Facial Emotions and Behaviour Monitoring System using DNN

  In this paper, Machine Learning Algorithms are used to implement the proposed approach to identify social distance, face masks, drowsiness detection, age-gender detection, and emotion detection. While dealing with social distancing initially, we need to detect humans’ faces, which are available by using COCO (Common Objects in Context) datasets, and later on, polygon-shaped ROI (Rectangular-region of Interest) is warped with a rectangle, which helps to find the distance from each centroid (person). Similarly, we predict the facemask, age-gender, emotion, and drowsiness altogether using frontal-face detection and eye-detection via haarcascade dataset loaded into Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to train and test the models on colour mapped images. In the proposed model, we are using machine-learning techniques such as linear discriminant Analysis (LDA), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for age-gender detection and emotion detection, K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN) for Social Distancing, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for facemask detection and drowsiness detection. The accuracy of proposed system depends on frame (i.e., 88.2%, 89.7%, 95.1% and 98.3% in 0~0.2s, 0.2~0.6s, 0.6~1s, >1s time windows respectively). The accuracy even depends upon the distance away from the camera (i.e., 60.4%, 73.9%, 89.3%, 95.2%, and 62.2% in >15, 15~10, 10~6, 6~0.5, <0.5 meters respectively). The resultant average accuracy of all the models is 96.3%, which is capable to predict various tasks as said above. This complete model is made accessible to users via a standalone software/Desktop GUI. The proposed approach is promising for performing all the tasks and activities more accurately and efficiently.the systemic health of the patient and avoiding possible drug interaction

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

A comparative review of natural and synthetic biopolymer composite scaffolds

Tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine integrate information and technology from various fields to restore/replace tissues and damaged organs for medical treatments. To achieve this, scaffolds act as delivery vectors or as cellular systems for drugs and cells; thereby, cellular material is able to colonize host cells sufficiently to meet up the requirements of regeneration and repair. This process is multi-stage and requires the development of various components to create the desired neo-tissue or organ. In several current TE strategies, biomaterials are essential components. While several polymers are established for their use as biomaterials, careful consideration of the cellular environment and interactions needed is required in selecting a polymer for a given application. Depending on this, scaffold materials can be of natural or synthetic origin, degradable or nondegradable. In this review, an overview of various natural and synthetic polymers and their possible composite scaffolds with their physicochemical properties including biocompatibility, biodegradability, morphology, mechanical strength, pore size, and porosity are discussed. The scaffolds fabrication techniques and a few commercially available biopolymers are also tabulated.Funding: The author, R. Choudhary, gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the grant agreement No. 857287. The author presents sincere thanks to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in the framework of the ?Increase Competitiveness? Program of National University of Science and Technology (NUST) �MISiS�, Moscow, Russia, for providing the financial help to carry out this research. This publication was also supported by Qatar University internal grant No. IRCC-2020-013. The findings herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu

Carbon dioxide adsorption based on porous materials

Global warming due to the high concentration of anthropogenic CO2in the atmosphere is considered one of the world's leading challenges in the 21stcentury as it leads to severe consequences such as climate change, extreme weather events, ocean warming, sea-level rise, declining Arctic sea ice, and the acidification of oceans. This encouraged advancing technologies that sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or capture those emitted before entering the carbon cycle. Recently, CO2capture, utilizing porous materials was established as a very favorable route, which has drawn extreme interest from scientists and engineers due to their advantages over the absorption approach. In this review, we summarize developments in porous adsorbents for CO2capture with emphasis on recent studies. Highly efficient porous adsorption materials including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites, mesoporous silica, clay, porous carbons, porous organic polymers (POP), and metal oxides (MO) are discussed. Besides, advanced strategies employed to increase the performance of CO2adsorption capacity to overcome their drawbacks have been discoursed.This work is carried by the NPRP grant # NPRP11S-1221-170116 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu

A Family of 2D-MXenes: Synthesis, Properties, and Gas Sensing Applications

Gas sensors, capable of detecting and monitoring trace amounts of gas molecules or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are in great demand for numerous applications including diagnosing diseases through breath analysis, environmental and personal safety, food and agriculture, and other fields. The continuous emergence of new materials is one of the driving forces for the development of gas sensors. Recently, 2D materials have been gaining huge attention for gas sensing applications, owing to their superior electrical, optical, and mechanical characteristics. Especially for 2D MXenes, high specific area and their rich surface functionalities with tunable electronic structure make them compelling for sensing applications. This Review discusses the latest advancements in the 2D MXenes for gas sensing applications. It starts by briefly explaining the family of MXenes, their synthesis methods, and delamination procedures. Subsequently, it outlines the properties of MXenes. Then it describes the theoretical and experimental aspects of the MXenes-based gas sensors. Discussion is also extended to the relation between sensing performance and the structure, electronic properties, and surface chemistry. Moreover, it highlights the promising potential of these materials in the current gas sensing applications and finally it concludes with the limitations, challenges, and future prospects of 2D MXenes in gas sensing applications

