Search

SARS-CoV-2 enters the host cell through the ACE2 receptor and replicates its genome using an RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase (RDRP). The functional RDRP is released from pro-protein pp1ab by the proteolytic activity of Main protease (Mpro) which is encoded within the viral genome. Due to its vital role in proteolysis of viral polyprotein chains, it has become an attractive potential drug target. We employed a hierarchical virtual screening approach to identify small synthetic protease inhibitors. Statistically optimized molecular shape and color-based features (various functional groups) from co-crystal ligands were used to screen different databases through various scoring schemes. Then, the electrostatic complementarity of screened compounds was matched with the most active molecule to further reduce the hit molecules’ size. Finally, five hundred eighty-seven molecules were docked in Mpro catalytic binding site, out of which 29 common best hits were selected based on Glide and FRED scores. Five best-fitting compounds in complex with Mpro were subjected to MD simulations to analyze their structural stability and binding affinities with Mpro using MM/GB(PB)SA models. Modeling results suggest that identified hits can act as the lead compounds for designing better active Mpro inhibitors to enhance the chemical space to combat COVID-19. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Textile industry is a key source of contamination of heavy metal ions in water. These heavy metal ions include lead, cadmium, copper, arsenic, nickel, chromium, zinc, and mercury. These metals have been recognized as hazardous heavy metals because of their high degree of toxicity. Initially, copper was selected to determine the effects of metals present in recycled water during the washing process because of its extensive usage in the textile industry. However, copper becomes a part of process water while manufacturing and even a part of recycled water. Furthermore, recycled water contains such traces of metal that can cause problems during its reuse. In the current research, the presence of copper ions in water was simulated with copper sulphate and the obtained water was used for washing of fabric after reactive dyeing. The effects of salt on washing of three different types of reactive dyes, that is, monochlrotriazine, dichlorotriazine and vinylsulphone were evaluated by washing of dyed fabric. Moreover, evaluation process was achieved with different concentrations of salt at different temperatures, pH values, and time intervals. Besides, K/S, fixation%, color uniformity, color change, washing fastness, and rubbing fastness of samples were measured during evaluation. Results were also compared with detergent and water wash. Eventually, the results showed that copper has a prominent effect on fabric. Hence, it would be possible to allow certain concentrations of copper during the process of washing. Index Terms: cotton, exhaust dyeing, metal ions, reactive dye, recycled water

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the rising problems in the whole world in wild animals. As we know, countries like India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan, etc. are considered the home of many endangered wildlife species like the Asian elephant, Rhinoceros, Markhor, Snow Leopard, and Bengal tiger. These countries carry 44% of the burden of TB in the form of human TB, livestock TB, and wildlife TB. The TB pathogen is having a wide host range, therefore it is of great importance and need of the hour to work under one health concept to construct a composite TB control program in the medical as well as veterinary fields. Moreover, further researches are yet to be made on this challenging arena. Globally, many studies have been conducted to discover the types of tuberculosis in wild animals. Recent studies had declared that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not only the causative agent of tuberculosis in wild animals but other mycobacterium species are also a growing threat. It was demonstrated that a wide variety of mycobacterium strains are present in the whole region, particularly in developing countries pointing out its endemic distribution. Tuberculosis in the free-ranging Rhinoceros in South Africa, Nepal, and Sri Lanka is associated with the M. bovis and M. orygis that also signify the threats of TB in other wild animal species including chances of unknown maintenance host. Some other research has revealed that there is a rising challenge of TB in the elephants too in different countries of the World. Being a major reservoir host of tuberculosis, wildlife has become a conservation and public health challenge all over the World.

The aim of this paper is to show that it is possible to combine language learning withentrepreneurship learning to create an effective, efficient, flexible and creative learningprocess through reference creation. The process of conscious and unconscious learningby activating personal impressions, individual experiences of activated senses andpositive emotions resulting from experiencing successes of trade transactions and earning money while operating as an entrepreneur, is what we refer to as “ReferenceCreation.” T he “ edu- preneurial” method of teaching allows the participants to learn the basicvocabulary of a totally unknown language using an entrepreneurial network set up,which is a very effective because it uses positive emotions combined with activating allsenses to create references in a personal mindset. An authentic dynamic learningenvironment is the context that encompasses the edupreneurial method to providegrounds for conscious and unconscious learning through reference creation. The paperargues the role of specially developed entrepreneurship Lego-game (the simulation game LE Game) to provide an authentic entrepreneurial setting of this kind for languagelearning. The learning method has been tested in several experiments using languagessuch as Chinese, Korean and Hindi. The Korean pilot showed elements of what Illerisrefers as mislearning, Chinese and Hindi showed quite stable results in teaching andlearning the basic vocabulary.

Maize Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is considered an economically important pest and becoming the main threat to food security. This polyphagous pest is widely distributed in various countries of the world especially tropical and subtropical regions. The toxicity of two entomopathogenic fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana were evaluated against 2nd instar larvae of FAW under controlled conditions. The results showed that among tested entomopathogenic fungi, B. bassiana was found more toxic than M. anisopliae. B. bassiana caused 79% larval mortality while M. anisopliae 59%. M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were showed LT50 of 84.01 h and 80.99 h, respectively. M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were showed LC50 of 1.3×107 and 1.8×107 spores ml−1, respectively. The current study concluded that Entomopathogenic fungi can give effective control against early instar and further studies are needed to check the efficacy against older instars under field and laboratory conditions.

