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Efficiency is essential for an institution because it can measure how well resources are used to achieve its specific goals (Wahab & Rahman, 2011). Zakat institutions must be managed efficiently, so they are maximized in promoting socio-economic goals, especially poverty alleviation (Wahab & Rahman, 2013). This study aims to analyze the efficiency level of Baitul Mal districts/cities of Aceh Province in Indonesia. Efficiency measurement uses a nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach during 2018–2020. DEA analyzes the interaction between input variables consisting of socialization costs, number of amil, and operational costs, with output variables comprising the total collection and distribution of zakat, infaq, and sadaqah (ZIS). The results show that 11 Baitul Mal out of 69 decision-making unit (DMU) (15.94%) are efficient overall, technical, and scale. As for technical efficiency, there are 16 Baitul Mal (23.19%) that are efficient, the remaining 26 Baitul Mal (40.58%) have a score below 60, and 27 Baitul Mal (36.23%) have a score above 60. Regency Baitul Mal Aceh Besar became the only Baitul Mal that achieved efficiency throughout the research period. The source of Baitul Mal’s inefficiency comes from all variables. Baitul Mal must optimize socialization costs by 60.68%, operational costs by 33.60%, and the role of amil by 3.20%. Furthermore, Baitul Mal must increase the amount of ZIS collection by 46.29% and the distribution of ZIS by 52.84% to achieve efficiency.

The self-assembly of block copolymers is often rationalized by structure and microphase separation; pathways that diverge from this parameter space may provide new mechanisms of polymer self-assembly. Here, we show that the sequence and length of single-stranded DNA directly influence the self-assembly of sequence-defined DNA block copolymers. While increasing the length of DNA led to predictable changes in self-assembly, changing only the sequence of DNA produced three distinct structures: spherical micelles (spherical nucleic acids, SNAs) from flexible poly(thymine) DNA, fibers from semi-rigid mixed-sequence DNA, and networked superstructures from rigid poly(adenine) DNA. The secondary structure of poly(adenine) DNA strands drives a temperature-dependent polymerization and assembly mechanism: copolymers stored in an SNA reservoir form fibers after thermal activation, which then aggregate upon cooling to form interwoven networks. DNA is often used as a programming code that aids in nanostructure addressability and function; Here, we show that the inherent physical and chemical properties of single-stranded DNA sequences also make them an ideal material to direct self-assembled morphologies and select for new methods of supramolecular polymerization.

Colorants either synthetic or natural are commonly added to a variety of food systems to make them attractive and acceptable for the consumers. Our previous publications on Carmoisine, Allura Red, Sunset yellow and the present study showed that food colorants such as Erythrosine, Amaranth, Tartrazine, Quinoline yellow, Brilliant Blue bind with the proteins in variety of the food environments and the protein color complexes are digested by the proteolytic enzyme. The present study elaborates the active sites of the proteins involved in binding with various functional groups of food colors and on these sites modifies the tryptic digestibility of the different proteins. Colors show strong binding capacity with proteins which may block the active site for hydrolysis by the enzyme. The effect of the tryptic digestibility on color complexes of the protein such as the BSA a high molecular weight and nisin the low moleculer weight proteins are explored. The result shows the different color binding with protein have not similar effect on digestibility but in all cases digestibility decreases significantly as compared with blank.

PurposeThis study has aimed to analyse the role of innovation-sharing collaboration in the large-scale manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccination across the globe and its impact on the mortality rate of the countries where the pharmaceutical manufacturers received such innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have relied upon the difference-in-difference (DID) approach by utilizing the data available on public platforms such as World Health Organization (WHO) databank, organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) data bank, istat, Indian bureau of statistics and European centre for disease prevention and control (ecdc) from 2020 to 2021 to establish the empirical inference of the analysis.FindingsThis study’s results present that after the invention and commercialization of the vaccine, the Covid-19 impact was still intact and people were dying continuously. However, it was impossible to fulfil the demand of the 7 billion population in a short time. In the light of these facts, the WHO encouraged sharing vaccine innovation with other countries to enhance production capacity. The authors found that after vaccine innovation sharing, Covid-19’s devastation slowed: the fatality rate was marginally reduced, and economic conditions started their recovery journey.Originality/valueThis study’s findings present that the Covid-19 vaccine played a pivotal role in tackling the Covid-19’s devastating impact on the entire world. It emphasizes the role of innovation-sharing collaborations in curtailing hazardous consequences, including the mortality rate during a crisis, and such collaborations’ impact on the countries where institutions involved in them reside.

