Real-Time Automatic Obstacle Detection and Alert System for Driver Assistance on Indian Roads

Road crashes have been a major problem in India in recent times. The occurrences have increased considerably owing to the influx of four-wheelers and two-wheelers. The interior roads connecting villages and towns have been instrumental in multiple animal-vehicle collisions. Although the figure is not too large compared to other causes of road-related injuries, they are significant in number. Though numerous efforts have been in progress to solve and reduce the number of collisions, lack of practical applications and resources along with quality analytical data (for training and testing) related to animal-vehicle collision has impeded any major breakthrough in the scenario. In our current work, we have proposed and designed a system based on histogram research including oriented gradients and boosted cascade classifiers for automatic cow detection. The method is implemented in Opencv software and tested on various video clips involving cow movements in various scenarios. The proposed system has achieved an overall efficiency of 80% in terms of cow detection. The proposed system is a low-cost, highly reliable system which can easily be implemented in automobiles for detection of cow or any other animal after proper training and testing on the highway

Efficient Cluster Formation Protocol in WSN

WSN which is called as Wireless Sensor Networks plays vital role in many applications. Most WSNs exploit clustering method for data communication from sensor destination nodes to the sink. So, Clustering should be made as efficient as possible. In most of the existing clustering protocols, residual nodes (non-cluster nodes) may be formed during clustering. Though these nodes can send their data directly to the base station, it needs large amount of energy. In the proposed method, PSO algorithm which is termed as Particle Swarm Optimization is used for cluster configuration which evades the formation of residual nodes. The base station performs cluster formation. Network Simulator-2 (NS-2) tool is used to achieve simulation. Simulation outcomes reveal enhanced operation of the proposed protocol than existing LEACH and OEERP protocols

OVERVIEW ON THALASSEMIAS: A REVIEW ARTICLE

Thalassemia’s are genetic disorders inherited from a person’s parents. Thalassemia’s are prevalent worldwide with 25,000 deaths in 2013.Highest rates are in the Mediterranean, Italy, Greece, Turkey, West Asia, North Africa, South Asian, and Southeast Asia. The β-thalassemia major is the most severe form and the affected children are dependent on regular blood transfusions for survival. One of the major complications in chronically transfused patients is development of irregular antibodies and in this situation; further transfusion of compatible red cell is difficult. Hemoglobinopathies imply abnormalities in the globin proteins themselves. Health complications are mostly found in thalassemia major and intermediate patients. Signs and symptoms include severe anemia, poor growth and skeletal abnormalities during infancy. Untreated thalassemia major eventually leads to death, usually by heart failure. Diagnosis by hematologic tests, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and DNA analysis. Individuals with severe thalassemia require blood transfusion, drug therapy i.e. deferoxamine, deferasirox, deferiprone, and bone marrow transplant. Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) is still remains the only definitive cure available for patients with Thalassemia. Gene therapy for β- Thalassemia is still on trial and a hope for future. Genetic studies (DNA analysis) to investigate deletions and mutations in the alpha- and beta-globin-producing gene help in correct diagnosis and improved management in thalassemic patients. This topic will review the clinical features of thalassemia while focusing on pathophysiology, clinical features, complication, management, screening and diagnosis

Securing the Future: Technological Innovations for Social Medical Public Healthcare Security

