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SMEs always need survival tools or strategies such as orientation and capabilities to survive in the competitive market, as they can help in improving performance. Therefore, this research has highlighted important capabilities and orientations influencing SMEs' performance in Oman. It has examined the effect of supply chain orientation and market orientation on SMEs' performance with mediating role of innovation capabilities and operational capabilities. Moreover, it investigated the role of strategic flexibility as a moderator between innovation capabilities and SMEs' performance in Oman. The survey method was used to collect primary data from managers and supervisors of SMEs functional in Oman. Data analysis was done using AMOS, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted. The moderation was examined by using the Hayes process macro on SPSS. The results revealed that market orientation and SC orientation positively influence SMEs' innovation capabilities, operational capabilities, and performance. These capabilities also help in enhancing performance. Moreover, they mediate the relationship between "supply chain orientation and SMEs' performance" and "market orientation and SMEs' performance." Furthermore, strategic flexibility does not moderate the effect of innovation capabilities on SMEs' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the effect of Islamic religiosity on green purchase intention. The environmental dimension of spiritual well-being (i.e. environmental well-being) was analyzed as a mediator and green skepticism as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: The millennial generation was considered for data collection, and their preference toward green food was investigated by using a questionnaire. The responses were analyzed by using AMOS. Findings: The results highlighted that Islamic religiosity significantly effects the green food purchase intention of the millennial generation. This relation is positively mediated by the environmental dimension of spiritual well-being (i.e. environmental well-being). Moreover, the green skepticism weakens the relationship between Islamic religiosity and green purchase intention. Research limitations/implications: The main emphasis of this research was on the millennial generation, and only their selection criteria for green food were considered. Moreover, the study has only considered the environmental dimension of spiritual well-being (i.e. environmental well-being) and ignored the other dimensions, including transcendental and personal/communal well-being. Therefore, future studies can focus on these dimensions while highlighting the purchase behavior toward other green or eco-friendly products. Practical implications: The research has discussed the broader areas, and it can help marketers, religious scholars, farmers and managers to make efficient strategies for the millennial generation. The researchers focusing on green consumer behavior and sustainable issues can consider this study as a guideline for investigating the Muslim millennial generation's behavior. Originality/value: The study is to investigate the effect Islamic religiosity on green purchase intention. It has focused on all sustainable aspects, including green well-being, green skepticism to analyze the green purchase intention of millennial generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Paucity of data on cervical cancer burden in countries like Pakistan hamper requisite resource allocation. Objective: To estimate the burden of cervical cancer in Pakistan using available data sources. Methods: We performed a systematic review to identify relevant data on Pakistan between 1995 to 2022. Study data identified through the systematic review that provided enough information to allow age specific incidence rates and age standardized incidence rates (ASIR) calculations for cervical cancer were merged. Population at risk estimates were derived and adjusted for important variables in the care-seeking pathway. The calculated ASIRs were applied to 2020 population estimates to estimate the number of cervical cancer cases in Pakistan. Results: A total of 13 studies reported ASIRs for cervical cancer for Pakistan. Among the studies selected, the Karachi Cancer Registry reported the highest disease burden estimates for all reported time periods: 1995–1997 ASIR = 6.81, 1998–2002 ASIR = 7.47, and 2017–2019 ASIR = 6.02 per 100,000 women. Using data from Karachi, Punjab and Pakistan Atomic Energy Cancer Registries from 2015–2019, we derived an unadjusted ASIR for cervical cancer of 4.16 per 100,000 women (95% UI 3.28, 5.28). Varying model assumptions produced adjusted ASIRs ranging from 5.2 to 8.4 per 100,000 women. We derived an adjusted ASIR of 7.60, (95% UI 5.98, 10.01) and estimated 6166 (95% UI 4833, 8305) new cases of cervical cancer per year. Conclusion: The estimated cervical cancer burden in Pakistan is higher than the WHO target. Estimates are sensitive to health seeking behavior, and appropriate physician diagnostic intervention, factors that are relevant to the case of cervical cancer, a stigmatized disease in a low-lower middle income country setting. These estimates make the case for approaching cervical cancer elimination through a multi-pronged strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health concern of the 21st century, affecting more than one million populations globally (Unemo et al., 2017). These STDs differ in their course and prognosis, as