Modern era of agriculture is concerned with the environmental influence on crop growth and development. Shading is one of the crucial factors affecting crop growth considerably, which has been neglected over the years. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was aimed to investigate the effects of shading at flowering (S1) and pod development (S2) stages on nitrogen (N) dynamics, carbohydrates and yield of rapeseed. Two rapeseed genotypes (Chuannong and Zhongyouza) were selected to evaluate the effects of shading on 15N trace isotopes, enzymatic activities, dry matter, nitrogen and carbohydrate distribution and their relationship with yield. The results demonstrated that both shading treatments disturbed the nitrogen accumulation and transportation at the maturity stage. It was found that shading induced the downregulation of the N mobilizing enzymes (NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT) in leaves and pods at both developmental stages. Shading at both growth stages resulted in reduced dry matter of both varieties but only S2 exhibited the decline in pod shell and seeds dry weight in both years. Besides this, carbohydrates distribution toward economic organs was declined by S2 treatment and its substantial impact was also experienced in seed weight and seeds number per pod which ultimately decreased the yield in both genotypes. We also revealed that yield is positively correlated with dry matter, nitrogen content and carbohydrates transportation. In contrast to Chuannong, the Zhongyouza genotype performed relatively better under shade stress. Overall, it was noticed that shading at pod developmental stage considerable affected the transportation of N and carbohydrates which led to reduced rapeseed yield as compared to shading at flowering stage. Our study provides basic theoretical support for the management techniques of rapeseed grown under low light regions and revealed the critical growth stage which can be negatively impacted by low light.

Tomato is the second most important vegetable crop consumed globally, by the virtue of its antioxidant-rich phytochemicals and bioactive compounds. Identifying genotypes with high antioxidant capacities and nutritionally rich phytochemicals is imperative for improving human health. The present study aimed to analyze 21 antioxidant and nutritional compounds in 93 geographically diverse, high yielding, better quality, stress tolerant tomato genotypes (hybrids, parental lines, inbred lines, and advanced lines). Significant variation (p < 0.05) was detected for investigated traits among the tested genotypes. Principal component analysis revealed the hybrids NIAB-Jauhar, Iron-lady F1, NBH-258, Ahmar F1, NIAB-Gohar, the parents H-24, B-25, AVTO1080, Astra and AVTO1003, as well as the lines LBR-17, AVTO1315, AVTO1311 and Lyp-1 revealed superior performance for the traits such as chlorophylls, lycopene, total carotenoids, total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status, protease, alpha-amylase and total flavonoid content. Whereas the hybrids Surkhail F1, NBH-204, NBH-229, NBH-151, NBH-196, NBH-152, NBH-261, NBH-228, NIAB-Jauhar, NBH-256 and NBH-255, the lines 21354, AVTO1315, Newcherry, LA4097, AVTO1311 and UAF-1 together with the parents Naqeeb, NCEBR-5, M-82 and LBR-10 exhibited significant contribution to the traits such as total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, malondialdehyde, ascorbic acid, esterase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. Moreover, the semi-determinate and determinate tomato genotypes together with the categories parent and line with positive factor scores of 3.184, 0.015, 0.325 and 0.186 in PC- I, exhibited better performance for the trait such as total chlorophylls, lycopene, total carotenoids, total oxidant status, protease, alpha-amylase, total antioxidant capacity, esterase and total flavonoid content. Whereas again the semi-determinate and indeterminate tomato genotypes along with the category hybrid with positive factor scores of 2.619, 0.252 and 0.114 in PC- II, exhibited better performance for the traits such as total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, chlorophyll b, malondialdehyde content, ascorbic acid, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Hybrid vigor was observed in the hybrids for investigated traits. The aforementioned tomato genotypes showing outstanding performance in the respective traits can be exploited in the breeding programs to improve nutritional quality of tomato that can further improve human health.

The study is based on using SeDeM expert system in developing controlled-release tramadol HCl osmotic tablets and its in-silico physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling for in-vivo pharmacokinetic evaluation. A Quality by Design (QbD) based approach in developing SeDEM-driven full factorial osmotic drug delivery was applied. A 24 Full-factorial design was used to make the trial formulations of tramadol HCl osmotic tablets using NaCl as osmogen, Methocel K4M as rate controlling polymer, and avicel pH 101 as diluent. The preformulation characteristics of formulations (F1-F16) were determined by applying SeDeM Expert Tool. The formulation was optimized followed by in-vivo predictive pharmacokinetic assessment using PBPK “ACAT” model of GastroPlus™. The FTIR results showed no interaction among the ingredients. The index of good compressibility (ICG) values of all trial formulation blends were ≥5, suggesting direct compression is the best-suited method. Formulation F3 and F4 were optimized based on drug release at 2, 10, and 16 h with a zero-order kinetic release (r2 = 0.992 and 0.994). The SEM images confirmed micropores formation on the surface of the osmotic tablet after complete drug release. F3 and F4 were also stable (shelf life 29.41 and 23.46 months). The in vivo simulation of the pharmacokinetics of the PBPK in-silico model revealed excellent relative bioavailability of F3 and F4 with reference to tramadol HCl 50 mg IR formulations. The SeDeM expert tool was best utilized to evaluate the compression characteristics of selected formulation excipients and their blends for direct compression method in designing once-daily osmotically controlled-release tramadol HCl tablets. The in-silico GastroPlus™ PBPK modeling provided a thorough pharmacokinetic assessment of the optimized formulation as an alternative to tramadol HCl in vivo studies.

