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Telecommunications offers an alternative or supplement to community-based interventions as a means of extending healthcare services and improving health outcomes in remote settings but can fail to reach target communities and achieve the desired impact if barriers to access are not overcome. We conducted seven focus group discussions and 26 interviews with community health workers, community leaders, and female members of the public who declared that they had or had not previously accessed free audio health messages provided via a mobile platform in two rural communities of Mali, Koulikoro and Bougouni. A content analysis showed that participants accessed and trusted health information from a range of sources, including radio, telephone and television, as well as town criers, local relays and community health centres. Barriers to access faced by women included economic factors, lack of network or electricity, and social factors such as illiteracy, cultural restrictions and being unaware of mobile communication. Through analysis and interpretation of the participants' responses, we have made recommendations for future campaigns for the dissemination of health-related information for women in remote settings.

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A previous study has found a negative correlation between meeting one's romantic partner in online dating (vs. offline) and marriage quality through a quota sample of the U.S. population. This current study replicates and extends this previous study by analyzing another sample of the U.S. population from the Pew Research Center (N = 2,787). Largely consistent with the previous finding, we found that meeting one's partner in online dating (vs. offline) was marginally related to experiencing less relationship success among people in a marital relationship. However, the difference was not observed among people in a nonmarital romantic relationship. In addition, sharing or discussing one's relationship or dating life (i.e., relationship talks) on social media (RToSM) conditioned the link between meeting venue and relationship success. That is, for marital relationships, meeting in online dating was only linked to less relationship success among people with no RToSM but not among those who had RToSM; for nonmarital relationships, there was a positive link between meeting in online dating and relationship success among those who had RToSM, but this positive link was not observed among those who had no RToSM. We further discuss the implications of our findings on the long-term impact of online dating in marital and nonmarital romantic relationships.

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In the context of the rapid development of the Internet of Vehicles, virtual reality, automatic driving and the industrial Internet, the terminal devices in the network show explosive growth. As a result, more and more information is generated from the edge of the network, which makes the data throughput increase dramatically in the mobile communication network. As the key technology of the fifth-generation mobile communication network, mobile edge caching technology which caches popular data to the edge server deployed at the edge of the network avoids the data transmission delay of the backhaul link and the occurrence of network congestion. With the growing scale of the network, distributing hot data from cloud servers to edge servers will generate huge energy consumption. To realize the green and sustainable development of the communication industry and reduce the energy consumption of distribution of data that needs to be cached in edge servers, we make the first attempt to propose and solve the problem of edge caching data distribution with minimum energy consumption (ECDDMEC) in this paper. First, we model and formulate the problem as a constrained optimization problem and then prove its NP-hardness. Subsequently, we design a greedy algorithm with computational complexity of O(n2) to solve the problem approximately. Experimental results show that compared with the distribution strategy of each edge server directly requesting data from the cloud server, the strategy obtained by the algorithm can significantly reduce the energy consumption of data distribution.

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Federated learning (FL) is an emerging distributed learning technique through which models can be trained using the data collected by user devices in resource-constrained situations while protecting user privacy. However, FL has three main limitations: First, the parameter server (PS), which aggregates the local models that are trained using local user data, is typically far from users. The large distance may burden the path links between the PS and local nodes, thereby increasing the consumption of the network and computing resources. Second, user device resources are limited, but this aspect is not considered in the training of the local model and transmission of the model parameters. Third, the PS-side links tend to become highly loaded as the number of participating clients increases. The links become congested owing to the large size of model parameters. In this study, we propose a resource-efficient FL scheme. We follow the Pareto optimality concept with the biased client selection to limit client participation, thereby ensuring efficient resource consumption and rapid model convergence. In addition, we propose a hierarchical structure with location-based clustering for device-to-device communication using k-means clustering. Simulation results show that with prate at 0.75, the proposed scheme effectively reduced transmitted and received network traffic by 75.89% and 78.77%, respectively, compared to the FedAvg method. It also achieves faster model convergence compared to other FL mechanisms, such as FedAvg and D2D-FedAvg.