most STIs remain asymptomatic and do not progress while few of these infections result in life-long complications ranging from pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility and carcinomas of the reproductive tract to oral cancers (NIPS, 2018). The present research study aimed to explore knowledge and misconceptions, cultural barriers regarding STDs knowledge, lack of sexual health care services availability for STDs and also lack of knowledge update in men impacting women sexual health. A systematic review was conducted on electronic data bases that include PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, CINAHL and Med Line. The researcher has included qualitative and quantitative research studies of male and female participants of reproductive age focusing on STDs knowledge and awareness in Pakistan. Therefore, a narrative synthesis approach was used with thematic analysis method. Research studies between 2006 -2022 was included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Three main themes of the study are identified that includes poor knowledge and misconception, cultural barriers regarding STDs knowledge and awareness and lack of sexual healthcare services availability among male and female of Pakistan. Findings of the research study revealed that the majority of participants had inadequate knowledge of STDs, with significant misconceptions regarding their transmission, symptoms, and treatment. Cultural barriers, such as conservative attitudes towards sex and limited access to sexual health education, were identified as significant obstacles to STDs awareness. Furthermore, lack of sexual healthcare services availability, particularly in rural areas, further compounded the problem. The study highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions aimed at promoting STDs awareness, improving access to sexual health education and services, and addressing cultural barriers and misconceptions. Effective and culturally sensitive interventions, including community engagement and education campaigns, could reduce the burden of STDs and improve sexual health outcomes in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, activated carbon was synthesized from lawn grass via its physical treatment. The lawn grass was washed with hydrochloric acid solution before heat treatment step at different temperatures in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. Activated carbon samples obtained from heat treatment process and raw grass samples were completely analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface area of activated carbon resulted from heat treatment of lawn grass in the presence of CO2 was higher, i.e., 208 m2/g, as compared to raw grass, i.e., 0.0068 m2/g. The adsorption capacity was highest (i.e. 0.12 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar for CO2 adsorption) for activated carbon sample prepared at 750 °C. Therefore, activated carbon prepared from heat treatment of lawn grass can be a viable option for pollutants removal by using this low cost and effective adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Revising the size of the gastric pouch during the conversion of one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB)/mini-gastric bypass to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is an important point. Even in patients undergoing RYGB, marginal ulcer is regarded as a known complication. Materials and Methods: In our Centre of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, 2492 patients underwent OAGB from February 2012 to January 2019. Twelve of 2492 patients were enrolled in this clinical case series because of persistent gastroesophageal reflux-like symptoms which underwent conversional RYGB. All patients regularly received proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) for 6 months after the surgery. After this period, the cases with symptomatic reflux were invited to be visited in the clinic by a bariatric surgeon and a gastroenterologist and received 6 months of PPI therapy until their symptoms disappeared. Twelve refractory reflux cases underwent conversional RYGB after 1 year. An enteroenterostomy was created in all the patients 75 cm distal to the gastrojejunostomy without resizing the gastric pouch, and the jejunal loop was cut just before the gastrojejunostomy. Results: Before conversional surgery, mean ± standard deviation (SD) body mass index (BMI) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-Q score were found to be 26.45 ± 2.34 kg/m2 and 10.08 ± 0.56, respectively. At 1 year after conversion, mean ± SD BMI in the patients was 28.12 ± 4.71, and GERD-Q score was 5.08 ± 1.5. Conclusion: It seems that resizing the gastric pouch is not necessary during the conversion of OAGB to RYGB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent advancements in communication technologies, the realization of computation-intensive applications like virtual/augmented reality, face recognition, and real-time video processing becomes possible at mobile devices. These applications require intensive computations for real-time decision-making and better user experience. However, mobile devices and Internet of things have limited energy and computational power. Executing such computationally intensive tasks on edge devices either leads to high computation latency or high energy consumption. Recently, mobile edge computing has been evolved and used for offloading these complex tasks. In mobile edge computing, Internet of things devices send their tasks