Search Results (50)

Cassava, a vital crop in the Philippines and other tropical regions, is highly susceptible to various diseases that drastically reduce its yield. Traditional inspection methods for detecting these diseases are manual, time-consuming, expensive, and prone to inaccuracies. While recent advances enable improved detection, many approaches focus primarily on leaves and stems, overlooking tubers—one of the most critical parts of the plant. Since tubers are the harvested portion of the cassava and a direct source of food and income, early disease detection in this part is crucial for preventing severe yield losses. Furthermore, symptoms often manifest in the tubers before becoming visible in other parts, making their monitoring essential for timely intervention. To address these challenges and improve accuracy, we employed EfficientNetB0 and data augmentation techniques to enhance disease detection across multiple parts of the cassava plant. The developed system integrates a Raspberry Pi 4B with a camera module LCD screen enclosed in a 3D-printed casing for ease of use by farmers, and this showed detection accuracies of 94% for leaves, 90% for stems, and 92% for tubers. The system’s reliability was validated with p-values at a 0.05 significance level. By reducing the need for expensive manual inspections, the system offers a robust solution for early disease detection, particularly in the tubers, to mitigate yield losses. Its proven accuracy and practical design support better disease management practices, thereby improving crop health while enhancing food security and supporting the livelihoods of cassava farmers. Full article

Microwave wireless power transmission (MWPT) applications have attracted worldwide interest and attention in recent years. Rectennas are a crucial component of a MWPT system. The rectenna’s power capacity and output DC power have great significance with regard to the MWPT system’s performance. In this article, a compact 4 × 4 S-band rectangular patch rectenna array for MWPT is proposed and experimentally verified. Firstly, an S-band rectifier with better consistency and lower cost than a traditional output design using parallel capacitors as a filter is achieved. Then, a rectenna array based on the proposed rectifier and a novel design idea is proposed. The rectenna can achieve an output DC power of 117.6 mW/cm³ and an efficiency of 47.6%. Finally, a MWPT verification experiment is conducted. A 12-inch LCD screen powered by the rectenna with a rated power of 12 W successfully works without any other power supply. This article provides a new design of a rectenna for MWPT, and the proposed rectenna array demonstrates its good engineering significance and application prospects. Full article

This proposal outlines the development of a comprehensive solution to address hydration challenges through the creation of a Smart Water ATM with Arduino integration, RFID authentication, and dynamic dispensing capabilities. Traditional water dispensers often fall short in monitoring water intake and promoting optimal hydration practices. In response, our project aims to revolutionize hydration practices by integrating Arduino Mega and Uno boards into a Smart Water ATM with a Bottle Dispenser. This innovative system is designed to dispense specific water quantities based on user preferences, encourage the use of personal water bottles, display water temperature, and operate independently without the need for a water line connection. Prior to prototype fabrication, an extensive literature review and survey were conducted to understand existing water dispenser shortcomings and gather public perspectives in Singapore. The Smart Water ATM addresses identified issues by incorporating sensors to monitor water levels, dispense specific quantities, and measure water temperatures. The prototype fabrication involves designing a stainless-steel housing, 3D printing the Smart Water dispenser unit, and installing tanks, tubing, and electronic components. To enhance user interaction, the Smart Water ATM requires RFID authentication through Identity Cards, tracking daily water consumption. An LCD screen displays the dispensed water volume over the ATM’s lifespan, motivating users to be mindful of their water consumption and minimize wastage. Adjustments will be made for deployment in public spaces, such as train stations, where access to permanent water dispensers is limited. This proposal presents an innovative solution to promote enhanced hydration practices, encouraging users to adopt mindful water consumption habits. Full article