Zinc (Zn), which is regarded as a crucial micronutrient for plants, and is considered to be a vital micronutrient for plants. Zn has a significant role in the biochemistry and metabolism of plants owing to its significance and toxicity for biological systems at specific Zn concentrations, i.e., insufficient or harmful above the optimal range. It contributes to several cellular and physiological activities of plants and promotes plant growth, development, and yield. Zn is an important structural, enzymatic, and regulatory component of many proteins and enzymes. Consequently, it is essential to understand the interplay and chemistry of Zn in soil, its absorption, transport, and the response of plants to Zn deficiency, as well as to develop sustainable strategies for Zn deficiency in plants. Zn deficiency appears to be a widespread and prevalent issue in crops across the world, resulting in severe production losses that compromise nutritional quality. Considering this, enhancing Zn usage efficiency is the most effective strategy, which entails improving the architecture of the root system, absorption of Zn complexes by organic acids, and Zn uptake and translocation mechanisms in plants. Here, we provide an overview of various biotechnological techniques to improve Zn utilization efficiency and ensure the quality of crop. In light of the current status, an effort has been made to further dissect the absorption, transport, assimilation, function, deficiency, and toxicity symptoms caused by Zn in plants. As a result, we have described the potential information on diverse solutions, such as root structure alteration, the use of biostimulators, and nanomaterials, that may be used efficiently for Zn uptake, thereby assuring sustainable agriculture.

The core objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of baking/frying times and temperatures on the formation of acrylamide in bakery, snack, and fried products such as biscuits, muffins, pizza, cakes, samosa, paratha rolls, nuggets, and potato cutlets during baking/frying at different times and temperature conditions. First of all, the raw material, especially flour, was tested for its proximate composition and rheological characteristics. The quantification of acrylamide produced during the processing of different products was carried out through the HPLC method. A sensory evaluation of these food samples was also carried out to find out the acceptability differences. The raw material was found to have good rheological properties and proximate composition. The results revealed that different times and temperature regimes influenced the formation of acrylamide in those products. Among the bakery products, the highest concentrations of acrylamide were observed in biscuits (126.52 μg/kg) followed by muffins (84.24 μg/kg), cake (71.21 μg/kg), and pizza (62.42 μg/kg). The higher contents of acrylamide were found in paratha roll (165.92 μg/kg) compared to samosa (100.43 μg/kg), whereas among snacks, potato cutlets (135.71 μg/kg) showed higher concentrations than nuggets (43.04 μg/kg). It was observed that baking or frying all the investigated products at higher temperatures produced slightly more acrylamide concentrations. The prepared products in the present study were also accepted sensorially by the panel of judges. So, it was concluded that baking or frying at higher temperatures resulted in higher concentrations of acrylamide compounds in different products in the present study.

Work stress adversely affects individual and organizational performance. This paper aims at investigating the perceived stress among the employees of textile industry employees and how the employees’ perceived stress level (EPSL) is linked with different demographic variables. Data was collected from 1212 employees working in 23 export-based textile organizations using primarily Sheldon Cohen’s PSS-10. Descriptive analysis, t-tests, and ANOVA-tests were performed to achieve the objectives of the study. 70% of the participants were found to be undergoing stress amongst 21% were in the severe level of stress while 40% in higher level. The demographic variables: gender, marital status, salary, position, job experience, family size, and size of the organization, were found to have significant effect on the perceived stress levels. The study revealed numbers of variables (demographic) that directly or indirectly affect the employees’ perceived stress level (EPSL). There is a need to understand the complexity of stress phenomenon using a proactive approach, so that the stress management and interventions strategies can be designed to be effective and implemented accordingly. Findings of this research support the research community in an attempt to unfold complexity of stress phenomenon and study results can be utilized as a job design guideline for more acceptable and viable stress management interventions.