to edge servers, which in turn perform fast computation. However, many Internet of things devices and edge server put an upper limit on concurrent task execution. Moreover, executing a very small size task (1 KB) over an edge server causes increased energy consumption due to communication. Therefore, it is required to have an optimal selection for tasks offloading such that the response time and energy consumption will become minimum. In this article, we proposed an optimal selection of offloading tasks using well-known metaheuristics, ant colony optimization algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, and Grey wolf optimization algorithm using variant design of these algorithms according to our problem through mathematical modeling. Executing multiple tasks at the server tends to provide high response time that leads to overloading and put additional latency at task computation. We also graphically represent the tradeoff between energy and delay that, how both parameters are inversely proportional to each other, using values from simulation. Results show that Grey wolf optimization outperforms the others in terms of optimizing energy consumption and execution latency while selected optimal set of offloading tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive apprenticeship model (CAM) is an instructional model for situated learning. There is limited data available on application of the CAM in clinical settings. The aim of the study was to identify learning strategies using CAM, which in the opinion of learners are effective in ward rounds.Methods: Participants were residents and medical students who rotated through internal medicine at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. We sought learners' opinion on a structured questionnaire based on four principal dimensions of cognitive apprenticeship. A previously determined set of 10 defined competencies were compared with CAM's six teaching/learning (T/L) methods (modelling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection and exploration) as well. Mean and SD were calculated. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare scores.Results: Of 195 participants, there were 100 men (51.3%) and 95 women (48.7%). Perceived learning for six T/L methods, ranged from 3.7 to 3.9 (max=5). Coaching and scaffolding had the highest scores. Statistically significant difference between the student and resident groups was noted. Medical students perceived coaching and scaffolding (4.1 and 4.05) and residents rated coaching, articulation and exploration as most effective (3.9 and 3.8). Majority (82.1%) reported a positive learning environment in wards.Conclusions: CAM enabled to identify two T/L methods (scaffolding and coaching) that are important for learning in ward round. Limited differences in perceived effectiveness of the T/L methods indicate that variety can be used to sustain interest in learners. Positive learning environment, team diversity and tasks of increasing complexity contribute to learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Courts are an integral part of justice system in a state, where the sanctity attached to the verdicts of these must be given deference. This is crucial for smooth process and functioning of courts in a state. The concept of 'contempt of court' has been discussed and viewed by scholars in various backgrounds and perspectives. This article looks into the contempt of court in the prism of Islamic injunctions. It covers theoretical basis provided under the primary sources of Sharia and also sheds light on practical applicability of this fundamental necessity warranted by the holy Quran and Sunnah. Since Pakistan is an Islamic state whose legal framework is required to be in consonance with the injunctions of Islam, it warrants legal framework on the sanctity of courts in Pakistan to pass the litmus test of Islamic basis. Tendency of contempt of courts and their verdicts in Pakistan like other Muslim developing states is an issue which is required to be examined in the light of the Quran and Sunnah. This research would urge policy makers, law makers and academics to find a constitutional basis for an effective legislation on contempt of court in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Islamic marketing ethics focus on the principles of equity, justice and value maximization for the welfare of society. These ethics play a vital role in elevating the standards of customer behavior. The strategy of focusing customer is now considered as important element because of rapidly changing marketing trends in Islamic banks. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the important features of Islamic marketing ethics and identify their effect on customer's satisfaction in Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach: This study is descriptive and quantitative. Data were collected from 1000 customers of Islamic banks by applying convenient sampling technique. Smart PLS was used to check the scale validation by confirmatory factor analysis. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling technique was used. Findings: Results enlightened that Islamic marketing ethics play a significant role in enhancing the customer's satisfaction. Islamic banks should focus on marketing mix along with Islamic and ethical perspectives to improve the customer's satisfaction level. Practical implications: This study highlighted that Islamic marketing ethics have great impact on customer satisfaction. Therefore, Islamic banks need to concentrate on the ethical perspective of Islamic marketing in order to develop long term customer relationships. Islamic banks need to revise their marketing practices, and they should align their marketing tactics with ethical Islamic boundaries. They need to design, communicate and enforce the code of Islamic ethics within organizations. Originality/value: This paper fulfills an identified need to study how Islamic marketing ethics effect customer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to boost the existing literature on adaptive market hypothesis (AMH) as it first time links predictability of gold, silver and metal returns with AMH which permits the predictability of returns to vary over time. Design/methodology/approach: To know whether commodity (gold, silver and metal) market is efficient or not, the commodity returns are observed by using appropriate linear time series tests (variance ratio test, runs test and auto-correlation test). To capture the varying efficiency of three commodities, the study employs subsamples of five years and all sub-samples are exposed to linear econometric tests to reveal how market efficiency (independency of returns) has behaved over time. Findings: It is found that the commodity market (gold, silver and metal) is adaptive because fluctuation is observed in the market efficiency. Returns of all three commodities go under the periods of efficiency and inefficiency. Thus, AMH is the better description of behavior of commodity markets than traditional efficient market hypothesis. Research limitations/implications: Choice of sub-sample in the study is the first limitation as the authors employ a sub-sample comprising five years. Second, commission, fee and taxes (transection cost) are ignored in the study. Finally, the results are reported on the basis of linear econometric tests. In future, longer time period sub-sample analysis is suggested by the study to explore the varying nature of the commodities. Moreover, rolling window analysis may be a more appropriate method to elucidate the idea of AMH in further research. It is further suggested that the method used in the study could be helpful and adapted to examine other commodities (metal and agriculture), bonds and equity markets around the world. Practical implications: The study will provide a better investment model which can enable the investors to seek more returns in future. Moreover, this research can be extended to explore multiple issues like adaptive behavior of returns from crypto currencies, bonds, stocks and real estate investment trusts. Social implications: As all the linear tests reveal that almost all the commodities show inefficient behavior in full sample period, it is clear that past prices widely would be helpful to predict the future prices at NYSE; furthermore, investors can use the time-varying information to reduce the risk of investment at NYSE. The study is helpful for individual investors as well as portfolio managers and brokers to forecast the prices on the bases of findings. Originality/value: The paper identifies the need to study why behavior of commodity returns varies over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to enhance the existing literature on adaptive market hypothesis (AMH) as this study first time links the month of Ramadan with AMH that permits the performance of well-known Ramadan effect to fluctuate over time. Design/methodology/approach: To fulfill the purpose, the authors inspect the daily returns of 107 individual firms listed at Pakistan Stock Exchange over the period of 20 years. To explore the varying degree of return predictability during Ramadan, the authors use four different subsamples comprising equal length of observations of five years each. The authors use a GARCH (1,1) regression model which facilitates for time varying nature of volatility in equity returns. To facilitate the non-normal nature of stock return data, the authors use Kruskal–Wallis test statistic. Findings: The authors find that behavior of Ramadan effect evolves over time, as performance of this effect varies from time to time and consistent with AMH. Finally, the paper proposes that AMH is well elucidation of behavior of Ramadan effect than traditional efficient market hypothesis. Research limitations/implications: First limitation is related to the choice of sub-sample as the study uses a sub-sample of five years. Second, the authors ignore transection cost (commissions, fee and taxes) as it is freely negotiated and varies between 4 and 10% (Khan, 2013). Due to such varying information we ignore the transaction cost. It is suggested that a sub-sample analysis of long period may be a more appropriate method to elucidate the idea of AMH in future research and suggest the current method could be adapted and helpful to examine other calendar and market anomalies in different equity markets. Practical implications: The paper includes implications for investors to choose a better model for investment. Investors can exploit greater returns in future month of Ramadan periods. Furthermore, the researchers can easily extend the methodology used in the study to address multiple issues like adaptive behavior of returns from bonds, real estate investment trusts, cryptocurrencies and trading rules of strategies. Social implications: Study confirms from sample t-test and GARCH (1,1) model that Ramadan effect is present in the full and in certain sub-samples; therefore, based on these discrepancies investors can earn abnormal returns by developing specific