The public healthcare sector is currently experiencing significant changes, characterized by a growing dependence on technology to improve efficiency, accessibility, and the quality of patient care. Nevertheless, the swift process of digitization presents unparalleled challenges in healthcare security. This review paper explores the complex relationship between technological advancements and the need to strengthen the security of social medical public healthcare. The paper commences by examining the historical progression of healthcare security concerns, emphasizing the insights gained from previous occurrences, and clarifying the urgent requirement for a comprehensive security framework. An exhaustive analysis of the present healthcare security scenario exposes weaknesses in the current systems and emphasizes the need for flexible solutions. The literature review examines the most recent progressions in healthcare technologies, specifically emphasizing pioneering innovations such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Concrete examples of successful technology implementations in different healthcare settings are provided through real-world case studies, offering practical insights into their effectiveness. Nevertheless, the incorporation of these technological solutions presents difficulties, encompassing privacy apprehensions, adherence to regulations, and the intricate endeavor of aligning with existing systems. The paper examines these challenges closely and suggests strategies for reducing cybersecurity risks. The advantages of technological advancements in healthcare security are outlined, highlighting how these advancements contribute to heightened data security, enhanced patient care and monitoring, and streamlined healthcare procedures. The narrative is enhanced by the inclusion of case studies that demonstrate successful implementations on a global scale. The paper progresses by predicting forthcoming risks to healthcare security, offering a strategic plan for policymakers and healthcare practitioners to foresee and tackle emerging challenges. The potential impact of emerging technologies, such as quantum computing and genomics, on healthcare security is being investigated. The recommendations for policymakers include policy reforms, regulatory frameworks, and incentives to promote the adoption of secure technologies. In addition, the paper promotes the implementation of training and education initiatives to enhance cybersecurity awareness among healthcare professionals. Ultimately, this review paper combines historical viewpoints, present circumstances, and future possibilities to emphasize the crucial importance of technological advancements in ensuring the future of social medical public healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to provide policymakers, healthcare practitioners, and researchers with valuable information and suggestions. The goal is to encourage a shared dedication to strengthening healthcare security for the betterment of society. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52710/seejph.48

VOLUNTARY BLOOD DONATION IN A CENTRAL STATE OF INDIA; MADHYA PRADESH

Introduction: Human blood is an essential component of human life which is universally recognized as the most precious element that sustains life. The safest blood is blood acquired from regular, voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors from low-risk populations. The aim of the transfusion services is to provide a safe, sufficient and timely supply of blood and blood components to needy patients. Aim: Present study is aimed to know the status of voluntary blood donation and transfusion facilities in Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 1657491 blood donors, donated their blood over a period of six years (1st January 2012 to 31st December 2017) at the NACO supported blood banks of Madhya Pradesh were included in the study. Data of blood donors, age, sex, type of donation, etc including their TTIs status was collected, retrieved, tabulated, summarized and compared statistically by frequency distribution and percentage proportion at Madhya Pradesh AIDS Control Society Bhopal. Chi-square (X2) test was applied to know the significant (p-value) ratio of difference statistically. Result: In the Present study voluntary blood donation was 91.9% statistically significant (p= 0.000001). Male to female ratio of blood donors in the study was 94% male to 6% female. Majority of donors (65.5 %) were of the aged between 21 to 40 years. Prevalence of TTIS among blood donors in the study was 2.01% (n=33408/1657491), statistically significant (p= 0.000001). Conclusion: The status of transfusion services and voluntary blood donation in the state is satisfactory and more work has to be done to achieve the national targets

Optimization of Nanogrids for Remote Off-Grid Communities

This review article delves into the advancements in the realm of nanogrids and their potential in addressing energy challenges, particularly in regions with limited access to centralized power grids. The paper reviews the work in the areas of nanogrids as solutions for regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where a significant population lacks access to main grid electricity. The integration of multiple nanogrids within a community, coupled with an investor energy bank, is explored as a means to alleviate the economic burden of energy storage and to harness the full potential of solar energy. The article also examines the challenges faced by centralized power grids and the shift towards distributed generation (DG) as a remedy. The concept of nanogrids is further elaborated, discussing their control topologies, techniques, and the potential of interconnecting multiple nanogrids to form a microgrid. Lastly, the co-design of solar generationbased nano-grids and water treatment in remote areas is studied, emphasizing the importance of providing essential drinking water and electricity to underdeveloped regions. The integration of solar-powered electricity with water treatment processes offers a unique solution to address both electricity and water needs in such areas