This paper presents a design of multi-axis tactile force sensor using the fringe effect of an electric field between stationary patterned electrodes. The unique configuration of the electrodes consisting of four separate square-shaped sensing electrodes, with each encircled by excitation electrodes, allows to achieve enhanced fringe field effect and hence sensitivity. The proposed sensor can decouple the normal, shear and angular shear applied forces. The sensor is fabricated using low-cost rapid prototyping techniques with flexible Ecoflex 00–30 and silicone rubber RTV-528 as the elastomers for contact with the environment. An analytical model is developed that correlates the nominal capacitance of the sensor with that of the geometric dimensions of the stationary electrodes and air cavity height between the electrodes and elastomer. The force measurement ranges in the normal, shear, and angular axis are 5 N, 1.5 N, and 1 N respectively. The sensor shows a perfectly linear response, repeatability, and a low hysteresis error, thermal stability and robustness to the environmental interferences that makes it suitable to be used for force feedback in minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Sustainable Development Agenda is gaining importance, acknowledging its importance right adaptation of interventions for housing regarding vector-borne disease prevention as suggested by “Keeping the Vector Out” can make cities and human settlements vector-proof and sustainable.Objective: To assess community perceptions regarding chikungunya vector-proof housing for sustainable development. MethodS: Descriptive cross-sectional study included 400 households of Aziz Bhatti Town, Lahore. A semi-structured questionnaire administered by personal interview method to the available and willing adult member of the household by Researcher with the environmental inspector and lady sanitary patrol of Dengue and Polio survey teams of DDO office Aziz Bhatti Town Lahore, using simple random sampling technique after consent and ethical approval. The questionnaire was pre-tested (Pilot). Data analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Among 400 households interviewed, the majority 69.7% were living in houses that were built >9 years ago, 86.8 % were concrete. Climatic change and global warming can increase disease carried by mosquito AedesAegypti believed by 90.2 % and their impact can be mitigated by improved housing reported by 91.5%. Regarding community perceptions about vector-proof housing, 74.6% believed that improved house design can prevent entry and breeding of mosquitoes therefore, 86.3% screened windows doors and eaves, 83.0% believed that they always checked cracks and crevices in the wall, floor and roof and cemented them. But 58.7% believed that they do not consider mosquito prevention housing interventions as one of the important factors when constructing their house as among barriers 73.5% could not afford modern building materials, 73.5% lack detailed knowledge and 13.8% thought screening as an obstruction to ventilation. Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika disease are spread by Aedes mosquito species believed by 78% who (agreed and strongly agreed) still 81.8% urged for health education regarding chikungunya vector proof housing.Conclusion: Housing improvement can mitigate the impacts of climatic change and vector-borne disease. But health program planners need to identify and facilitate the removal of barriers for adoption of Vector proof housing.

Additional file 1: Supplementary information. Text S1: Calculation of the C allocation. Text S2: FTICR-MS sample preparation. Text S3: Isopycnic density gradient centrifugation and quantitative PCR. Text S4: Amplicon high-throughput sequencing data processing. Text S5: Metagenome sequencing and data processing. Text S6: Detailed information about data analyses. Figure S1: Assessment of labeling, centrifugation, and sequencing. Figure S2: The relational dendrograms of rhizodeposits. Figure S3: Relative abundance of peanut rhizodeposits. Figure S4: Correlations between the relative abundance of main categories of peanut rhizodeposits. Figure S5: Species composition of active bacterial communities. Figure S6: Correlation between belowground carbon allocation and species richness of active bacteria. Figure S7: Significantly different bacterial genera between P1 and P5 treatments. Figure S8: Random Forest model determining the key factors affecting the biodiversity of active rhizosphere microbiome. Figure S9: Mantel test investigating the relationship between microbial structure and changes in soil physicochemical properties. Figure S10: Correlation between potential transformations and concentration of peanut rhizodeposits. Figure S11: Principal coordinate analysis on the functional potentials of active bacterial communities. Figure S12: Mantel test investigating the relationship between functional potentials of active bacterial communities and rhizodeposits composition and changes in soil physicochemical properties. Figure S13: Correlations between relative abundance of abundant differential KO functional categories and soil physicochemical properties. Figure S14: Correlation between relative abundance of differential KEGG pathways and biodiversity of active bacteria, chemodiversity of rhizodeposits, and relative abundance of main categories of rhizodeposits. Table S1: Physicochemical properties of experimental soils. Table S2: The PERMANOVA investigating the structural difference of bacterial community in different CsCl buoyant density gradient of DNA fractions. Table S3: Detailed information about primers and PCR conditions. Table S4: Data size of metagenome sequences. Table S5: Two-way ANOVA investigating the factors affecting the belowground photosynthesized C allocation, chemodiversity and potential transformations of peanut rhizodeposits. Table S6: Correlations between belowground C allocation and plant and soil physicochemical properties. Table S7: Correlations between soil physicochemical properties and rhizodeposits chemodiversity. Table S8: Two-way PERMANOVA investigating the factors affecting the composition of rhizodeposits and structure of the active bacterial community in the peanut rhizosphere.

We investigate the use of Android permissions as the vehicle to allow for quick and effective differentiation between benign and malware apps. To this end, we extract all Android permissions, eliminating those that have zero impact, and apply two feature ranking algorithms namely Chi-Square test and Fisher's Exact test to rank and additionally filter them, resulting in a comparatively small set of relevant permissions. Then we use Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest Classifier algorithms to detect malware apps. Our analysis indicates that this approach can result in better accuracy and F-score value than other reported approaches. In particular, when random forest is used as the classifier with the combination of Fisher's Exact test, we achieve 99.34\% in accuracy and 92.17\% in F-score with the false positive rate of 0.56\% for the dataset in question, with results improving to 99.82\% in accuracy and 95.28\% in F-score with the false positive rate as low as 0.05\% when only malware from three most popular malware families are considered.