investment strategies as investors usually make investments in share according to the religious context of Islamic Calendar. The results provide good references for suitable time of investment in stock market. The findings of this study will be helpful to investors and brokers as well as portfolio managers to capture favorable returns across the Islamic calendar. Originality/value: The paper identified need to study why behavior of Ramadan effect varies over time. The data set comprises daily returns of 107 individual companies over the period of 20 years to better investigate the varying nature of anomalous effect of month of Ramadan. The findings are valuable for international investors and portfolio managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and metal oxide nanoparticles can be integrated to produce hybrid materials providing special features for various applications. In this study, wet impregnation technique was employed to impregnate the multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with different amounts of alumina (Al2O3) and manganese dioxide (MnO2). Raw and synthesized nanocomposites were characterized to study the surface texture, thermal stability, porosity, mineralogy and surface functional groups of materials using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and RAMAN spectroscopy. SEM micrographs and XRD diffractograms revealed that the Al2O3 and MnO2 had good dispersion on the MWCNTs surface. Thermal analysis demonstrated that presence of metallic constituents catalyze the oxidation of carbon and decreases the value of initial decomposition temperature of raw MWCNTs. Surface area and porosity were get reduced by impregnating MWCNTs with metals oxides due to coverage of outer surface of substrate with metal oxide nanoparticles. Application of synthesized nanocomposites showed almost 15% higher removal efficiency for removal of phenol from aqueous phases as compared to raw MWCNTs. These results indicate that this nanocomposite can be used for environmental remediation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, chitosan was chemically modified with only diammonium phosphate (DAP) and DAP/EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) mixture for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. Modified chitosan forms were analyzed using thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the thermal degradation behavior, structural modifications, and the surface texture of the cross-linked chitosan adsorbents, respectively. The adsorption results were analyzed by well-known kinetic and isotherm models. The kinetics of metal adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum sorption capacities obtained from the Langmuir isotherm model were 126 mg/g for diammonium phosphate-modified Chitosan (DMC) and 137 mg/g for DAP/EDTA-modified chitosan (EDMC). The thermodynamic analysis showed that the metal removal process was endothermic in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) in adults is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. Here, we report the case of a GDC containing gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) in a 60-year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain. Laparoscopic resection with safe margins was performed following endosonographic localisation of the lesion. Pathologic evaluation revealed GDC containing GIST, and all surgical margins were free from tumours. The patient was discharged with good condition after 2 days and after 3 months of follow-up, the patient was symptom free and had no complications. Gastric duplication is a rare disease and may contain heterotopic tissue or even neoplastic lesions. Definite treatment is complete surgical removal that can be achieved laparoscopically with the aid of intraoperative ultrasonography for precise localisation of the indeterminate lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the cross-sectional area (CSA) of deep neck flexor muscles (DNFs) in individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain (CNNP) and healthy controls while performing a five-stage cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) test. Methods: Twenty individuals with CNNP and 20 healthy controls voluntarily participated in this case-control study. Cross-sectional area of DNFs was measured using ultrasonography while the participants lay in supine position to perform the CCF test. The five stages of the CCF test were determined by a pressure biofeedback tool. Neck disability index and pain were also assessed. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to interpret the yielded data. Results: A significant difference was observed in the CSA of DNFs between individuals with CNNP and healthy controls at the pressure of 24 mm (p = .009) of the CCF test. The CSA of DNFs significantly changed through increasing the CCF test pressure. No significant differences were observed on the right and left-side DNFs, neither in healthy controls, nor in individuals with CNNP. Conclusions: The CSA changes in individuals with CNNP and healthy controls significantly varied during the CCF test, which may be a reasonable explanation to the muscle weakness and atrophy in individuals sustaining CNNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to first bring to light the essential digital strategies to study organizations. Second, how businesses can improve their strategic capabilities by using the information gathered from internet sources or networks. Third, this study investigates how employees