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk outcome associations. Methods: We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017. Findings: In 2017,34.1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 33.3-35.0) deaths and 121 billion (144-1.28) DALYs were attributable to GBD risk factors. Globally, 61.0% (59.6-62.4) of deaths and 48.3% (46.3-50.2) of DALYs were attributed to the GBD 2017 risk factors. When ranked by risk-attributable DALYs, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) was the leading risk factor, accounting for 10.4 million (9.39-11.5) deaths and 218 million (198-237) DALYs, followed by smoking (7.10 million [6.83-7.37] deaths and 182 million [173-193] DALYs), high fasting plasma glucose (6.53 million [5.23-8.23] deaths and 171 million [144-201] DALYs), high body-mass index (BMI; 4.72 million [2.99-6.70] deaths and 148 million [98.6-202] DALYs), and short gestation for birthweight (1.43 million [1.36-1.51] deaths and 139 million [131-147] DALYs). In total, risk-attributable DALYs declined by 4.9% (3.3-6.5) between 2007 and 2017. In the absence of demographic changes (ie, population growth and ageing), changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs would have led to a 23.5% decline in DALYs during that period. Conversely, in the absence of changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs, demographic changes would have led to an 18.6% increase in DALYs during that period. The ratios of observed risk exposure levels to exposure levels expected based on SDI (O/E ratios) increased globally for unsafe drinking water and household air pollution between 1990 and 2017. This result suggests that development is occurring more rapidly than are changes in the underlying risk structure in a population. Conversely, nearly universal declines in O/E ratios for smoking and alcohol use indicate that, for a given SDI, exposure to these risks is declining. In 2017, the leading Level 4 risk factor for age-standardised DALY rates was high SBP in four super-regions: central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia; north Africa and Middle East; south Asia; and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania. The leading risk factor in the high-income super-region was smoking, in Latin America and Caribbean was high BMI, and in sub-Saharan Africa was unsafe sex. O/E ratios for unsafe sex in sub-Saharan Africa were notably high, and those for alcohol use in north Africa and the Middle East were notably low. Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

CHSI costing study-Challenges and solutions for cost data collection in private hospitals in India

INTRODUCTION: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has enabled the Government of India to become a strategic purchaser of health care services from private providers. To generate base cost evidence for evidence-based policymaking the Costing of Health Services in India (CHSI) study was commissioned in 2018 for the price setting of health benefit packages. This paper reports the findings of a process evaluation of the cost data collection in the private hospitals. METHODS: The process evaluation of health system costing in private hospitals was an exploratory survey with mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). We used three approaches-an online survey using a semi-structured questionnaire, in-depth interviews, and a review of monitoring data. The process of data collection was assessed in terms of time taken for different aspects, resources used, level and nature of difficulty encountered, challenges and solutions. RESULTS: The mean time taken for data collection in a private hospital was 9.31 (± 1.0) person months including time for obtaining permissions, actual data collection and entry, and addressing queries for data completeness and quality. The longest time was taken to collect data on human resources (30%), while it took the least time for collecting information on building and space (5%). On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) difficulty levels, the data on human resources was the most difficult to collect. This included data on salaries (8), time allocation (5.5) and leaves (5). DISCUSSION: Cost data from private hospitals is crucial for mixed health systems. Developing formal mechanisms of cost accounting data and data sharing as pre-requisites for empanelment under a national insurance scheme can significantly ease the process of cost data collection

Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF): The ‘Kyoto Consensus’-Steps From Asia

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a condition associated with high mortality in the absence of liver transplantation. There have been various definitions proposed worldwide. The first consensus report of the working party of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) set in 2004 on ACLF was published in 2009, and the APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) was formed in 2012. The AARC database has prospectively collected nearly 10,500 cases of ACLF from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This database has been instrumental in developing the AARC score and grade of ACLF, the concept of the \u27Golden Therapeutic Window\u27, the \u27transplant window\u27, and plasmapheresis as a treatment modality. Also, the data has been key to identifying pediatric ACLF. The European Association for the Study of Liver-Chronic Liver Failure (EASL CLIF) and the North American Association for the Study of the End Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD) from the West added the concepts of organ failure and infection as precipitants for the development of ACLF and CLIF-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and NACSELD scores for prognostication. The Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH) added COSSH-ACLF criteria to manage hepatitis b virus-ACLF with and without cirrhosis. The literature supports these definitions to be equally effective in their respective cohorts in identifying patients with high mortality. To overcome the differences and to develop a global consensus, APASL took the initiative and invited the global stakeholders, including opinion leaders from Asia, EASL and AASLD, and other researchers in the field of ACLF to identify the key issues and develop an evidence-based consensus document. The consensus document was presented in a hybrid format at the APASL annual meeting in Kyoto in March 2024. The \u27Kyoto APASL Consensus\u27 presented below carries the final recommendations along with the relevant background information and areas requiring future studies

Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

BACKGROUND: Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific mortality, represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target interventions to specific populations. Understanding how all-cause mortality has changed with respect to development status can identify exemplars for best practice. To accomplish this, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) estimated age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality between 1970 and 2016 for 195 countries and territories and at the subnational level for the five countries with a population greater than 200 million in 2016. METHODS: We have evaluated how well civil registration systems captured deaths using a set of demographic methods called death distribution methods for adults and from consideration of survey and census data for children younger than 5 years. We generated an overall assessment of completeness of registration of deaths by dividing registered deaths in each location-year by our estimate of all-age deaths generated from our overall estimation process. For 163 locations, including subnational units in countries with a population greater than 200 million with complete vital registration (VR) systems, our estimates were largely driven by the observed data, with corrections for small fluctuations in numbers and estimation for recent years where there were lags in data reporting (lags were variable by location, generally between 1 year and 6 years). For other locations, we took advantage of different data sources available to measure under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) using complete birth histories, summary birth histories, and incomplete VR with adjustments; we measured adult mortality rate (the probability of death in individuals aged 15-60 years) using adjusted incomplete VR, sibling histories, and household death recall. We used the U5MR and adult mortality rate, together with crude death rate due to HIV in the GBD model life table system, to estimate age-specific and sex-specific death rates for each location-year. Using various international databases, we identified fatal discontinuities, which we defined as increases in the death rate of more than one death per million, resulting from conflict and terrorism, natural disasters, major transport or technological accidents, and a subset of epidemic infectious diseases; these were added to estimates in the relevant years. In 47 countries with an identified peak adult prevalence for HIV/AIDS of more than 0·5% and where VR systems were less than 65% complete, we informed our estimates of age-sex-specific mortality using the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP)-Spectrum model fitted to national HIV/AIDS prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance systems. We estimated stillbirths, early neonatal, late neonatal, and childhood mortality using both survey and VR data in spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression models. We estimated abridged life tables for all location-years using age-specific death rates. We grouped locations into development quintiles based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and analysed mortality trends by quintile. Using spline regression, we estimated the expected mortality rate for each age-sex group as a function of SDI. We identified countries with higher life expectancy than expected by comparing observed life expectancy to anticipated life expectancy on the basis of development status alone. FINDINGS: Completeness in the registration of deaths increased from 28% in 1970 to a peak of 45% in 2013; completeness was lower after 2013 because of lags in reporting. Total deaths in children younger than 5 years decreased from 1970 to 2016, and slower decreases occurred at ages 5-24 years. By contrast, numbers of adult deaths increased in each 5-year age bracket above the age of 25 years. The distribution of annualised rates of change in age-specific mortality rate differed over the period 2000 to 2016 compared with earlier decades: increasing annualised rates of change were less frequent, although rising annualised rates of change still occurred in some locations, particularly for adolescent and younger adult age groups. Rates of stillbirths and under-5 mortality both decreased globally from 1970. Evidence for global convergence of death rates was mixed; although the absolute difference between age-standardised death rates narrowed between countries at the lowest and highest levels of SDI, the ratio of these death rates-a measure of relative inequality-increased slightly. There was a strong shift between 1970 and 2016 toward higher life expectancy, most noticeably at higher levels of SDI. Among countries with populations greater than 1 million in 2016, life expectancy at birth was highest for women in Japan, at 86·9 years (95% UI 86·7-87·2), and for men in Singapore, at 81·3 years (78·8-83·7) in 2016. Male life expectancy was generally lower than female life expectancy between 1970 and 2016, an