Water is the main factor for the healthy life of plant. One of the main negative effects of climate change is the increasing scarcity of water that is lethal for plant. Globally, for water deficit regions (arid and semi-arid), drought is the main factor responsible for low production of agriculture, especially for cotton. Great efforts have been and are being made to find alternatives to water saving practices. This study aimed to examine the effects of partial rhizosphere drying (PRD, half of the root system irrigated at one event, and the other half irrigated in the next event, and so on) with and/or without various mulching treatments on physiological and biochemical traits of cotton. To explore this objective, we laid out experiments in completely randomized design with factorial arrangement in the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan in 2016. Two factors included were four mulching treatments (M0, no mulching; M1, black plastic mulching; M2, wheat straw mulching; and M3, cotton sticks mulching) and two irrigation levels (I0, control (full irrigation); and I1, PRD). Fisher’s analysis of variance among means of treatments was compared using least significant difference test at 5% probability level. Results revealed that the maximum plant height, leaf area, leaf gas exchange (photosynthetic rate and stomata conductance), chlorophyll, proline and total sugar contents, and enzyme activities were higher under M2 than under other three mulching treatments. As for irrigation levels, higher values of plant height, photosynthesis and water related parameters (leaf water potential, leaf osmotic potential, leaf turgor potential, etc.) were recorded. Contents of total sugar and proline and activities of antioxidant enzymes were significantly higher in PRD-treated plants than in control plants. It was concluded that combined application of PRD and mulching was more effective than the rest of the treatments used in the experiment. Similar study can be conducted in the field by applying irrigation water in alternate rows in semi-arid regions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly advocated health systems' preparedness for effective management of crisis situations globally for more than two decades. Pakistan is known for its high vulnerability to hazards and lack of coping and adaptive capabilities. Health systems' preparedness for locales with such high-risk profile is essential, yet there is a dearth of studies addressing the status of such preparedness in the country.This study aimed to assess the status of preparedness of health-system components for crisis management in the most disaster prone districts of Pakistan.A purposive sample of 12 of the most disaster prone districts in two provinces of Pakistan was evaluated for preparedness using the WHO's toolkit for assessing health-system capacity for crisis management. Six core functions of the Health Systems Framework, with a total of 229 indicators, were evaluated at the district management as well as secondary and tertiary health care facilities level. Proportions of indicators prepared were calculated and preparedness was classified as Acceptable (≥ 66%), Partial (36-65%) or Inadequate (≤ 35%).Seventy-two percent, 95% Confidence Interval [46.0, 90.0] of indicators in these most vulnerable districts were evaluated as partially or inadequately prepared for appropriate management of crises. Even the highest scoring core function, Leadership and Governance was partially prepared with a score of 53.6% (52.4, 54.9). Process elements were found to be less prepared compared with structure components.Federal level strategic planning, implementation, management and follow-up aimed at ensuring health-systems' preparedness need to be reviewed and strengthened.تأهب النظام الصحي في باكستان لإدارة الأزمات: دراسة تقييمية مقطعية.ضياء الحق، بشارات حسين شاه، محمد أرداكاني، سعيد أكبر خان، سليم محمد، سعيد فاروق، ساردار حيات خان، قدسية هدى.أيدت منظمة الصحة العالمية بشدة تأهب النُظُم الصحية لإدارة الأزمات بفاعلية على مستوى العالم لما يزيد عن عقدين من الزمن. وتُعرف باكستان بقابلية تعرضها المرتفعة للمخاطر وعدم توافر القدرة على التصدي لها والتكيف. ويعد تأهب النُظُم الصحية في الأماكن ذات المرتسم مرتفع المخاطر ضروريًا، ومع ذلك تندر الدراسات التي تتناول حالة هذا التأهب في البلد.هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى تقييم حالة تأهب عناصر النظام الصحي لإدارة الأزمات في أكثر المناطق المعرضة للكوارث في باكستان.تم تقييم عينة مقصودة ضمت 12 من أكثر المناطق المعرضة للكوارث في محافظتين بباكستان من حيث التأهب، باستخدام مجموعة أدوات منظمة الصحة العالمية لتقييم قدرة النظام الصحي على إدارة الأزمات. كما جرى تقييم الوظائف الأساسية الستة لإطار عمل النُظُم الصحية، بما يشتمل على 229 مؤشرًا، على مستوى إدارة الأزمات بالمناطق المحددة وعلى مستوى مرافق الرعاية الصحية الثانوية والثالثية. وتم حساب نسب المؤشرات من حيث التأهب، وتم تصنيف التأهب على أنه مقبول (≥ 66 %) أو جزئي (36 – 65 %) أو غير كافٍ (≤ 35 %).تم تقييم اثنين وسبعين بالمائة، فاصل الثقة ٩٥ % = (٤٦٫٠٩٠٫٠ = CI) من المؤشرات في هذه المناطق الأكثر عرضة للخطر على أنها تتمتع بالتأهب الجزئي أو غير الكافي لإدارة الأزمات بشكل مناسب. حتى في الوظيفة الأساسية الأعلى نقاطًا، تعد القيادة والحوكمة متأهبة جزئيًا بعدد نقاط [٩ ٫ ٤ ٥ ٫ ٤ ٫ ٢ ٥] % ٦ ، ٣ ٥. ووُجِدَ أن عناصر العملية أقل تأهبًا مقارنة بعناصر الهيكل.يجب استعراض وتعزيز التخطيط الاستراتيجي على المستوى الاتحادي، والتنفيذ، والإدارة، والمتابعة التي تهدف إلى ضمان تأهب النُظُم الصحية.Préparation du système de santé pakistanais à la gestion de crise : étude transversale.Depuis plus de deux décennies, l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) recommande vivement que les systèmes de santé soient prêts à gérer efficacement les situations de crise à l’échelle mondiale. Le Pakistan est connu pour son importante vulnérabilité face aux risques et pour son manque de capacités de réaction et d’adaptation. La préparation des systèmes de santé dans les zones présentant un profil de risque élevé est essentielle. On observe cependant que très peu d’études sont consacrées à l’état de cette préparation dans le pays.La présente étude avait pour objet d’évaluer l’état de préparation des composantes du système de santé pour la gestion de crise dans les districts du Pakistan les plus exposés aux catastrophes.Un échantillon choisi à dessein de 12 des districts les plus exposés aux catastrophes dans deux provinces du Pakistan a été évalué pour ce qui concerne la préparation, à l’aide des outils de l’OMS destinés à évaluer la capacité du système de santé en matière de gestion de crise. Six fonctions essentielles du cadre des systèmes de santé, comprenant un total de 229 indicateurs, ont été évaluées, au niveau de la gestion par les districts ainsi que par les établissements de soins de santé secondaires et tertiaires. Les indicateurs pris en compte exprimés en proportions ont été calculés afin d’évaluer le niveau de préparation considéré comme étant acceptable (≥ 66 %), partiel (36–65 %) ou insuffisant (≤ 35 %).Soixante-douze pour cent (intervalle de confiance à 95 % = 46,0, 90,0) des indicateurs dans ces districts les plus vulnérables présentaient un niveau de préparation partiel ou insuffisant pour assurer une gestion appropriée des crises. Même la fonction essentielle, Leadership et Gouvernance, dont le score était le plus élevé, présentait un niveau de préparation partielle, avec un résultat de 53,6 % [52,4, 54,9]. L’étude a montré que le niveau de préparation des éléments de processus était moindre que celui des composantes de structure.Au niveau fédéral, la planification stratégique, la mise en oeuvre, la gestion et le suivi visant à assurer la préparation des systèmes de santé doivent être révisés et renforcés.

The rapid generation of large amounts of information about the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the disease COVID-19 makes it increasingly difficult to gain a comprehensive overview of current insights related to the disease. With this work, we aim to support the rapid access to a comprehensive data source on COVID-19 targeted especially at researchers. Our knowledge graph, CovidPubGraph, an RDF knowledge graph of scientific publications, abides by the Linked Data and FAIR principles. The base dataset for the extraction is CORD-19, a dataset of COVID-19-related publications, which is updated regularly. Consequently, CovidPubGraph is updated biweekly. Our generation pipeline applies named entity recognition, entity linking and link discovery approaches to the original data. The current version of CovidPubGraph contains 268,108,670 triples and is linked to 9 other datasets by over 1 million links. In our use case studies, we demonstrate the usefulness of our knowledge graph for different applications. CovidPubGraph is publicly available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Introduction: Till date, no proven therapy exists for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), though different types of treatment modalities are being practiced around the world. Different studies regarding Convalescent Plasma (CP) therapy from COVID-19 recovered donors have shown favorable results with fewer adverse consequences. In this systematic review, we aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of CP as a therapy for COVID-19. Methods and Materials: The English language databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were searched up to 22 May 2020. Eligibility for inclusion, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction from the included studies were determined and a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: A total of 12 studies were selected for review. The overall risks of bias were moderate to high. The results revealed significance in the initiation of CP therapy during the early stages of viremia from a safety and efficacy viewpoint. The patients also received concomitant drugs and other supportive therapies in most cases. Some cases of mortality were reported in 3 studies. Viral loads were documented to decrease and become negative in 8 studies within 3-26 days post-transfusion. The improvement in clinical symptoms following CP therapy was demonstrated in 9 studies. Most of the patients experienced very few adverse effects. Conclusions: The rational practice of CP therapy based on a risk-benefit judgment can prove to be an efficacious therapeutic option as a last resort until the approval of any therapeutic and/or prophylactic agent(s). The substantial randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are necessary to validate the effectiveness of such therapy.

Codeswitching in the context of single or multiple conversations has been a myth for language experts. Matrix language framework (MLF) model proposed by Myers Scotton (1993) has become very popular for the analysis of language pairs, and is influential in determining matrix language in different language pairs. The aim of this study is to identify matrix and embedded language in Urdu-English data sets of health and science theme. MLF model is applied to an original article on Covid-19. Data sets include language pairs from a published article on the nature of coronavirus. A qualitative design was followed to arrange data sets, language pairs were identified, transcribed and coded carefully according to the Canonical Trilinear Representation. Three layers of data with the first layer of roman Urdu, the second layer of gloss and the third layer of English translation were further analyzed syntactically and morphosyntactically to show how they grammatically occur in the bilingual complementiser phrases. The findings of this study reveal that code-switching was permissible even when it led to structural asymmetry. English insertions received different Urdu markers of gender and number wherever required. Urdu adjectives played a significant role in realizing nouns. Some data sets allowed English insertions without Urdu markers. Moreover, the data supported matrix language frame, morpheme order principle and system morpheme principle and no counter example appeared against MLF model. Thus, the present study is a significant contribution in the related area.