Considering that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global challenge, there is a dire need to gauge the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of clinicians in endemic countries. The aim of the current multicenter, cross-sectional study was to highlight the knowledge, aptitude and practice gaps in antimicrobial (AM) stewardship and AMR among practicing doctors working in public tertiary care teaching hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A KAP survey, based on a self-administered questionnaire containing 45 questions, was conducted among 336 clinicians practicing in 6 randomly selected hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. Overall, 92% of the clinicians considered AMR as a worldwide problem but only 66% disagreed that cold and flu symptoms require antibiotics. Moreover, around 68% doctors felt confident about their practice in AM but still 96% felt need to get more knowledge about AM. Need to establish courses on rational antibiotic use was demanded by 84% of participants. The main contributing factors considered for AMR by the doctors included excessive AM usage in medical profession (87.1%) and multiple antibiotics per prescription (76.4%). Pharmacologically, AM spectrum was accurately chosen by 1.4% (ampicillin), 0.003% (erythromycin) and 0% (levofloxacin). Clinically, a more than 50% of clinicians used miscellaneous AM for empirical therapy of respiratory tract infection and cholecystitis. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The knowledge of clinicians is relatively poor in AM spectrum and drugs of choice for certain infections. However, they know about their short comings with positive approach towards improvement.

Aqueous methanolic (20:80) crude extract of the outer peel of Allium ascalonicum (onions) was fractionated into anthocyanin (II), acidic (i.e., phenolic acids, Ia), neutral A (i.e., flavanols, Ib) and neutral B (i.e., flavonols, Ic) phenols using C-18 and hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) Co-polymer cartridges. The fractions were analysed for total phenolic, total flavonoids, antibacterial activity, antioxidant potential and lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibition. The recovery of total phenols and bio functional activity in all fractions were found to be more in HLB. All fractions showed antimicrobial activity against tested strains with phenolic acids (Ia) being most active and flavanol (Ib) least active, while the highest free radical scavenging, reducing power and LOX inhibition was exhibited by flavonol (Ic) and least by flavanols (Ib). HPLC analysis revealed the presence of vanillic acid and quercetin in non-anthocyanin I and cyanidin in anthocyanin II.

In this research, we debate the critical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic such as food scarcity, by examining the influence of consumption values on consumers’ willingness to consume genetically modified (GM) food in the presence of consumer food attitudes, animosity, and ethnocentrism, which could be the one possible option to deal with the food scarcity problem. The proposed relationship could help to understand the complex societal problem of food scarcity and import dependency in the food sector before and after the crisis. Therefore, based on the theory of consumption values, we investigated government actions, consumer attitudes, and their willingness to consume GM food through 1340 valid USA responses and 1065 Chinese responses. We observed that COVID-19 doubled the number of malnourished people in 2020 relative to 2019, while consumption values, to some extent, changed consumer food attitudes and were inclined toward other food alternatives such as GM food regardless of governmental support for GM food in both USA and China. Moreover, this research enables governments, policymakers, market practitioners, and other stakeholders to use the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to negotiate with other countries to share their food technology along with imports.

The gluten-free products available on the markets are deficient in bioactive compounds and high in cost. The present study is designed to develop gluten-free biscuits with enhanced nutritional properties. The gluten-free biscuits are formulated with rice flour (RF) incorporated with Assyrian plum fruit flour (APF) and bio-waste date-pit flour (DPF) according to the following ratios; RF:DPF:APF (100:0:0)/T0, (90:5:5)/T1, (80:10:10)/T2, and (70:15:15)/T3. The results demonstrate that flour blends with different concentrations of APF and DPF incorporated in RF have high contents of protein, damaged starch, crude fiber, ash, phytochemicals, and antioxidants in contrast to 100% RF, which shows the lowest values for all these parameters. The pasting properties of the flour blends reveals that the values of peak, final, breakdown, and setback viscosities reduce from T1 to T3. Similarly, a differential scanning calorimeter reveals that the phase transition temperature of the flour blends decreases with the increasing amylose content. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy of the biscuit samples shows a positive contribution of APF and DPF for the development of the desired compactness of the structure due to the leaching of amylose content from the starch. The total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) increase from 38.43 to 132.20 mg GAE/100 g DW and 18.67 to 87.27 mg CE/100 g DW, respectively. Similarly, the antioxidant activities of biscuits improved. The protein and fiber contents of the biscuits increased from 10.20 to 14.73% and 0.69 to 12.25%, respectively. The biscuits prepared from T3 resulted in a firmer texture with a reduced spread ratio. However, the formulation of T1 and T2 biscuit samples contributed to desirable physical and sensory properties. Therefore, the addition of DPF and APF to RF is a sustainable way to make gluten-free biscuits as they provide adequate amylose, damaged starch, and fiber content to overcome the essential role of gluten in the baked product with nutraceutical properties.