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BACKGROUND: Disturbed sleep is among the most frequent health complaints of people exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) used in mobile telecommunication, particularly in individuals who consider themselves as EMF hypersensitive (EHS). We aimed at investigating whether the EHS status per se is associated with sleep complaints. Because allelic variants of the gene encoding the L-type, voltage-gated calcium channel Cav1.2 (CACNA1C) were previously associated with sleep complaints reminiscent of those reported by EHS individuals, we also explored whether self-rated EHS status and sleep quality associate with these gene variants. METHODS: A total of 2'040 participants (1'381 females) aged 18-30 years completed online, validated questionnaires on EMF sensitivity, subjective sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, mentation during sleep, and diurnal preference. They also provided a saliva sample for genotyping three functional variants of CACNA1C (rs7304986, rs16929277 and rs2302729). Eligible participants endorsing the question "Are you electro-hypersensitive?" were considered as "EHS" (n = 105), those denying this question yet believing to develop detrimental health symptoms due to prevailing electromagnetic pollution as "attributers" (n = 254), and the remaining participants as "non-EHS" (n = 1'406). We combined the EHS and attributers into one group for binary analyses. In exploratory analyses, we then tested possible associations between EMF sensitivity, subjective sleep variables and CACNA1C variants using linear and logistic regression. We used age, sex, level of education, presence of sleep disorders and habitual mobile phone use as covariates and corrected with Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: The EHS/attributers consistently reported prolonged sleep latency, reduced sleep quality, higher sleepiness and more nocturnal mentation when compared to non-EHS. Habitual mobile phone use was not associated with self-rated sleep latency and sleep quality scores. While the T-allele of variant rs2302729 of CACNA1C was associated with both, self-reported EMF sensitivity and reduced subjective sleep quality, we found no evidence for the hypothesis that EHS mediates impaired sleep quality via this allelic variant. CONCLUSIONS: Irrespective of reported RF-EMF exposure, self-rated EHS/attributers rated subjective sleep quality worse than non-EHS individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP000002285) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03074617).

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This article presents an antenna with compact and simple geometry and a low profile. Roger RT6002, with a 10 mm × 10 mm dimension, is utilized to engineer this work, offering a wideband and high gain. The antenna structure contains a patch of circular-shaped stubs and a circular stub and slot. These insertions are performed to improve the impedance bandwidth of the antenna. The antenna is investigated, and the results are analyzed in the commercially accessible electromagnetic (EM) software tool High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). Afterwards, a two-port multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna is engineered by orthogonalizing the second element to the first element. The antenna offers good value for mutual coupling of less than -20 dB. The decoupling structure or parasitic patch is placed between two MIMO elements for more refined mutual coupling of the proposed MIMO antenna. The resultant antenna offers mutual coupling of less than -32 dB. Moreover, other MIMO parameters like envelop correlation coefficient (ECC), mean effective gain (MEG), diversity gain (DG), and channel capacity loss (CCL) are also studied to recommend antennas for future applications. The hardware model is fabricated and tested to validate the results, which resembles software-generated results. Moreover, the comparison of outcomes and other important parameters is performed using published work. The outcome of this proposed work is performed using already published work. The outcomes and comparison make the presented design the best option for future 5G devices.

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Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) is considered an area of significant importance in the medical and scientific community. However, the availability of exposure data for indoor and outdoor locations in universities is limited and currently inconsiderate in Latin America. The aim of this work was to evaluate the electric field levels due to mobile telecommunication technologies and Wi-Fi to which students and faculty staff from two campuses of a higher education institution are exposed. Using a portable spectrum analyzer, we carried out 516 short-term measurements in the 800-3000 MHz frequency range at both indoor and outdoor locations. These locations were chosen to cover all areas of the assessed buildings. The electric field differences between floors and buildings are discussed. Finally, we compared the electric field levels with exposure limits. The highest electric field level measured was 13.97 V/m at the 850 MHz band. However, the average electric field values were below 2 V/m. The greatest contribution to the total electric field was due to sources using the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands (98%), while the contribution of the Wi-Fi network was low (1.0%). The results show that all the electric field levels measured were lower than the ICNIRP reference levels for radio-frequency exposure.

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Adolescents' phone use during face-to-face interactions (i.e., digital social multitasking [DSMT]) has gained increasing attention because of its prevalence as well as implications for well-being. However, most studies have focused on only one dimension of the behavior and relied on variable-centered approaches. Informed by the DSMT framework, we adopted a person-centered approach to identify different groups of adolescents based on their levels, perceptions, and motives of phone use during face-to-face interactions with friends. We also examined how these groups differed in five well-being variables (loneliness, depressive symptoms, digital stress, friendship quality, and satisfaction of basic psychological needs). A total of 517 adolescents (Mage = 14.83, standard deviation [SD] = 1.93; 50 percent female) completed an online survey. Three profiles were identified: the Intentional (low levels, quite positive perceptions, motivated for clear goals), the Embracers (high levels, highly positive perceptions, strong motives), and the Unimpressed (low levels, low positive perceptions, low motives). The Embracers scored the highest on both positive and negative indicators of well-being, whereas the Unimpressed scored the lowest on all well-being scales. The Intentional appeared to be the most adaptive group. Implications are discussed.