Machine learning algorithms have enabled computers to predict things by learning from previous data. The data storage and processing power are increasing rapidly, thus increasing machine learning and Artificial intelligence applications. Much of the work is done to improve the accuracy of the models built in the past, with little research done to determine the computational costs of machine learning acquisitions. In this paper, I will proceed with this later research work and will make a performance comparison of multi-threaded machine learning clustering algorithms. I will be working on Linear Regression, Random Forest, and K-Nearest Neighbors to determine the performance characteristics of the algorithms as well as the computation costs to the obtained results. I will be benchmarking system hardware performance by running these multi-threaded algorithms to train and test the models on a dataset to note the differences in performance matrices of the algorithms. In the end, I will state the best performing algorithms concerning the performance efficiency of these algorithms on my system., Comment: The research paper consists of seven pages and contains twenty nine figures

It has been suggested that it is more common than the foremost depression. It has been identified recently that a biggest reason of disability in persons living in under progressed or mounting states is the foremost mood swings. Mood swings are of two types foremost and small. These two cases cause the variation in behavior. The foremost depression is found about 17% cases. It mainly caught females as compared to males. Females are two times more vulnerable to foremost depression as compared to males. The small depression is not well known because of lack of investigation on it. It has various standards of its identification. Small depression is not so harmful. It is less severe than he foremost mood swings. Nonetheless, small mood changes have a strong relationship with disability in comparison with foremost mood swings. The major indications associated with foremost and small mood variations are mental or emotional treatment, chemical drugs for treatment and other somatic therapies. The reactions of various therapies on the depression are different in different examination. 50% mood swings can react successfully against emotional therapy or compounds which revered the effects of depression. The patients who did not react better against various treatments are encountered to more treatment. They persistent to express indications if they are not fully cured. These unresponsive cases are then cured with adjunctive therapy or substitute management stratagem. Keywords: Mood; Depression; Estradiol ; Perimenopause, Ovarian aging.

The pandemic of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), the causative agent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a public health emergency of the international concern. The majority of the population is exhibiting signs and symptoms similar to the flu and common cold. Despite that, alveolar damage result in progressive lung failure has also been reported. Although COVID-19 has been reported principally to affect the respiratory system, other system"s involvement has also been reported. Cardiovascular involvement has also been underlined in the literature. Cardiovascular involvement in SARS-COV-2 usually corresponds to three situations: (a) cardiac manifestation of the acute coronary syndrome, (b) cardiovascular manifestations of COVID19 in myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest (c) cardiac manifestation in patients with comorbidities. The actual disease pathogenesis is unknown; however, direct viral invasion to cardiomyocyte, inflammation of cardiomyocyte due to cytokine and inflammatory markers, activation of the complement system, and lung injury from the virus causing hypoxia leading to oxidative stress, increased oxygen demand, and myocyte injury. Patients with cardiac involvement usually experience a wide range of signs and symptoms such as dyspnea, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diaphoresis, hypercapnia, tachypnea, and elevation in cardiac biomarkers. The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has become a unique challenge for the cardiologist. Various renal manifestations have been observed and reported in many cases, and even renal features may precede the classical respiratory signs and symptoms. In this review, we have summarized the information from published literature including, case reports and open-source data sets, to describe the spectrum of cardiovascular manifestation and complication observed in COVID-19 cases

Objective: To assess the awareness of dengue fever among newly admitted first-year MBBS students of medical college. Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional study Study & duration: In the Central Park Medical College, Lahore for six-months duration from November 2019 to April 2020. Material & method: 134 students of the first year of MBBS were enrolled for the study. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The data was entered and cleaned up in the SPSS 19 statistical package. The data is presented in the form of tables and graphs. Results: It was observed that few respondents knew that there were four types of dengue fever, quite a large number knew about the causative agent. The incubation period was well known to the students. The vector of the disease is known by a good number; however, half of the students rightly called the species aedes aegypti. As for the time of transmission of the disease students were aware that it was mainly early dawn and students were aware of the fact that the breeding sites of female aedes aegypti mosquitoes are stagnant water sites. Respondents' knowledge of the clinical picture, complications and diagnosis of dengue fever also has a high percentage. Conclusion: Medical students had the highest ability to acquire knowledge and this can be reflected in changing practices. Changes in knowledge were greater than changes in practice, reflecting the fact that these changes take more time and require sustainable education. Closing the knowledge-practice gap will remain an important challenge for dengue control, as well as the setting of dynamic ae reduction targets. aegypti population. Keywords: Dengue, Student research, Mosquito control, Students, Open questionnaire

A large number of deaths throughout the world occur because of depression. The depression is more common in females as compared to males. The chances of deaths in females are 2 times more than the males because of depression. The initiation of indications for pause in menstrual cycle until menopause is the best time for depression in females. The variation in the hormonal level causes the changes in the temper. The age of the female in which she is more affected from swings in temper are the time period before menopause and the menopausal evolution etc. The health findings of the masses reflect how much menopausal evolution affects the variation in moods. In US a study examined the duration of development in males and females. It has been described in this study that each year 1.5 million females reached to the condition of menopause every year. Keywords: Analysis, Regulation, Mood Swings, Menopausal Time. &nbsp

Additional file 1. Raw data representing the antispasmodic, Ca++ antagonist and spasmodic effects of the crude extract of E. hirta and its fractions on naïve and spasmogen challenged [low (20 mM) and high (80 mM) K+] isolated rabbit jejunum and naïve rat ileum.