Introduction: Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease. This review assessed the efficacy of a Low-Calorie Diet (LCD) on liver health and body weight in people living with MASLD and obesity. Methods: The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021296501), and a literature search was conducted using multiple databases. The key inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials or cohort studies, obesity/overweight and MASLD. Two authors screened abstracts, reviewed full texts and performed data extraction and quality assessment. The primary outcome was the change in the serum ALT, and secondary outcomes included the changes in the serum AST, intrahepatic lipid content (IHL), quantified non-invasively via MRI/MRS, and body weight. Results: Fifteen studies were included. The LCD reduced body weight by 9.1 kg versus the control (95%CI: −12.4, −5.8) but not serum ALT (−5.9 IU/L, −13.9, 2.0). Total Dietary Replacement (TDR) reduced IHL by −9.1% vs. the control (−15.6%, −2.6%). The Mediterranean-LCD for ≥12 months reduced ALT (−4.1 IU/L, −7.6, −0.5) and for 24 months reduced liver stiffness versus other LCDs. The Green-Mediterranean-LCD reduced IHL, independent of body weight. Limited studies assessed those of Black or Asian ethnicity, and there was heterogeneity in the methods assessing the liver fat content and fibrosis. Conclusions: In people with MASLD and obesity, an LCD intervention reduces IHL and body weight. Trials should focus on the recruitment of Black and Asian ethnicity participants. Full article

Electrical energy is often wasted through human negligence when people do not switch off electrical appliances such as lighting after leaving a place. Such a scenario often happens in a classroom when the last person leaves the class and forgets to switch off the electrical appliances. Such wastage may not be able to be afforded by schools that are limited financially. Therefore, this research proposed a simple and cost-effective system that can analyze whether there is or is not a human presence in the classroom by applying a counter to count the total number of people entering and leaving the classroom based on the sensing signals of a set of dual PIR sensors only and then correlating this to automatically turn on or off the electrical appliances mentioned. The total number of people identified in the classroom is also displayed on an LCD screen. A TRIZ approach is used to support the ideation of the system. The system can switch on several electrical output loads simultaneously when the presence of people is detected and switch them off when there are no people in the classroom. The proposed system can be expanded to be used in homes, offices, and buildings to prevent the high cost of electricity consumption caused by the negligence of people. This enables smarter control of electricity consumption. Full article

While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has shown promising outcomes among patients with hematologic malignancies, it has also been associated with undesirable side-effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS is triggered by CAR T-cell-based activation of monocytes, which are stimulated via the CD40L–CD40R axis or via uptake of GM-CSF to secrete proinflammatory cytokines. Mouse models have been used to model CRS, but working with them is labor-intensive and they are not amenable to screening approaches. To overcome this challenge, we established two simple cell-based CRS in vitro models that entail the co-culturing of leukemic B cells with CD19-targeting CAR T cells and primary monocytes from the same donor. Upon antigen encounter, CAR T cells upregulated CD40L and released GM-CSF which in turn stimulated the monocytes to secrete IL-6. To endorse these models, we demonstrated that neutralizing antibodies or genetic disruption of the CD40L and/or CSF2 loci in CAR T cells using CRISPR-Cas technology significantly reduced IL-6 secretion by bystander monocytes without affecting the cytolytic activity of the engineered lymphocytes in vitro. Overall, our cell-based models were able to recapitulate CRS in vitro, allowing us to validate mitigation strategies based on antibodies or genome editing. Full article

There are reports indicating that licochalcones can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells by promoting the expression of autophagy-related proteins, inhibiting the expression of cell cycle proteins and angiogenic factors, and regulating autophagy and apoptosis. This study aims to reveal the potential mechanisms of licochalcone A (LCA), licochalcone B (LCB), licochalcone C (LCC), licochalcone D (LCD), licochalcone E (LCE), licochalcone F (LCF), and licochalcone G (LCG) inhibition in liver cancer through computer-aided screening strategies. By using machine learning clustering analysis to search for other structurally similar components in licorice, quantitative calculations were conducted to collect the structural commonalities of these components related to liver cancer and to identify key residues involved in the interactions between small molecules and key target proteins. Our research results show that the seven licochalcones molecules interfere with the cancer signaling pathway via the NF-κB signaling pathway, PDL1 expression and PD1 checkpoint pathway in cancer, and others. Glypallichalcone, Echinatin, and 3,4,3′,4′-Tetrahydroxy-2-methoxychalcone in licorice also have similar structures to the seven licochalcones, which may indicate their similar effects. We also identified the key residues (including ASN364, GLY365, TRP366, and TYR485) involved in the interactions between ten flavonoids and the key target protein (nitric oxide synthase 2). In summary, we provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer effects of licorice flavonoids, providing new ideas for the design of small molecules for liver cancer drugs. Full article

