An Investigation of the Policies and Crucial Sectors of Smart Cities Based on IoT Application

As smart cities (SCs) emerge, the Internet of Things (IoT) is able to simplify more sophisti-cated and ubiquitous applications employed within these cities. In this regard, we investigate seven predominant sectors including the environment, public transport, utilities, street lighting, waste management, public safety, and smart parking that have a great effect on SC development. Our findings show that for the environment sector, cleaner air and water systems connected to IoT-driven sensors are used to detect the amount of CO2, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen to monitor air quality and to detect water leakage and pH levels. For public transport, IoT systems help traffic management and prevent train delays, for the utilities sector IoT systems are used for reducing overall bills and related costs as well as electricity consumption management. For the street-lighting sector, IoT systems are used for better control of streetlamps and saving energy associated with urban street lighting. For waste management, IoT systems for waste collection and gathering of data regarding the level of waste in the container are effective. In addition, for public safety these systems are important in order to prevent vehicle theft and smartphone loss and to enhance public safety. Finally, IoT systems are effective in reducing congestion in cities and helping drivers to find vacant parking spots using intelligent smart parking

Anti-hyperglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Juglans regia L. leaf (walnut leaf) on type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The Juglans regia leaf (walnut leaf) has been traditionally used to treat diabetes in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of Juglans regia leaf on blood glucose in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Thirty-seven type 2 diabetic patients aged 35�70 years with fasting blood glucose levels between 130 mg/dl (7.2 mmol/L) and 250 mg/dl (13.9 mmol/L) and HbA1c more than 7 despite using conventional oral hypoglycemic drugs received the Juglans regia capsule (250 mg/TDS) or toast powder capsule (placebo) randomly for 3 months. Fasting blood glucose (FPG), postprandial blood glucose (PPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were assessed as primary outcome measures. Lipid profile and hepatic and renal function were assessed as secondary outcome measures. Nonparametric statistical tests were employed to compare the results with baseline in both groups using SPSS version 17. Results: Nineteen patients in the Juglans regia group and 18 in the control group with a mean (±SD) age 55.8 (±7) completed the study. The FPG (p = 0.02), PPG (p = 0.008) and HbA1c (p = 0.003) levels decreased significantly in the Juglans regia group after 3 months compared to baseline without any side effects. The changes of the variables were not significant in the control group. Conclusions: This study suggests that the aqueous extract of J. regia leaf had a lowering effect of FPG, PPG and HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients. Conducting further clinical studies is suggested with larger sample sizes to make precise conclusions about the efficacy and safety of this herb. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Anti-hyperglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Juglans regia L. leaf (walnut leaf) on type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The Juglans regia leaf (walnut leaf) has been traditionally used to treat diabetes in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of Juglans regia leaf on blood glucose in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Thirty-seven type 2 diabetic patients aged 35�70 years with fasting blood glucose levels between 130 mg/dl (7.2 mmol/L) and 250 mg/dl (13.9 mmol/L) and HbA1c more than 7 despite using conventional oral hypoglycemic drugs received the Juglans regia capsule (250 mg/TDS) or toast powder capsule (placebo) randomly for 3 months. Fasting blood glucose (FPG), postprandial blood glucose (PPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were assessed as primary outcome measures. Lipid profile and hepatic and renal function were assessed as secondary outcome measures. Nonparametric statistical tests were employed to compare the results with baseline in both groups using SPSS version 17. Results: Nineteen patients in the Juglans regia group and 18 in the control group with a mean (±SD) age 55.8 (±7) completed the study. The FPG (p = 0.02), PPG (p = 0.008) and HbA1c (p = 0.003) levels decreased significantly in the Juglans regia group after 3 months compared to baseline without any side effects. The changes of the variables were not significant in the control group. Conclusions: This study suggests that the aqueous extract of J. regia leaf had a lowering effect of FPG, PPG and HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients. Conducting further clinical studies is suggested with larger sample sizes to make precise conclusions about the efficacy and safety of this herb. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Noble metal nanostructures in optical biosensors: Basics, and their introduction to anti-doping detection

Nanotechnology has illustrated significant potentials in biomolecular-sensing applications; particularly its introduction to anti-doping detection is of great importance. Illicit recreational drugs, substances that can be potentially abused, and drugs with dosage limitations according to the prohibited lists announced by the World Antidoping Agency (WADA) are becoming of increasing interest to forensic chemists. In this review, the theoretical principles of optical biosensors based on noble metal nanoparticles, and the transduction mechanism of commonly-applied plasmonic biosensors are covered. We review different classes of recently-developed plasmonic biosensors for analytic determination and quantification of illicit drugs in anti-doping applications. The important classes of illicit drugs include anabolic steroids, opioids, stimulants, and peptide hormones. The main emphasis is on the advantages that noble metal nanoparticles bring to optical biosensors for signal enhancement and the development of highly sensitive (label-free) biosensors. In the near future, such optical biosensors may be an invaluable substitute for conventional anti-doping detection methods such as chromatography-based approaches, and may even be commercialized for routine anti-doping tests. © 2017 Elsevier B.V

Noble metal nanostructures in optical biosensors: Basics, and their introduction to anti-doping detection

Nanotechnology has illustrated significant potentials in biomolecular-sensing applications; particularly its introduction to anti-doping detection is of great importance. Illicit recreational drugs, substances that can be potentially abused, and drugs with dosage limitations according to the prohibited lists announced by the World Antidoping Agency (WADA) are becoming of increasing interest to forensic chemists. In this review, the theoretical principles of optical biosensors based on noble metal nanoparticles, and the transduction mechanism of commonly-applied plasmonic biosensors are covered. We review different classes of recently-developed plasmonic biosensors for analytic determination and quantification of illicit drugs in anti-doping applications. The important classes of illicit drugs include anabolic steroids, opioids, stimulants, and peptide hormones. The main emphasis is on the advantages that noble metal nanoparticles bring to optical biosensors for signal enhancement and the development of highly sensitive (label-free) biosensors. In the near future, such optical biosensors may be an invaluable substitute for conventional anti-doping detection methods such as chromatography-based approaches, and may even be commercialized for routine anti-doping tests. © 2017 Elsevier B.V