in an organization tend to engage in positive and/or negative gossip and how gossips affect coworker-rated informal influence in organization and supervisor-rated performance. Social network analysis is used to find the underlying relationships between gossips, coworker-rated influence and supervisor-rated performance.Design/methodology/approach This research paper is divided into two parts. The first study based on profound synthesis of literature. Major digital sources to study organizations are identified. The strategies requirement for each channel is identified. Suggestions are given to managers to improve strategic decision-making based on big data. The second study is a cross-sectional study where questionnaires (survey) are used to elicit data. Social network analysis is used to analyze the data using ucinet 6 software.Findings The findings of the study pinpoint the skills required to analyze large data, available in organizations. The second study finds out that close friends are more engaged in gossips than coworkers who have only working relationships. The friends having high structural embeddedness are more likely to be involved in negative gossips. Coworker perceives those employees who are engaged in negative gossips as having high informal influence. However, there is negative relationship between negative gossips and supervisor-rated influence.Research limitations/implications The research study is cross-sectional in design; however, longitudinal design can be used to gain more insights about negative gossips and their effects. Second, a very small sample is used in this study.Practical implications This study can be used to understand informal communication network in the organization. Managers can use this channel to pass information quickly, as informal channels are faster than formal communication channels. This research can be used to understand the underling relationships between the coworkers in organizationsOriginality/value This paper provides guidelines to organizational life and information on how the informal networks within organization can be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) that predominantly affects older adults. IPF has the highest mortality burden of all ILDs. Data on mortality in patients with IPF is limited in developing countries. Objectives: To identify factors associated with mortality in patients with IPF at a tertiary care center in Pakistan. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi, Pakistan from January 2005 to December 2015. Patients were assessed for smoking status, clinical onset of disease, pulmonary hypertension, disease severity based on spirometry and hypoxemia. Results: A total of 239 cases were reviewed, of which 103 were non‐survivors. A total of 45 (18%) were current smokers and 71 (29.7%) were ex‐smokers. Smoking was more common in non‐survivors (56.3% P ≤ .01). Pulmonary hypertension was present in 18.8% of patients. 95.4% of patients who had received pirfenidone treatment were alive at the time of study. On multivariate analysis, pirfenidone treatment (OR 0.03; 95% CI 0.01‐0.08), current smoking (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.04‐6.58), age older than 60 years (OR 2.63; 95% CI 1.04‐6.58) and hypoxemia (OR 3.29; 95% CI 1.58‐6.84) were the factors associated with mortality. Conclusion: Smoking, age greater than 60 years and hypoxemia were identified as factors that increased the odds of mortality in IPF patients, whereas pirfenidone was found to lower the odds of mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and iron oxide impregnated carbon nanotubes (CNTs-iron oxide) were investigated for the adsorption of hazardous toluene and paraxylene (p-xylene) from aqueous solution. Pure CNTs were impregnated with iron oxides nanoparticles using wet impregnation technique. Various characterization techniques including thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, elemental dispersion spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen adsorption analysis were used to study the thermal degradation, surface morphology, purity, and surface area of the materials. Batch adsorption experiments show that iron oxide impregnated CNTs have higher degree of removal of p-xylene (i.e., 90%) compared with toluene (i.e., 70%), for soaking time 2 h, with pollutant initial concentration 100 ppm, at pH 6 and shaking speed of 200 rpm at 25°C. Pseudo-second-order model provides better fitting for the toluene and p-xylene adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models demonstrate good fitting for the adsorption data of toluene and p-xylene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Stroke is an important morbidity for low and middle income countries like Bangladesh. We established the first stroke registry in Bangladesh. Methods. Data was collected from stroke patients who were admitted in Department of Neurology of BIRDEM with first ever stroke, aged between 30 and 90 years. Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhage, and posttrauma features were excluded. Results. Data was gathered from 679 stroke patients. Mean age was 60.6 years. Almost 68% of patients were male. Small vessel strokes were the most common accounting for 45.4% of all the patients followed by large vessel getting affected in 32.5% of the cases. Only 16 (2.4%) died during treatment, and 436 (64.2%) patients had their mRS score of 3 to 5. Age greater than 70 years was associated with poor outcome on discharge [OR 1.79 (95% CI: 1.05 to 3.06)] adjusting for gender, duration of hospital stay, HDL, and pneumonia. Age, mRS, systolic blood pressure, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and stroke severity explained the Barthel score. Conclusion. Mortality was low but most of patient had moderate to severe disability at discharge. Age, mRS, systolic blood pressure, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and stroke severity influenced the Barthel score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) impregnated with iron oxide nanoparticles were employed for the removal of benzene from water. The adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, and thermogravimetric analysis. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the adsorptive removal of benzene and the effect of parameters such as pH, contact time, and adsorbent dosage. The maximum removal of benzene was 61% with iron oxide impregnated CNTs at an adsorbent dosage 100 mg, shaking speed 200 rpm, contact time 2 hours, initial concentration 1 ppm, and pH 6. However, raw CNTs showed only 53% removal under same experimental conditions. Pseudo-first-order kinetic model was found well to describe the obtained data on benzene removal from water. Initial concentration was varied from 1 to 200 mg/L for isotherms study. Langmuir isotherm model was observed to best describe the adsorption data. The maximum adsorption capacities were 987.58 mg/g and 517.27 mg/g for iron oxide impregnated CNTs and raw CNTs, respectively. Experimental results revealed that impregnation with iron oxide nanoparticles significantly increased the removal efficiency of CNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary colorectal lymphoma (PCL) is a rare condition that accounts for a small percentage of all gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. There are several reports in the literature regarding the most common features of PCL. However, primary lymphoma in the rectosigmoid junction has been rarely reported. Our case was a 67-year-old male who presented with non-specific symptoms of bowel obstruction which, upon further workup, was diagnosed as a rare case of PCL located in the rectosigmoid junction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One anastomosisgastric bypass(OAGB) is currently known as a standard bariatric procedure worldwide. A rare event after OAGB is internal hernia throgh the Petersen's defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the adsorption behavior of waste boiler fly ash has been explored for purification of nickel heavy metal ion bearing water. The raw boiler fly ash (RBFA) was alkali modified to improve the adsorption characteristics. The modified boiler fly ash (MBFA) was characterized using the SEM, XRF, XRD, BET, and TGA analyzers to confirm the improved textural, mineralogical, porosity and thermal characteristics of the adsorbent. The adsorption studies were conducted in a batch mode by varying different operational parameters like pH, contact time, heavy metal ion concentration, and time. The MBFA showed higher adsorption capacity (~ 86 mg/g) as compared to RBFA (~ 64.8 mg/g) at optimized conditions. The equilibrium data for Ni(II) sorption were analyzed using Langmuir, Sips, and Freundlich isotherm models. Sips model proves to be superior with R2 = 0.99. Thermodynamics of Ni(II) removal showed that the process of adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Enthalpy calculated was 2.95 and 18.65 kJ/mol for RBFA and MBFA, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of Ni(II) by both RBFA and MBFA were modeled using pseudo-first-order, fractional order, and intra-particle diffusion equations. The results indicate that the fractional order kinetic equation and intra-particle diffusion model were suitable to describe the nickel adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that contraceptive usage has increased over a period of time, there exists a Knowledge Attitude and Practice -gap regarding contraception. Literature reports that married women who attained primary and secondary plus level of education show increase probability of using family planning practices. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of education on the family planning and reproductive health indicators among the women in Sindh. METHODS: A Secondary data analysis of Pakistan demographic and health survey (PDHS) 2012-013 was performed on the data set consisted of 3133 ever married females aged 15-49 years of age, representing from Sindh Pakistan. Multivariate logistic regression model were applied to see the association of education and related factors. RESULTS: The mean age of the women were 32.5 years and mean age at marriage at 19 years. 41.7% of the women were educated. The current contraception method used by women was 28.2% among them 83% were using modern methods and 17% were using traditional methods. The unmet need for family planning is 52.8%. 43.2% of the women seek antennal care. The contraception use among educated women were (aOR: 1.96, CI: 1.45, 2.64), unmet need for family planning (aOR: 1.69, CI: 1.24, 2.30), antenatal visit (aOR: 3.22, CI: 2.16, 4.78) and wanted last child (aOR: 1.83, CI: 1.06, 3.17). CONCLUSION: The support and encouragement for women to complete formal education is essential in bringing about a socio-cultural change in attitude towards the social value of family planning. This study suggests that education can address the imbalance in decision making about family planning methods choices among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]