Electrospun Nanofibers: Materials, Synthesis Parameters, and Their Role in Sensing Applications

Since the last decade, electrospinning is garnering more attention in the scientific research community, industries, applications like sensing (glucose, H2O2, dopamine, ascorbic acid, uric acid, neurotransmitter, etc.), biomedical applications (wound dressing, wound healing, skin, nerve, bone tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems), water treatment, energy harvesting, and storage applications. This review paper provides a brief overview of the electrospinning method, history of the electrospinning, factors affecting the electrospun nanofibers, and their morphology with different materials and composites (metals, metal oxides, 2D material, polymers and copolymers, carbon-based materials, etc.) used in the electrospinning technique with optical spinning parameters. Moreover, this paper deliberates the application of electrospun nanofibers and fibrous mats for sensing (electrochemical, optical, fluorescence, colorimetric, mechanical, photoelectric, mass sensitive change, resistive, ultrasensitive, etc.) in most illustrative representations. In the end, the challenges, opportunities of the electrospun nanofibers, and new direction for future progress are also discussedThis publication was supported by Qatar University Internal Grant No. IRCC?2020?013, respectively. The findings achieved herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. This work also collaborated with DST?SERB ((file no. EEQ/2020/000158), CNST, IST, JNTU Hyderabad. Open Access funding was provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

A review of smart sensors coupled with Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence approach for heart failure monitoring

Over the last decade, there has been a huge demand for health care technologies such as sensors-based prediction using digital health. With the continuous rise in the human population, these technologies showed to be potentially effective solutions to life-threatening diseases such as heart failure (HF). Besides being a potential for early death, HF has a significantly reduced quality of life (QoL). Heart failure has no cure. However, treatment can help you live a longer and more active life with fewer symptoms. Thus, it is essential to develop technological aid solutions allowing early diagnosis and consequently, effective treatment with possibly delayed mortality. Commonly, forecasts of HF are based on the generation of vast volumes of data usually collected from an individual patient by different components of the family history, physical examination, basic laboratory results, and other medical records. Though, these data are not effectively useful for predicting this failure, nevertheless, with the aid of advanced medical technology such as interconnected multi-sensory-based devices, and based on several medical history characteristics, the broad data provided machine learning algorithms to predict risk factors for heart disease of an individual is beneficial. There will be many challenges for the next decade of advancements in HF care: exploiting an increasingly growing repertoire of interconnected internal and external sensors for the benefit of patients and processing large, multimodal datasets with new Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. Various methods for predicting heart failure and, primarily the significance of invasive and non-invasive sensors along with different strategies for machine learning to predict heart failure are presented and summarized in the present study. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]This publication was supported by Qatar University Internal Grant No. IRCC-2020–013 and Sultan Qaboos University through Grant # CL/SQU-QU/ENG/20/01, respectively

Sensors in advancing the capabilities of corrosion detection: A review

Corrosion can cause serious damage, which leads to large economic loss, sometimes combined with environmental pollution, or risk of personnel injuries. Today, corrosion has a far-reaching impact on society and the associated degradation of materials, owing to the increased complexity and diversity of materials systems, which comprise not only metallic materials but also ceramics, polymers, and composites, all of which are vulnerable to environmental extremes. Early detection, proper diagnosis, and efficient prevention measures are the most essential parts in preventing or limiting the scope of such damages. Corrosion detection (inspection and monitoring) provides assistance and knowledge to identify the problem, examine the performance of the material, alternate materials evaluation, and development of strategies for materials protection towards a specific environment. Significantly, these sensor detection techniques are useful to determine the average rate of corrosion or type of attack, or both, that arise during the exposure. The data obtained from these sensors can allow providing an early warning, resulting in corrosion-induced failure and producing controlling statistics concerning maintenance necessities and ongoing conditions of the system that gets detected. In this review, sensors implementing both physical and electrochemical techniques with respect to the recent developments in the field and laboratory are discussed towards sensitivity and selectivity along with their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, various standard methods developed for inspecting and monitoring the corrosion directly or indirectly are also described in detail.This work was supported by the UREP grant # UREP24-133-2-036 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu