Association of Head and Cervical Injuries in Pediatric Occupants Involved in Motor Vehicle Collisions

The leading cause of death for children in the age group of 1-14 years is accidental injury. Motor vehicle accidents make up 63% of all accidental injury deaths in this age category. Furthermore, traumatic brain injury causes the highest number of deaths among children involved in motor vehicle collisions. Although cervical spine injuries are less frequent, they do cause death in children. Using a retrospective database, the objective of this pilot study was to determine whether there was a relationship between head injuries and cervical spine injuries and if cervical spine injuries had a higher frequency in younger pediatric passengers. Data were gathered on the types of injuries in passengers and pedestrians from postmortem and police reports for children 12 years and under involved in motor vehicle collisions. The influence of age and gender on the frequency of sustaining a head and spine injury was analyzed. The results showed that the younger individuals of both sexes had higher odds of sustaining head injuries and lower odds of sustaining neck injuries. This study also showed that head and neck injuries were relatively independently related for all sample groups tested suggesting different factors were involved in their causation. By understanding the relationship between head and spine injuries in different age and gender groups, the variables responsible for these injuries must be further defined prospectively when designing motor vehicle research protocols and safety regulations and investigating child deaths in motor vehicle collisions. Serious head and neck injuries and deaths in children can be reduced by preventative safety measures which address the etiologic factors responsible for these injuries in motor vehicle collisions

Internet of Things in Sustainable Energy Systems

Our planet has abundant renewable and conventional energy resources but technological capability and capacity gaps coupled with water-energy needs limit the benefits of these resources to citizens. Through IoT technology solutions and state-of-the-art IoT sensing and communications approaches, the sustainable energy-related research and innovation can bring a revolution in this area. Moreover, by the leveraging current infrastructure, including renewable energy technologies, microgrids, and power-to-gas (P2G) hydrogen systems, the Internet of Things in sustainable energy systems can address challenges in energy security to the community, with a minimal trade-off to environment and culture. In this chapter, the IoT in sustainable energy systems approaches, methodologies, scenarios, and tools is presented with a detailed discussion of different sensing and communications techniques. This IoT approach in energy systems is envisioned to enhance the bidirectional interchange of network services in grid by using Internet of Things in grid that will result in enhanced system resilience, reliable data flow, and connectivity optimization. Moreover, the sustainable energy IoT research challenges and innovation opportunities are also discussed to address the complex energy needs of our community and promote a strong energy sector economy