Analysis and Simulation of LTE Downlink and Uplink Transceiver

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a next generation standard by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPPP) consortium. In this paper, the physical layer (PHY) of LTE transceiver is analyzed in downlink and uplink transmissions. Simulations of the physical layer of LTE transceiver are obtained with the use of LTE System Toolbox by Mathworks. Simulation results are presented to show the performance of LTE transceivers in Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Measurements of throughput and Bit Error Rate (BER) are obtained for different simulation configurations

ECG Biosignal: Vital for Detecting Cardiovascular Diseases

The World Health Organization estimated that 31% mortality rate in the World is due to cardiovascular diseases such as heart arrhythmia and heart failure. Therefore there is a need to innovate methods to accurately detect those diseases from Electrocardiography (ECG) biosignals, and develop algorithms to analyze the signals for precise diagnosis by physicians. This paper is a study of ECG biosignals, detection of heart arrhythmia from characteristic pattern of the ECG waveform, and signal-processing techniques for analysis of the biosignals. Also in this study, ECG results of a male volunteer are shown to emphasize the importance of exercises as one of the factors for preventing cardiovascular diseases

Advances in Current Techniques for Monitoring the Progress of Child Delivery

Monitoring the progress of labour (child delivery) is essential for key clinical decisions to be taken to help manage the wellbeing of both the mother and child during delivery. The key parameters used by doctors and mid-wives to monitor labour progression are cervical dilation, uterine contractions, Fetal Heart Rate (FHR), Fetal Head Station (FHS) and Progression Angle (PA). In this paper, techniques used in monitoring the progress of child delivery are reviewed. In this review, we show how current techniques are used to measure key parameters with more accuracy and less discomfort to the expectant mother as compared to old techniques. Taxonomy of key parameters used for monitoring childbirth progress (cervical dilation and uterine contractions) is provided vis-à-vis old and novel technique

Integrating Internet of Things and EHealth Solutions for Students’ Healthcare

Apple Incorporated’s recent announcement of its entry device – The Apple Watch™ to the wearable’s market can arguably be said to put a final seal of authenticity on wearables. The inevitable ubiquity of wearable devices for eHealth monitoring is a fact soon to be reckoned with. Access to the physiological information provided by the wearables through the ‘6A Connectivity Concept’ of IoT will find positive applications in various fields, most especially in the eHealth and mobile-Health domain. The state of health of a student is key in determining the student’s overall academic performance. Health-related issues usually affect the motivation and ability of students to learn. Therefore it is necessary to provide better health services for students in their various schools and institutions. This paper is a study of the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and eHealth solutions to effectively manage and monitor university students’ health. One of IoT’s main technologies in healthcare is Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology. In this study, we show how RFID technology is used to implement an eHealth solution known as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) for managing students’ health information (which includes students’ medical history, prescriptions, laboratory results, Electrocardiography (ECG) results, blood pressure results, and vital signs). This paper also studies wearable devices for monitoring students that are at risk for high blood pressure, which can be due to intense stress, overweight conditions, and family history of high blood pressure

Advances in Optical Biomedical Sensing Technology

A study of the global healthcare trends shows that more people need health care across different ages and nations of the World. Therefore, there is a rapid growth and expansion of Healthcare Industry globally. This has led to increased demand on advanced biomedical sensors and devices for diagnosis, monitoring, treatment and care. This paper provides an overview of some recent developments in optical biomedical sensing technology. In this paper, the types, uses and unique benefits of novel optical sensors for biomedical applications are presented

Smart Assistive mHealth System for Medication Adherence in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Cognitive impairment in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease often times require medication management to prevent forgetfulness due to the diversity of medication involved in the treatment. Traditional interventions to mitigate non-adherence to medication have been largely unsuccessful. However, the programmability and intelligibility of modern electronic systems and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be exploited to solve this problem. In this paper, we designed and developed an intelligent assistive mHealth system to facilitate medication adherence in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This system achieve medication adherence by creating an audiovisual alert for the user with ‘memory loss’ disability to take the right doses of medication at required frequency. The drug prescriptions are keyed in by the physician and the medication schedule is stored in the non-volatile memory of the system. At the set time, the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit shows the drug to be taken in the right dosage. The buzzer in the electronic device provides a sound effect to get the attention of the patient. In any case of non-adherence, the system automatically sends a text message to the physician via SMS using the integrated GSM modem and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in the system. This system can be miniaturized into a wearable device for optimal performanc

Occupancy Controlled Lighting System for Smart Buildings

Efficient utilization of the limited available energy in developing countries is a practical solution to the present challenges facing the power sector in the region. Automation of lighting systems in both residential and industrial buildings is one of the strategies for energy efficiency towards a sustainable economic development. In this paper, the authors developed an intelligent lighting system using occupancy control. The prototype consists of an Arduino uno microcontroller, Infrared module, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), relay, buzzer, and a light bulb. The infrared module senses human presence in a room and transmits a corresponding electrical signal to the Arduino. The relay was connected to the Arduino to act as the control unit. The programmable microcontroller was also used to keep track of the number of people in the room while the information is displayed on the LCD. The system achieved a significant energy saving by switching ON the light bulb only when it is really needed. A large-scale implementation of this smart application in residential and office buildings will encourage energy efficiency, making electrical energy available for other areas which are yet to be connected to the power grid. Aderemi A. Atayero, Victor Ademu-Eteh, Segun I. Popoola, Temitope O. Takpor, and Joke A. Badej

Development of a Low-Intensity Light Imaging Probe for Childbirth Cervical Dilation Image Acquisition

Cervical dilation is the most important parameter that is assessed during childbirth to validate that a woman is truly in labour and whether labour is progressing as expected. It is the opening of a mother’s cervix from when it is closed at 0 cm to when it is fully dilated at 10 cm, for the baby to pass through and be delivered. The cervix is a cylinder-shaped tissue that connects the uterus to the vagina. Cervical dilation is majorly assessed through a highly subjective, painful, error-prone, and infection-prone Vaginal Examination method. The method involves a doctor or midwife wearing sterilized gloves and inserting his or her fingers through the vagina to manually assess cervical dilation and mentally visualize it. Hence, in this research, a prototype of a novel low-intensity light imaging probe was developed to acquire images of cervical dilation simulation models for further processing and analysis. The probe was designed with 3D computer-aided design software. Finite element analysis was carried out on the design before it was rapid prototyped. Then, a camera and a light source were inserted into the probe to capture 2,880 cervical dilation images in low-light intensities of 28 Lux and 50 Lux, due to the penetration depth of bright light intensity and heat into tissues. Image preprocessing was carried out on the images by applying a low-light image enhancement technique. This research demonstrated the use of a low-intensity light imaging probe as a possible objective alternative to the subjective insertion of fingers in vaginal examination