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The fifth-generation (5G) cellular communication technology introduces technical advances that can expand medical device access to connectivity services. However, assessing the safety and effectiveness of emerging 5G-enabled medical devices is challenging as relevant evaluation methods have not yet been established. In this paper, we propose a design model for 5G testbed as a regulatory science tool (TRUST) for assessing 5G connectivity enablers of medical device functions. Specifically, we first identify application specific testing needs and general testing protocols. Next, we outline the selection and customization of key system components to create a 5G testbed. A TRUST demonstration is documented through a realistic 5G testbed implementation along with the deployment of a custom-built example use-case for 5G-enabled medical extended reality (MXR). Detailed configurations, example collected data, and implementation challenges are presented. The openness of the TRUST design model allows a TRUST testbed to be easily extended and customized to incorporate available resources and address the evaluation needs of different stakeholders.

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Because the position and direction of the human body is not fixed in an actual environment, the incidence direction of the electromagnetic field (EMF) from mobile communication base stations, WiFi access points, broadcasting towers, and other far-field sources is arbitrary. To analyze the overall health effects of radio frequency EMF exposure, the dosimetric assessment for such environmental exposures created from an unspecified number of sources in daily life, along with exposures from specific EMF sources, must be quantified. This study is aimed at numerically evaluating the time-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) of the human brain for environmental EMF exposure in the frequency range of 50-5800 MHz. Whole-body exposure to EMFs that are evenly incident spatially is considered. By comparing the results of several incidence directions and the number of polarizations, an optimal calculation condition has been derived. Finally, based on the results measured in Seoul at the end of 2021, the SAR and daily specific energy absorption (SA) in the brains of both a child and an adult for downlink exposures from 3G to 5G base stations are reported. Comparison results of the daily brain SA for exposure to DL EMF in all 3G to 5G mobile networks and exposure to a 10-min voice call (uplink EMF) using a mobile phone connected to a 4G network show that the SA from the downlinks is much higher than that from the uplinks.

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BACKGROUND: Rapid on-site triage is critical after mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) and other mass injury events. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used in MCIs to search and rescue wounded individuals, but they mainly depend on the UAV operator's experience. We used UAVs and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide a new technique for the triage of MCIs and more efficient solutions for emergency rescue. METHODS: This was a preliminary experimental study. We developed an intelligent triage system based on two AI algorithms, namely OpenPose and YOLO. Volunteers were recruited to simulate the MCI scene and triage, combined with UAV and Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Communication Technology real-time transmission technique, to achieve triage in the simulated MCI scene. RESULTS: Seven postures were designed and recognized to achieve brief but meaningful triage in MCIs. Eight volunteers participated in the MCI simulation scenario. The results of simulation scenarios showed that the proposed method was feasible in tasks of triage for MCIs. CONCLUSION: The proposed technique may provide an alternative technique for the triage of MCIs and is an innovative method in emergency rescue.

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In this paper, a 12-port MIMO antenna system for 5G/WLAN applications is proposed. The proposed antenna system consists of two types of antenna modules: an L-shaped antenna module covering the C-band (3.4-3.6 GHz) for 5G mobile applications and a folded monopole module for the 5G/WLAN mobile application band (4.5-5.9 GHz). Each two antennas form a pair, six pairs in total, forming a 12 × 12 MIMO antenna array, and the elements between the antenna pairs can achieve an isolation of 11 dB or more without additional decoupling structures. Experimental results show that the antenna can cover the 3.3-3.6 GHz and 4.5-5.9 GHz bands with an overall efficiency greater than 75% and an envelope correlation coefficient less than 0.04. Finally, the one-hand holding mode and two-hand holding mode are discussed to demonstrate their stability in practical applications, and the results show that they still exhibit good radiation and MIMO performance when operating in both modes.