At present, people and hospital management are wasting their time and wealth due to a lack of a smart system in the pre-examination process for patients. This paper discusses an approach to designing a healthcare system that collects necessary health condition data using a microcontroller-based smart system, the information from which is referred to an authorized device. The smart Health Care System is an economical healthcare device for a hospital; it obtains measurements of vital signs like temperature using a DS18B20 Digital Temperature Sensor, heartbeat and SpO2 level using pulse oximetry and a health rate sensor, and the height of a patient via an ultrasonic sensor, etc. The system contains a microcontroller, an Arduino UNO, and all the collected information from sensors is sent to the Arduino UNO. The LCD screen coupled with the Arduino UNO displays all measurements from the sensors. This project has an alert system that works according to the patient’s condition; if there is an emergency, the RED LED will light up, and the system will generate an alert through a buzzer and send the information to the doctor using a Bluetooth system. This system can be placed before entering triage, used in the intensive care unit, or used as a personal device to monitor the health of a patient. Full article

Cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, there is a need for non-invasive ambulatory (Holter) ECG monitors with automatic measurements of ECG intervals to evaluate electrocardiographic abnormalities of patients with cardiac diseases. This work presents the implementation of algorithms in an FPGA for beat-to-beat heart rate and RT interval measurements based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) with splines for a prototype of an ambulatory ECG monitor of three leads. The prototype’s main elements are an analog–digital converter ADS1294, an FPGA of Xilinx XC7A35T-ICPG236C of the Artix-7 family of low consumption, immersed in a low-scale Cmod-A7 development card integration, an LCD display and a micro-SD memory of 16 Gb. A main state machine initializes and manages the simultaneous acquisition of three leads from the ADS1294 and filters the signals using a FIR filter. The algorithm based on the CWT with splines detects the QRS complex (R or S wave) and then the T-wave end using a search window. Finally, the heart rate (60/RR interval) and the RT interval (from R peak to T-wave end) are calculated for analysis of its dynamics. The micro-SD memory stores the three leads and the RR and RT intervals, and an LCD screen displays the beat-to-beat values of heart rate, RT interval and the electrode connection. The algorithm implemented on the FPGA achieved satisfactory results in detecting different morphologies of QRS complexes and T wave in real time for the analysis of heart rate and RT interval dynamics. Full article

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common joint diseases, especially in individuals with obesity. Another condition within this population, and which presents frequently, is sarcopenic obesity (SO), defined as an increase in body fat and a decrease in muscle mass and strength. The current paper aims to describe recent nutritional strategies which can generally improve KOA clinical severity and, at the same time, ameliorate SO indices. Searches were carried out in the PubMed and Science Direct databases and data were summarized using a narrative approach. Certain key findings have been revealed. Firstly, the screening and identification of SO in patients with KOA is important, and to this end, simple physical performance tests and anthropometric measures are available in the literature. Secondly, adherence to a Mediterranean diet and the achievement of significant body weight loss by means of low-calorie diets (LCDs) remain the cornerstone nutritional treatment in this population. Thirdly, supplementation with certain micronutrients such as vitamin D, essential and non-essential amino acids, as well as whey protein, also appear to be beneficial. In conclusion, in the current review, we presented a detailed flowchart of three different nutritional tracks that can be adopted to improve both KOA and SO based on joint disease clinical severity. Full article

Chemical, structural, and thermal properties of recovered nematic Liquid Crystal (LC) mixtures were investigated by applying several analytical techniques. A large quantity (65,700) of End-Of-Life (EOL) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens were used to extract these LC blends. The studied EOL-LCD screens were heterogeneous in nature, particularly due to their different brands, production years, and dimensions. The collected TV and computer screens, as well as tablets, presented an average diagonal size of 24 inches. Chemical characterization revealed that the recovered compounds present typical chemical structures of LC molecules by the simultaneous presence of aliphatic chains and aromatic and polar groups. POM observations of these samples exhibited Schlieren and marble-like textures at room temperature, which are typical of nematic LCs. Moreover, thermal characterization and thermo-optical analysis showed that these LC mixtures displayed a broad nematic phase between −90 °C and +70 °C. Full article

This study presents the design and evaluation of a plush smart toy prototype for teaching geometry shapes to young children. The hardware design involves the integration of sensors, microcontrollers, an LCD screen, and a machine learning algorithm to enable gesture recognition by the toy. The machine learning algorithm detects whether the child’s gesture outline matches the shape displayed on the LCD screen. A pilot study was conducted with 14 preschool children to assess the usability and performance of the smart toy. The results indicate that the smart toy is easy to use, engages children in learning, and has the potential to be an effective educational tool for preschool children. The findings suggest that smart toys with machine learning algorithms can be used to enhance young children’s learning experiences in a fun and engaging way. This study highlights the importance of designing user-friendly toys that support children’s learning and underscores the potential of machine learning algorithms in developing effective educational toys. Full article

Internet of Things devices are frequently used as consumer devices to provide digital solutions, such as smart lighting and digital voice-activated assistants, but they are also employed to alert residents in the instance of an emergency. Given the increasingly costly nature of present neural network systems, it is necessary to transport information to the cloud for intelligent machine analysis. TinyML is a potential technology that has been presented by the research world for building fully independent and safe devices that can gather, analyze, and produce data, without transferring it to distant organizations. This paper describes a gas leakage detection system based on TinyML. The proposed solution can be programmed to identify anomalies and warn occupants via the utilization of the BLE technology, in addition to an incorporated LCD screen. Experiments have been employed to show and assess two distinct test situations. For the first occasion, the smoke detection test case, the system earned an F1-Score of 0.77, whereas the F1-Score for the ammonia test case was 0.70. Full article

At present, hybrid renewable power systems (HRPS) are considered reliable combinations for power generation under various conditions. The challenge facing researchers and engineers today is designing and implementing a reliable, efficient, and applicable SCADA system for adequate monitoring and control of hybrid power systems. In order to analyze, observe, and control the essential parameters of an HRPS, a SCADA system is crucial. As part of this study, a low-cost, low-power, open-source SCADA (Supervisory, Control, and Data Acquisition) system for hybrid renewable energy systems is presented. The system utilizes two remote terminal units (RTUs), an Arduino Mega2560 and a Wio terminal, to communicate with all actuators and measure vital system characteristics such as voltage, current, and power. Using the Firmata protocol, a laptop serves as the main terminal unit (MTU) to communicate with the Arduino. In addition to being the system’s central component, Node-Red is utilized for processing, analyzing, storing, and displaying data. In contrast, a Wio terminal is used to display the values of all sensors in real-time on its LCD screen. As a whole, the proposed SCADA system is designed to keep the HRPS running smoothly and safely by displaying vital parameters, reporting any significant faults, and controlling the generator so that the batteries can be charged and discharged correctly. This article presents a complete description of all algorithms, experimental setups, testing, and results. Full article

With advances in the Internet of Things, patients in intensive care units are constantly monitored to expedite emergencies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, non-face-to-face monitoring has been required for the safety of patients and medical staff. A control center monitors the vital signs of patients in ICUs. However, some medical devices, such as ventilators and infusion pumps, operate in a standalone fashion without communication capabilities, requiring medical staff to check them manually. One promising solution is to use a robotic system with a camera. We propose a real-time optical digit recognition embedded system called ROMI. ROMI is a mobile robot that monitors patients by recognizing digits displayed on LCD screens of medical devices in real time. ROMI consists of three main functions for recognizing digits: digit localization, digit classification, and digit annotation. We developed ROMI by using Matlab Simulink, and the maximum digit recognition performance was 0.989 mAP on alexnet. The developed system was deployed on NVIDIA GPU embedded platforms: Jetson Nano, Jetson Xavier NX, and Jetson AGX Xavier. We also created a benchmark by evaluating the runtime performance by considering ten pre-trained CNN models and three NVIDIA GPU platforms. We expect that ROMI will support medical staff with non-face-to-face monitoring in ICUs, enabling more effective and prompt patient care. Full article