The gluten-free products available on the markets are deficient in bioactive compounds and high in cost. The present study is designed to develop gluten-free biscuits with enhanced nutritional properties. The gluten-free biscuits are formulated with rice flour (RF) incorporated with Assyrian plum fruit flour (APF) and bio-waste date-pit flour (DPF) according to the following ratios; RF:DPF:APF (100:0:0)/T0, (90:5:5)/T1, (80:10:10)/T2, and (70:15:15)/T3. The results demonstrate that flour blends with different concentrations of APF and DPF incorporated in RF have high contents of protein, damaged starch, crude fiber, ash, phytochemicals, and antioxidants in contrast to 100% RF, which shows the lowest values for all these parameters. The pasting properties of the flour blends reveals that the values of peak, final, breakdown, and setback viscosities reduce from T1 to T3. Similarly, a differential scanning calorimeter reveals that the phase transition temperature of the flour blends decreases with the increasing amylose content. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy of the biscuit samples shows a positive contribution of APF and DPF for the development of the desired compactness of the structure due to the leaching of amylose content from the starch. The total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) increase from 38.43 to 132.20 mg GAE/100 g DW and 18.67 to 87.27 mg CE/100 g DW, respectively. Similarly, the antioxidant activities of biscuits improved. The protein and fiber contents of the biscuits increased from 10.20 to 14.73% and 0.69 to 12.25%, respectively. The biscuits prepared from T3 resulted in a firmer texture with a reduced spread ratio. However, the formulation of T1 and T2 biscuit samples contributed to desirable physical and sensory properties. Therefore, the addition of DPF and APF to RF is a sustainable way to make gluten-free biscuits as they provide adequate amylose, damaged starch, and fiber content to overcome the essential role of gluten in the baked product with nutraceutical properties.

Until now, no specific and effective treatment exists for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since honey and Nigella sativa (HNS) have established antiviral, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties, we tested their efficacy for this disease in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, and randomized clinical trial at four medical care facilities in Pakistan. RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 adults showing moderate or severe disease were enrolled in the trial. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either honey (1 g kg

Frequent itemsets mining is an active research problem in the domain of data mining and knowledge discovery. With the advances in database technology and an exponential increase in data to be stored, there is a need for efficient approaches that can quickly extract useful information from such large datasets. Frequent Itemsets (FIs) mining is a data mining task to find itemsets in a transactional database which occur together above a certain frequency. Finding these FIs usually requires multiple passes over the databases; therefore, making efficient algorithms crucial for mining FIs. This work presents a graph-based approach for representing a complete transactional database. The proposed graph-based representation enables the storing of all relevant information (for extracting FIs) of the database in one pass. Later, an algorithm that extracts the FIs from the graph-based structure is presented. Experimental results are reported comparing the proposed approach with 17 related FIs mining methods using six benchmark datasets. Results show that the proposed approach performs better than others in terms of time.

Colored wheats such as black, blue, or purple wheat are receiving a great interest as healthy food ingredients due to their potential health-enhancing attributes. Purple wheat is an anthocyanin-pigmented grain that holds huge potential in food applications since wheat is the preferred source of energy and protein in human diet. Purple wheat is currently processed into a variety of foods with potent antioxidant properties, which have been demonstrated by in vitro studies. However, the health impacts of purple wheat foods in humans still require further investigations. Meanwhile, anthocyanins are vulnerable molecules that require special stabilization treatments during food preparation and processing. A number of stabilization methods such as co-pigmentation, self-association, encapsulation, metal binding, and adjusting processing conditions have been suggested as a means to diminish the loss of anthocyanins in processed foods and dietary supplements. The present review was intended to provide insights about purple wheat food product development and its roles in human health. In addition, methods for stabilizing anthocyanins during processing were briefly discussed.

Dry machining of aluminum (Al) 2024 alloy has been performed with four different cutting inserts (cemented carbide, titanium nitride (TiN) coated, titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) coated, and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) coated), and their performance is assessed for tool wear and workpiece surface roughness. Design of experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) was performed to optimize the cutting parameters. TiAlN coated inserts presented an average ≈ 21%, ≈ 36%, and ≈ 58% less tool wear than the uncoated cemented carbide, TiN and PCD coated inserts, respectively. While TiN coated inserts exhibited an average ≈ 17%, ≈ 37%, and ≈ 42% less workpiece surface roughness than the uncoated cemented carbide, TiAlN, and PCD coated inserts, respectively. PCD coated inserts have greater mechanical properties, but due to the poor adhesion strength of the coating, it performed worst regarding tool wear and workpiece surface roughness. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis of the chips validated our findings that the adhesion of coated tools is also very important for the evaluation of machining performance other than mechanical properties. It is concluded that the mechanical properties and adhesion of the coated tools are both important in assessing the tool wear and workpiece surface roughness. Also, the research community and industry need to consider adhesion strength of the coated tools for better machining performance.

This study contributes to the literature on archaeological tourism by investigating the impact of psychological distance on tourist’s continuity to visit or revisit the archaeological sites. Recent trends show tourist preferred to visit the natural beauty and modern art instead of archaeological sites. Archaeologist encounters a considerable amount of difficulties when they try to operate on economic and sites protection fronts simultaneously. This study has relied on construal level theory to determine the tourist intentions to visit or revisit the archaeological sites in different time contrast and social proximity with identity centrality and gender diversity. For this study, 868 responses were collected from tourists using a structured questionnaire and analysed by structural equation modelling. The study establishes the role of psychological distance, which offers a clear plan to the tourist to visit or revisit archaeological sites by understanding their religious, social, and historical connection to them. This research also provides a dynamic way of thinking for archaeologists, policy makers, and the managing institutions to assist the tourist to visit or revisit archaeological sites through using social ties and time-spans as unique alternatives. The notable findings of this study open the door for future research to bridge the economic and social aspects with site preservation and capacity parameters.

Friction and wear are very crucial aspects of the performance, service life, and the operational costs for a mechanical component or equipment. To reduce the friction and wear at the interface of the sliding or mating parts, different conventional binary coatings like TiN, CrN, TiC, etc., have been used in the last two decades. But ternary nitride coatings have replaced the binary coatings due to better tribo-mechanical properties. Now, ternary nitride coatings are being extensively used in several fields such as cutting tools, machinery parts, orthopedic implants, microelectronics, marine equipment, decorative purposes, automotive, aerospace industry, etc. Many researchers have developed and investigated the ternary nitride coatings for different applications. Nonetheless, there is a huge research potential in the development and optimization of the tribo-mechanical properties of the ternary nitride coatings. Therefore, tribo-mechanical studies of the ternary nitride coatings are needed for fostering the new industrial applications. This paper is focused to summarize and compare the tribo-mechanical properties of the ternary nitride coatings comprehensively and aims to explore the novel research directions in the development of the ternary nitride coatings.

In the present study, an effort was made to incorporate lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) as a fat mimetic for the development of functional biscuits. Functional properties, dough rheology, pasting profile, the microstructure of dough, antioxidant activities, physical, nutritional and sensorial properties of the samples were investigated. The addition of lotus root flour (LRF) resulted in a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in water absorption (57.51–72.40%) and dough stability time (7.38–13.10 min), while breakdown (802–554cP) and, setback viscosities (1154–900cP) decreased. Gluten content also decreased with the increased concentration of LRF, hence suggested weaker gluten network, which was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopic images (SEMIs) of biscuits dough. The total phenolic content (17.73–131.37 mg/mL and 14.43–94.67 mg/mL), DPPH radical scavenging activity-IC50 (477.10 − 153.32 mg/mL and 500.41–94.32 mg/mL), and ferric reducing antioxidant power-IC50 (348.21–53.62 mg/mL and 350.31–36.32 mg/mL) increased upon increasing the content of LRF in wheat flour and biscuits samples. Nutritional data revealed that protein (11.20–13.40%), ash (0.53–2.86%), and the crude fiber content (0.21–15.60%) of biscuits increased, and calories reduced (497–375kcal/100 gm). Therefore, this study explores the potential of using LRF as a fat mimetic in biscuits with the application on a commercial scale to enhance antioxidant, physical, nutritional, and sensory attributes.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel coronavirus-infected millions globally. Despite a wide range of advised options for the treatment of COVID-19, a single strategy to tackle this pandemic remains elusive, thus far. That is why we are conducting a clinical trial to find out the efficacy of iodine complex to clear a viral load of severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) along with a reduction in time taken to alleviate symptoms. Method The proposed study is a placebo-controlled, add-on, randomized trial using parallel group designs. This is a closed-label and adaptive with sample size reassessment, multi-centered design with a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio and superiority framework. It will be conducted in Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex, Ali Clinic, and Doctors Lounge, Lahore, Pakistan. This study will have three arms of mild to moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients (50 patients in each) which will receive ionic-iodine polymer complex with 200 mg of elemental iodine: interventional arm A will have encapsulated, arm B will receive suspension syrup form, arm C will get throat spray, while arm X will be standard care with placebo. Data will be collected on self-constructed, close-ended questionnaires after obtaining written consent. Data will be analyzed using SAS version 9.4. COVID-19 patients will be monitored by RT-PCR and HRCT (high-resolution computed tomography) chest. In addition to these, the duration of the symptomatic phase and mortality benefits will be analyzed in both groups. Discussion The study is designed to measure the superior efficacy of the iodine complex as an add-on in treating COVID-19-positive patients with mild to moderate symptoms. This combination is hypothesized to improve various parameters like rapid viral load reduction, clinical and radiological improvement, lower mortality, and reduction in hospitalization. The trial will aid in devising a better strategy to cope with COVID-19 in a relatively inexpensive and accessible way. The implications are global, and this could prove itself to be the most manageable intervention against COVID-19 especially for patients from limited-resource countries with deprived socioeconomic status. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT04473261. Registered on July 16, 2020.

Titanium nitride (TiN) is a hard-ceramic material having excellent wear and corrosion resistance properties. In this study, TiN coating has been deposited on carbide cutting inserts by a low-temper...

Objectives Considering the therapeutic potential of honey and Nigella sativa (HNS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the objective of the study is defined to evaluate the prophylactic role of HNS. Trial design The study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial with parallel group design, superiority framework with an allocation ratio of 1:1 among experimental (HNS) and placebo group. An interim analysis will be done when half of the patients have been recruited to evaluate the need to adapt sample size, efficacy, and futility of the trial. Participants All asymptomatic patients with hospital or community based COVID-19 exposure will be screened if they have had 4 days exposure to a confirmed case. Non-pregnant adults with significant exposure level will be enrolled in the study High-risk exposure (10min without face protection) Moderate exposure (10min with face protection) Subjects with acute or chronic infection, COVID-19 vaccinated, and allergy to HNS will be excluded from the study. Recruitment will be done at Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Ali Clinic and Doctors Lounge in Lahore (Pakistan). Intervention and comparator In this clinical study, patients will receive either raw natural honey (0.5 g) and encapsulated organic Nigella sativa seeds (40 mg) per kg body weight per day or empty capsule with and 30 ml of 5% dextrose water as a placebo for 14 days. Both the natural products will be certified for standardization by Government College University (Botany department). Furthermore, each patient will be given standard care therapy according to version 3.0 of the COVID-19 clinical management guidelines by the Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan. Main outcomes Primary outcome will be Incidence of COVID-19 cases within 14 days of randomisation. Secondary endpoints include incidence of COVID-19-related symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths along with the severity of COVID-19-related symptoms till 14th day of randomization. Randomisation Participants will be randomized into experimental and control groups (1:1 allocation ratio) via the lottery method. There will be stratification based on high risk and moderate risk exposure. Blinding (masking) Quadruple blinding will be ensured for the participants, care providers and outcome accessors. Data analysts will also be blinded to avoid conflict of interest. Site principal investigator will be responsible for ensuring masking. Numbers to be randomised (sample size) 1000 participants will be enrolled in the study with 1:1 allocation. Trial Status The final protocol version 1.4 was approved by institutional review board of Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex on February 15, 2021. The trial recruitment was started on March 05, 2021, with a trial completion date of February 15, 2022. Trial registration Clinical trial was registered on February 23, 2021, www.clinicaltrials.gov with registration ID NCT04767087. Full protocol The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). With the intention of expediting dissemination of this trial, the conventional formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.

Objectives The study objective is to quantify the effectiveness of ivermectin (subcutaneous/oral IVM) in the presence or absence of zinc (Zn) for clinical and radiological improvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with moderate severity. Trial design This quadruple-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial will be a multiarmed multi-centered study with superiority framework. Participants Quinquagenarian and sexagenarian patients with moderate COVID-19 symptoms and positive severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus -2 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR will be included. Participants with co-morbidities and pregnant women will be excluded. Patient recruitment will be done in Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Doctors Lounge and Ali Clinic in Lahore (Pakistan). Intervention and comparator The registered patients will be allocated in 6 groups (30 participants each). Patients will be taking subcutaneous IVM at 200 μg/kg/48 h (Arm A) or subcutaneous IVM at 200 μg/kg/48 h and oral Zn 20mg/8 h (Arm B) or oral IVM at 0.2 mg/kg/day (Arm C) or oral IVM at 0.2 mg/kg/day and oral Zn 20mg/8 h (Arm D) or alone oral Zn 20mg/8 h (Arm E) or placebo alone (Arm X). Patients in all arms will receive standard care and respective placebo (empty capsule 8 hourly and/or subcutaneous normal saline 2ml/48 h). Main outcomes Primary endpoints will be duration of symptomatic phase and SARS-CoV-2 clearance along with high resolution CT (HRCT) chest score and clinical grade scale (CGS) on day 6. 30-day mortality will be documented as a secondary endpoint. SARS-CoV-2 clearance will be calculated by second PCR on day 7. HRCT chest score will be measured by the percentage and lung lobes involvement on day 6 with a maximum score of 25. CGS will be recorded on a seven-point scale; grade 1 (not hospitalized, no evidence of infection and resumption of normal activities), grade 2 (not hospitalized, but unable to resume normal activities), grade 3 (hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen), grade 4 (hospitalized, requiring supplemental oxygen), grade 5 (hospitalized, requiring nasal high-flow oxygen therapy and/or noninvasive mechanical ventilation), grade 6 (hospitalized, requiring ECMO and/or invasive mechanical ventilation) and grade 7 (death). Randomisation A simple lottery method will be used to randomly allocate scrutinized patients in 1:1:1:1:1:1 ratio in 6 groups. Blinding (masking) Patients, primary care physicians, outcome assessors and the data collection team will be blinded. Numbers to be randomised (sample size) 180 participants will be randomized into six arms with five investigational and one placebo group. Trial Status Institutional Review Board Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex, Lahore, Pakistan has approved the protocol (version 2.3) with ID SZMC/IRB/Internal0056/2020. The trial was approved on July 14, 2020, and enrolment started on July 30, 2020. The estimated completion date is October 30, 2021. Trial registration Clinical Trial has been retrospectively registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov with registration ID NCT04472585 dated July 16, 2020. Full protocol The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). With the intention of expediting dissemination of this trial, the conventional formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.

Using the Lebedev–Milin inequalities, bounds on the logarithmic coefficients of an analytic function can be transferred to estimates on coefficients of the function itself and related functions. From this fact, the study of logarithmic-related problems of a certain subclass of univalent functions has attracted much attention in recent years. In our present investigation, a subclass of starlike functions Se* connected with the exponential mapping was considered. The main purpose of this article is to obtain the sharp estimates of the second Hankel determinant with the logarithmic coefficient as entry for this class.

ObjectivesConsidering the therapeutic potential of honey and Nigella sativa (HNS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the objective of the study is defined to evaluate the prophylactic role of HNS. Trial designThe study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial with parallel group design, superiority framework with an allocation ratio of 1:1 among experimental (HNS) and placebo group. An interim analysis will be done when half of the patients have been recruited to evaluate the need to adapt sample size, efficacy, and futility of the trial.ParticipantsAll asymptomatic patients with hospital or community based COVID-19 exposure will be screened if they have had 4 days exposure to a confirmed case. Non-pregnant adults with significant exposure level will be enrolled in the study● High-risk exposure (10min without face protection) ● Moderate exposure (10min with face protection)Subjects with acute or chronic infection, COVID-19 vaccinated, and allergy to HNS will be excluded from the study.Recruitment will be done at Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Ali Clinic and Doctors Lounge in Lahore (Pakistan). Intervention and comparatorIn this clinical study, patients will receive either raw natural honey (0.5 g) and encapsulated organic Nigella sativa seeds (40 mg) per kg body weight per day or empty capsule with and 30 ml of 5% dextrose water as a placebo for 14 days. Both the natural products will be certified for standardization by Government College University (Botany department). Furthermore, each patient will be given standard care therapy according to version 3.0 of the COVID-19 clinical management guidelines by the Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan.Main outcomesPrimary outcome will be Incidence of COVID-19 cases within 14 days of randomisation. Secondary endpoints include incidence of COVID-19-related symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths along with the severity of COVID-19-related symptoms till 14th day of randomization. RandomisationParticipants will be randomized into experimental and control groups (1:1 allocation ratio) via the lottery method. There will be stratification based on high risk and moderate risk exposure. Blinding (masking)Quadruple blinding will be ensured for the participants, care providers and outcome accessors. Data analysts will also be blinded to avoid conflict of interest. Site principal investigator will be responsible for ensuring masking.Numbers to be randomised (sample size)1000 participants will be enrolled in the study with 1:1 allocation.Trial StatusThe final protocol version 1.4 was approved by institutional review board of Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex on February 15, 2021. The trial recruitment was started on March 05, 2021, with a trial completion date of February 15, 2022. Trial registrationClinical trial was registered on February 23, 2021, www.clinicaltrials.gov with registration ID NCT04767087.

Interactions between ticks and crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, caiman, and gharials) are poorly studied but may have significant bearing on the ecology and health of these reptiles. The first record of tick infestation of the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is reported along with the first case of infestation by Amblyomma cordiferum on Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus). A review is also provided of tick-crocodilian interactions with a concise host-parasite index.

Tribological, mechanical, and chemical properties of the TiN coatings on Ti substrate were experimentally investigated for implant applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the principal crystal structure of TiN coating was (111) preferred orientation with FCC structure. Experimental evaluation was conducted at two substrate surface roughness, i.e., 0.1 μm and 0.4 μm. TiN coatings having 0.4-μm substrate surface roughness and approximately 3.3-μm coating thickness demonstrated optimum results of adhesion strength, hardness, coefficient of friction, wear rate, and corrosion rate in simulation body fluid (SBF). The selected TiN-coated sample exhibited maximum of 16.585 GPa hardness, 238.7 GPa elastic modulus, approximately 20 N adhesion, and 0.088 coefficient of friction. TiN coating showed approximately 8 times more corrosion resistance and 4 times more wear resistance than the bare titanium substrate. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the wear tracks of TiN coating in SBF showed no presence of any harmful ingredients and confirmed its biocompatibility over the usage time in SBF. TiN-coated sample with higher substrate surface roughness (0.4 μm) demonstrated better tribo-mechanical properties and could reduce the cost of production than the conventionally used TiN-coated Ti implants of lower substrate surface roughness (0.1 μm).

Considering that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global challenge, there is a dire need to gauge the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of clinicians in endemic countries. The aim of the current multicenter, cross-sectional study was to highlight the knowledge, aptitude and practice gaps in antimicrobial (AM) stewardship and AMR among practicing doctors working in public tertiary care teaching hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A KAP survey, based on a self-administered questionnaire containing 45 questions, was conducted among 336 clinicians practicing in 6 randomly selected hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. Overall, 92% of the clinicians considered AMR as a worldwide problem but only 66% disagreed that cold and flu symptoms require antibiotics. Moreover, around 68% doctors felt confident about their practice in AM but still 96% felt need to get more knowledge about AM. Need to establish courses on rational antibiotic use was demanded by 84% of participants. The main contributing factors considered for AMR by the doctors included excessive AM usage in medical profession (87.1%) and multiple antibiotics per prescription (76.4%). Pharmacologically, AM spectrum was accurately chosen by 1.4% (ampicillin), 0.003% (erythromycin) and 0% (levofloxacin). Clinically, a more than 50% of clinicians used miscellaneous AM for empirical therapy of respiratory tract infection and cholecystitis. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The knowledge of clinicians is relatively poor in AM spectrum and drugs of choice for certain infections. However, they know about their short comings with positive approach towards improvement.

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a self-limiting thyroid dysfunction of viral origin. Relatively little is known about its occurrence in SARS CoV-2 infected COVID-19 patients. Herein, we report a case of SAT in a 58-year-old patient that was apparently triggered by infection with SARS CoV-2. Clinical, laboratory and imaging features of the patient are presented. The patient was vitally stable with a slightly tender and warm thyroid gland, which was painful on swallowing. His free thyroxine (FT4) was elevated, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was below normal and free triiodothyronine (FT3) was in the physiological range. Previous thyroid exam conducted as a part of routine annual physical checkup was normal. The patient was put on prednisolone and recovered completely within three weeks.

Machines have come a long way, from the industrial revolution to a modern-day industry 4.0. In this massive transition, one thing that has never changed within a machine is the moving part. Most industries use rotating machine with different load capacity and speed. These machines run at variable load and variable speed creating vibration bootstrap thus causing machine failure due to an increase in vibrations. Most of the researcher used vibration for fault detection in bearings but sometimes it caused by miss alignment in a shaft due to a fraction of overloading the machine. In this paper, we address it to solve those problems by using two parameters speed and vibration. To verify our approach, we use three different kinds of machine learning algorithms: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naive Bays, and Random Forest. By using these machine learning algorithms, we tried to find out the relationship between machine failure due to speed and vibration by predicting good and faulty bearings. After applying these models, we have seen that the SVM has 78% accuracy as compared to Naive Bays, and Random Forest.

Objectives The objective of the study is to measure the efficacy of ionic-iodine polymer complex [1] for clinical and radiological improvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Trial design The trial will be closed label, randomized and placebo-controlled with a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio and superiority framework. Participants All PCR confirmed COVID-19 adult patients including non-pregnant females, with mild to moderate disease, will be enrolled from Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex, Ali Clinic and Doctors Lounge in Lahore (Pakistan). Patients with any pre-existing chronic illness will be excluded from the study. Intervention and comparator In this multi-armed study ionic-iodine polymer complex with 200 mg of elemental iodine will be given using three formulations to evaluate efficacy. Patients will be receiving either encapsulated iodine complex of 200 mg (arm A), iodine complex syrup form 40 ml (arm B), iodine complex throat spray of 2 puffs (arm C) or empty capsule (arm D) as placebo; all three times a day. All the 4 arms will be receiving standard care as per version 3.0 of the clinical management guidelines for COVID-19 established by the Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan. Main outcomes Primary outcomes will be viral clearance with radiological and clinical improvement. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and HRCT chest scans will be done on the admission day and then after every fourth day for 12 days or till the symptoms are resolved. RT-PCR will only be shown as positive or negative while HRCT chest scoring will be done depending on the area and severity of lung involvement [2]. Time taken for the alleviation of symptoms will be calculated by the number of days the patient remained symptomatic. 30-day mortality will be considered as a secondary outcome. Randomisation Stratification for initial COVID-19 status (or days from initial symptoms as a proxy), age groups, gender, baseline severity of symptoms and co-morbidities will be used to ensure that the study arms remain balanced in size for the 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio. Randomization will be done using the lottery method. As patients are being admitted at different times, they will be recruited after obtaining their voluntary written informed consent following all standard protocols of the infection, control and disinfection. Blinding (masking) This is a quadruple (participants, care providers, investigators and outcomes assessors) blinded study where only the study’s Primary Investigator will have information about the arms and their interventions. Numbers to be randomised (sample size) 200 patients will be randomized into four groups with three experimental and one placebo arm. Trial Status Protocol Version Number is 2.3 and it is approved from IRB Shaikh Zayed Hospital with ID SZMC/IRB/Internal0056/2020 on July 14th, 2020. The recruitment is in progress. It was started on July 30, 2020, and the estimated end date for the trial is August 15, 2021. Trial registration Clinical Trial has been retrospectively registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov with registration ID NCT04473261 dated July 16, 2020. Full protocol The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). With the intention of expediting dissemination of this trial, the conventional formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.