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We introduce a novel ultra-low power system for tracking animal movements over long periods with an unprecedented high-temporal-resolution. The localization principle is based on the detection of cellular base stations using a miniaturized software-defined radio, weighing 2.0 g, including the battery, and having a size equivalent to two stacked 1-euro cent coins. Therefore, the system is small and lightweight enough to be deployed on small, wide-ranging, or migrating animals, such as European bats, for movement analysis with an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. The position estimation relies on a post-processing probabilistic RF pattern-matching method based on the acquired base stations and power levels. In several field tests, the system has been successfully verified, and a run-time of close to one year has been demonstrated.

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The deployment of 5G around the world continues to progress at a rapid pace, especially in North America and Asia. Its advantages and efficiency as a data transmission network have been widely demonstrated in different fields such as agriculture, education, health, and surveillance. However, this process does not have the same dynamics in Latin America, specifically in Colombia. The country is currently implementing actions aimed at facilitating the deployment of this technology in the short term, including pilot tests for the use of the radio spectrum, spectrum auctions, the planning of future auctions, and the review of spectrum caps. The results of this review allow us to conclude that despite the forecasts and the intentions of the Colombian government and mobile communication service operators, 5G in standalone mode will not be commercially available in Colombia before the end of 2023. The main failures in its deployment are related to the lack of available spectrum to support the ultrahigh-reliability and low-latency, enhanced mobile broadband, and massive machine-type communications scenarios, as well as the delay in the auction processes for its assignment.

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BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a global demand for intelligent health surveillance and diagnosis systems for patients with critical conditions, particularly those with severe heart diseases. Sophisticated measurement tools are used in hospitals worldwide to identify serious heart conditions. However, these tools need the face-to-face involvement of healthcare experts to identify cardiac problems. OBJECTIVE: To design and implement an intelligent health monitoring and diagnosis system for critical cardiac arrhythmia COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: We use artificial intelligence tools divided into two parts: (i) IoT-based health monitoring; and (ii) fuzzy logic-based medical diagnosis. The intelligent diagnosis of heart conditions and IoT-based health surveillance by doctors is offered to critical COVID-19 patients or isolated in remote locations. Sensors, cloud storage, as well as a global system for mobile texts and emails for communication with doctors in case of emergency are employed in our proposal. RESULTS: Our implemented system favors remote areas and isolated critical patients. This system utilizes an intelligent algorithm that employs an ECG signal pre-processed by moving through six digital filters. Then, based on the processed results, features are computed and assessed. The intelligent fuzzy system can make an autonomous diagnosis and has enough information to avoid human intervention. The algorithm is trained using ECG data from the MIT-BIH database and achieves high accuracy. In real-time validation, the fuzzy algorithm obtained almost 100% accuracy for all experiments. CONCLUSION: Our intelligent system can be helpful in many situations, but it is particularly beneficial for isolated COVID-19 patients who have critical heart arrhythmia and must receive intensive care.

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The COVID-19 pandemic may soon be coming to its end, but COVID-19 still kills thousands of people every single day (at time of writing). Even if COVID-19 now represents less of a health risk, and less disruption to our personal lives, we know this won't be the last pandemic. Preparing for the next pandemic includes understanding the past and planning for the future. It includes rethinking "normal" ways of interacting with others, our technologies, and the spaces in which we live. In this introduction, we show how the pandemic has challenged the role of mobile communication in our everyday lives, making us rethink the very meaning of mobile communication-from simply communicating while on the move, to a networked resource that supports emotional and personal connections. During the pandemic, mobile communication practices and the development of new mobile technologies, such as contact-tracing apps and mobile mapping, was strongly tied to the infrastructural politics that took place through government and private companies' interventions. In addition, mobile technologies became a primary source of support for those who became immobile, or were forced to move. However, mobile communication is not only enabled by end devices; it happens at the intersection of both end devices and the infrastructures that enable them to work. The articles in this special issue reflect some of these themes, and address how the pandemic has shaped and rearranged our mobile communication, sociability, and networked urban mobility practices around the world. Although each article engages with the challenges of the pandemic in its unique and original way, in this introduction we highlight some overlapping topics and methodologies that run across multiple articles, namely historical perspectives on the pandemic, urban and transnational networked mobilities, the use of mobile apps and interfaces for community and self-care, pandemic context in the Global South, and networks and infrastructures.

