to identify the eligible sample. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview (face-to-face) the respondents. Data from 267 households have undergone univariate and bivariate analyses. Multiple logistic regression, odds ratio (OR), and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to explore the predicting variables. The statistically significant is considered at less than 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 43.88 (± 12.1) years (range: 25 to 69 years). Out of the total surveyed people, 52.8% were young (less than 44 years), male-headed families (59.6%), low educated level (65.5%), unemployed (52.4%), married (67.4%) and headed big families of seven members and above (43.1%). History of chronic diseases and smoking habits was positive among 46.4% and 45.7% of respondents, respectively. Findings of the binary logistic regressions showed that history of smoking (OR = 7.201, 95% CI: 3.254 to15.936), families of 7 members and above (OR = 6.239, 95% CI: 2.938 to 13.250), unhappy (OR = 5.237, 95% CI: 2.140 to 12.818), aged 44 years and above (OR = 3.518, 95% CI: 1.581 to 7.829), being single (unmarried, divorced, widow) (OR = 2.697, 95% CI: 1.230 to 5.914), and had a monthly income of less than USD400 (OR = 2.333, 95% CI: 1.112 to 4.859) are significantly associated with female-headed family. Conclusion: Priority must be given to some elements such as genetic, physical differences, biopsychosocial factors, and the economic situation when discussing parents' behavior in heading the family

A study of the physiological disorders of slimming drugs on people who abuse them

Recently, slimming drugs have been used to get rid of excess weight and obesity, which consist of chemical compounds of different compositions that vary in the degree of their safety on health from one compound to another and have dangerous side effects on human life. 75 blood samples were collected from people who take weight-loss drugs after being asked about their use of these drugs, and 25 samples from people who did not take weight-loss drugs, a control group. The research samples were divided into categories of withdrawal, the duration of abuse is less than a year, (1-2 years), (2-4 years) and (4-6 years). Laboratory tests were conducted on them from W.B.C count white blood cell, W.B.C differential, Packed Cell Volume P.C.V. , R.B.C count red blood cell, serum Total protein and hemoglobin Hb. The search results showed a significant decrease in W.B.C count (P<0.05) in the abused groups in the period (1-2) and it was (mm³ 7000) while the control sample was (mm³ 82800) either in the periods (2-4) and (4-6) It was low (6977.7 mm³) compared to the control sample. It also showed a significant increase in the rate of basophil and eosinophil preparation (P<0.05) in all periods, while a significant decrease occurred in the rate of lymphocyte. It also found a significant decrease in R.B.C, serum total protein and PCV. As for Hb, there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in drug users compared to control samples for all periods. We conclude that slimming drugs have harmful effects on those who take them and may cause greater harm in the future in addition to the possibility of their effect on other organs and systems in the body if other studies focus on that

A Suitable method to detect potential fraud of bringing Malayan box turtle (Cuora amboinensis) meat into the food chain

Malayan box turtle (Cuora amboinensis) has been a wildlife-protected vulnerable turtle species in Malaysia since 2005. However, because of its purported usage in traditional medicine, tonic foods and feeds, clandestine black market trade is rampant. Several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the taxonomic detection and classification of turtle species have been proposed. These assays are based on long-length target amplicons which are assumed to break down under compromised states and, hence, might not be suitable for the forensic tracing and tracking of turtle trafficking. For the first time this paper develops a very short-amplicon-length PCR assay (120 bp) for the detection of Malayan box turtle meat in raw, processed and mixed matrices, and experimental evidence is produced that such an assay is not only more stable and reliable but also more sensitive than those previously published. We checked the assay specificity against 20 different species and no cross-species detection was observed. The possibility of any false-negative detection was eliminated by a universal endogenous control for eukaryotes. The assay detection limit was 0.0001 ng of box turtle DNA from pure meat and 0.01% turtle meat in binary and ternary admixtures and commercial meatballs. Superior target stability and sensitivity under extreme treatments of boiling, autoclaving and microwave cooking suggested that this newly developed assay would be suitable for any forensic and/or archaeological identification of Malayan box turtle species, even in severely degraded specimens. Further, in silico studies indicated that the assay has the potential to be used as a universal probe for the detection of nine Cuora species, all of which are critically endangered

Development and evaluation of a novel, multifunctional, coprocessed excipient via roller compaction of α-Lactose Monohydrate and Magnesium Silicate

This study investigates co-processing lactose with synthetic amorphous magnesium silicate with the aim of expanding the use of directly compressible excipients based on native lactose. The co-processing was performed using roller compaction. The co-processed excipient was characterized using particle size analysis and compression properties (Kawakita equation). The co-processed excipient demonstrated plastic behavior upon compression, good flowability and crushing strength and a shorter disintegration time. Compatibility between the different ingredients of the co-processed excipient, as well as, between the co-processed excipient and model drugs was tested using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The interaction between lactose and magnesium silicate proved to be of a physical nature. Formulating this co-processed excipient with Mebeverine HCl and Losartan Potassium as model drugs, indicated its suitability as a single multi-functional excipient. Co-processed lactose with magnesium silicate could be used as a single direct compression excipient for tablet manufacturing