The version of Fig. 5 in the initial online publication was incorrect. The original article has been corrected.

Karbon aktif dari ampas tebu sebagai elektroda superkapasitor dengan menggunakan aktivator KOH telah dikarakterisasi dan dipelajari kinerjanya sebagai elektroda superkapasitor. Proses karbonisasi ampas tebu dilakukan pada suhu 300°C selama 3 jam dan dilanjutkan proses aktivasi dengan perbandingan massa karbon dengan KOH 1:3 pada 400°C selama 2 jam. Karbon aktif yang dihasilkan dikarakterisasi menggunakan Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX); Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR); dan Surface Area Analyzer (SAA), sedangkan kinerja dari elektroda superkapasitor dipelajari menggunakan LCR-meter dan multimeter. Hasil karakterisasi menunjukkan bahwa komposisi karbon aktif ampas tebu adalah 62,61% karbon, luas permukaan sebesar 14,1317 m2/g dan rata-rata diameter pori 15,0828 nm yang menunjukkan bahwa karbon aktif ampas tebu didominasi struktur mesopori. Elektroda superkapasitor dirakit dengan metoda plat/sandwich dan memberikan nilai kapasitansi pada ukuran plat elektroda 3x9 cm2, konsentrasi larutan elektrolit H3PO4 0,3 N, dan waktu charging 30 menit dengan frekuensi 100 Hz adalah 12,57 mF dan konduktifitas 1,9218 x 10-6 Ω-1cm-1.

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.

The present study is comparative in natures that focus on understanding the factors that influence the GM food trust level in the BRA framework and food technology neophobia in China and the USA. For this purpose, we collected 300 and 350 valid responses, respectively, through a structured questionnaire. By carefully evaluating the above relationships, we found that trust determinants such as institutional trust, technology trust, information revealed with GM food vary across both datasets. However, GM knowledge has a better association with GM food trust in both cases. Apart from this, the food technology neophobia slightly moderates the benefits-risk perception of consumers and GM trust. This study guides the policymakers to enhance GM knowledge, as GM food is scientifically proven safe for health and environment and can be a financial incentive for the farmers. Further, the study also provides direction for corporate managers to design effective marketing and communication strategies in two different countries by investigating GM food trust’s primary motivators in both nations.

The main focus of this research is to solve certain coefficient-related problems for analytic functions that are subordinated to a unique trigonometric function. For the class Ssin*, with the quantity zf′(z)f(z) subordinated to 1+sinz, we obtain an estimate on the initial coefficient a4 and an upper bound of the third Hankel determinant. For functions in the class BTsin, with f′(z) lie in an eight-shaped domain in the right-half plane, we prove that its upper bound of third Hankel determinant is 116. All the results are proven to be sharp.

High fat intake is associated with various health disorders. Therefore, there have been continued efforts to reduce the fat content in food products and replace it with various fat replacers. In the present study, the effect of black gram (Vigna mungo) flour (BGF) as a fat replacer in biscuits at different concentrations (10, 15, 20, 25, and 50% w/w) was explored. The proximate functional, rheological, microstructural, phytochemical, antioxidant, nutritional, and sensory properties of the flour and biscuits samples were evaluated. The inclusion of BGF in the formulation of biscuit altered dough rheology significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The gluten content of the flour blends decreases with the addition of BGF, while the increased water absorption (145.60–162.24%) increases in the gluten development time, and it was increased from 1.67 min for control (without BGF) to 11.50 min for 50% BGF substitution. Furthermore, the addition of BGF resulted in a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in setback (958–162 cP) and breakdown (7561–894 cP) viscosities. The scanning electron microscopy of biscuits dough elaborated after fat replacement at different levels showing that evenly distribution of starch granule was disrupted, and the gluten matrix was often ruptured. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of flour samples increased from 16.73–177.16 mg Gallic acid/100 g dw and 18.56–421.60 mg Catechin/100 dw, respectively. Baking decreased the TPC, whereas TFC was increased in comparison to flour blends. Similarly, biscuits also showed an increment in their antioxidant activity. The crude fiber and protein contents of BGF-WF (Wheat flour) biscuits improved from 0.21 to 3.01% and 15.20 to 26.85%, respectively. Sensory and textural performance exhibited that the biscuits were acceptable for fat replacement up to 15% BGF. Based on this study, BGF may be promoted and commercialized as a highly antioxidative and nutritive edible flour, which can be prospectively used in the development of natural fat replacers, nutraceuticals, and functional foods. The current approach also enhances the economy of legumes processing industries by providing value to BGFs.