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Mobile locative games consist of a subset of mobile games that encourage players to go outside, by promoting outdoor activities and physical meetings. Because of this, their gameplay breaks the core of social distancing strategies implemented since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, developers implemented changes in their locative games supported by the mobile game revenue model, which enabled a strategy called "playing remotely" that encourages the players to spend their money with microtransactions. This study analyses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in mobile locative gaming, by examining the preferences and behavior of players from the Northeast Brazil, a region with socioeconomic inequalities and urban violence, among other issues that shape mobility practices. Accordingly, we pose a research question: how do players living in Northeast Brazil manage the mobile game revenue model for playing remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic? With this in mind, we have conducted an online survey among communities of players located in Northeast Brazil, by sharing a questionnaire with 21 questions. Seventy-four players from the region responded to our survey. The sample's age was from 16 to 58 years old, and they lived in seven of the nine states that form Northeast Brazil. We have found that players' preference is to invest their time in gathering resources by playing the game, instead of spending their money in microtransactions for playing remotely. Moreover, we have found that mobile communication plays a significant role in keeping players in touch during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing players to expand their networks to other cities and countries. We have concluded that playing remotely represents an important strategy to support the development of locative games and other location-based applications, which can help us to prepare for the next pandemic.

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BACKGROUND: The continuing decline in AIDS-related deaths in the African region is largely driven by the steady scale-up of antiretroviral therapy. However, there are challenges to retaining people living with HIV on treatment. Call for Life Uganda (CFLU) is an interactive voice response tool using simple analogue phones. CFLU supports patients with daily pill reminders, preappointment reminders, symptom reporting and management, and weekly health promotion tips. Mobile health tools are being increasingly used in resource-limited settings but are often adopted without rigorous evaluation. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study conducted at 12 months after enrollment assessed patients' experiences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding CLFU. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative substudy within an open-label randomized controlled trial titled "Improving outcomes in HIV patients using mobile phone based interactive software support." Data were collected through 6 focus group discussions with participants sampled based on proportion of calls responded to-<25%, between 25% and 50%, and >50%-conducted at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Mulago, and the Kasangati Health Centre IV. NVivo (version 11; QSR International) was used in the management of the data and in the coding of the emerging themes. The data were then analyzed using content thematic analysis. RESULTS: There was consensus across all groups that they had more positive than negative experiences with the CFLU system. Participants who responded to >50% of the calls reported more frequent use of the specific elements of the CFLU tool and, consequently, experienced more benefits from the system than those who responded to calls less frequently. Irrespective of calls responded to, participants identified pill reminders as the most important aspect in improved quality of life, followed by health promotion tips. The most common challenge faced was difficulty with the secret personal identification number. CONCLUSIONS: Findings showed participants' appreciation, high willingness, and interest in the intervention, CFLU, that demonstrated great perceived potential to improve their access to health care; adherence to treatment; health awareness; and, consequently, quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02953080; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02953080.

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Objective: This study examines the potential benefit of an interactive counselling program via a mobile application (app), which can instantly provide patients with the necessary information and correct response regarding their condition. Methods: We designed a free 'Ureteric Stent Interactive Program' for patients receiving ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy and provided the program to interested patients. Patient data were collected from medical records and depending on whether patients used our program, they were divided into two groups: 'program-user' and 'non-user'. The differences between the groups were analysed using Fisher's exact tests. Results: Of the 70 patients, 50 elected to use the program. The program-user group was significantly younger (<60 years: 74% vs 15%, P<0.001) and had higher education levels (40% vs 5%, P = 0.004). All 50 patients in the program-user group reported being satisfied (32%) or very satisfied (68%) with the program. Patients over 60 years were significantly more satisfied with program (35.5% vs 6.3%, P = 0.04). Conclusions: Younger patients with high education levels were more likely to use the app and improve their health knowledge. Using the program resulted in high satisfaction, especially among older patients. This study demonstrates the benefits of interactive application for educating patients regarding their health.

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The main objective of this project is to ensure the safety precautions in public transportation. This project monitors and stores the database of number of allowed users with their respective temperature. The person's identity is monitored with the help of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The sensors and RFID reader are interfaced with the Arduino. If the temperature is increased then the threshold level alert message is passed to the person personal mobile through global system of mobile communication and the bus door does not get opened. Then if any fire, breakdown and accident exist it sends intimation to the nearby hospitals and fire service via the control room. The current location of the bus is known by using global positioning system. The entire module information controlled by IoT and the data are stored in cloud server. This system also can be implemented in theaters\shopping malls to monitor the number of allowed persons with their respective temperature as per government instructions.