We argue that "Question Answering with Knowledge Base" and "Question Answering over Linked Data" are currently two instances of the same problem, despite one explicitly declares to deal with Linked Data. We point out the lack of existing methods to evaluate question answering on datasets which exploit external links to the rest of the cloud or share common schema. To this end, we propose the creation of new evaluation settings to leverage the advantages of the Semantic Web to achieve AI-complete question answering., Comment: Position paper, THE Workshop @ ISWC 2018

Based on Semantic Web technologies, knowledge graphs help users to discover information of interest by using live SPARQL services. Answer-seekers often examine intermediate results iteratively and modify SPARQL queries repeatedly in a search session. In this context, understanding user behaviors is critical for effective intention prediction and query optimization. However, these behaviors have not yet been researched systematically at the SPARQL session level. This paper reveals secrets of session-level user search behaviors by conducting a comprehensive investigation over massive real-world SPARQL query logs. In particular, we thoroughly assess query changes made by users w.r.t. structural and data-driven features of SPARQL queries. To illustrate the potentiality of our findings, we employ an application example of how to use our findings, which might be valuable to devise efficient SPARQL caching, auto-completion, query suggestion, approximation, and relaxation techniques in the future., Comment: 18 pages. Accepted by ISWC 2020

The main objective of the study is to analysis of associated risk factors of surgical infection in obstetrics among females in Pakistan. This cross sectional study was conducted in BVH, Bahawalpur during March 2019 to October 2019. The data include all those women who delivered baby through C-section or by normal delivery. The socio-demographic values of the patients indicated that these are dependent factors and SSI are also depend upon these values. Socio demographic variable had no significant association with SSIs except age, those women age less than nineteen years were three times risk of developing surgical site infection as compare to those age range 20–34. It is concluded that surgical site infection rate become high among young age women as compared to old age women. Duration of surgery and wound healing are not a dependent factor these are independent factors because it is not related to SSI.

Objective:The main aim of this study was to find the incidence of Rheumatoid arthritis related presentation of different types of anemia and their evaluation. Type of study:It is a cross sectional study. Place and duration of study:This study was carried out in a duration of 9 months from February 2018 to October 2018 in rheumatology department of Fatima Memorial Hospital Lahore. Materials and Methods:A total of 100 patients were selected among which 50 were diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis and 50 had no problem and they were taken as control cases. 50 cases which were diagnosed with RA included both males and females. Informed consent was taken from all the patients who were willing to take part in this study. The patients who had chronic co-morbidities like liver diseases, renal failure, severe lung diseases or any malignancy were excluded from the study. Results:Among all the patients who had RA anemia was seen in 60% of the patients and 40% of the patients demonstrated no signs of anemia as shown by the Hb, PCB, RBC values which were significantly reduced in rheumatoid arthritis associated anemia as compared to the ones who had no signs of anemia. In RA associated anemia MCH levels were significantly reduced as compared to non-anemic rheumatoid arthritis patients while normal values were seen for MCHC and MCV. Reduced levels of serum ferritin were seen in 7 patients who had anemia associated with RA while 23 patients had normal levels of ferritin. 23% of the patients of RA had iron deficiency anemia while anemia of chronic disease was found in 77% of the patients. Conclusion:Two types of anemia are associated with RA. 1- Iron deficiency anemia 2- Anemia of chronic disease According to the stats anemia of chronic disease is more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Hypospadias Hypospadias is a formative irregularity, coming about because of strange advancement of male outside genitalia bringing about the unusual position of outer meatus on the ventral side of penis rather than tip and ventrally insufficient prepuce with hooded skin on the dorsal surface of glans. Its most basic male outer genitalia deformity following cryptorchidism. Hypospadias is an overall male outside genitalia formative issue. Any outside manufactured simple of estrogen or different ecological poisons, toxins, pesticides, bug sprays and numerous otherrural and mechanical synthetic concoctions may act to disturb the endocrinological balance prompting hypospadias. Numerous qualities have been recognized yet these all demonstration additively and no single quality was discovered in charge of hypospadias. All elements which influence maternal wellbeing adversely are additionally connected with hypospadias. Adjusted eating regimen, evasion of any agrarian and mechanical synthetic concoctions and the superfluous hormonal enhancement may lessen the danger of hypospadias in numerous ladies. All around oversaw twin pregnancy and higher different incubation, diminishing the danger of placental inadequacy and its different indications by medicinal moves, pre-origination folate and multivitamin supplementation and evasion of any estrogenic nourishment like soya and astrict veggie lover diet which may contain exogenous estrogen may decrease the probability of hypospadias in young men of these ladies. Shirking of nuts, oilseeds, soya, oats, handled sustenances and bread which contains phytoestrogens may likewise lessen the hazard. Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and citrus organic products decline the dimension of estrogen in the body by clearing it from liver and kidney thus ought to be taken. Truth be told, hypospadias is a multifactorial ecological and hereditary formative irregularity, which might be counteracted by previously mentioned ways and in an extensive extent of cases is sporadic. Keywords: Formative issue, hypospadias, etiological, detailed review, male outside genitalia.

Seropositivity for Hepatitis B virus (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human Immune Deficiency virus (HIV) and Syphilis are of the highest public health concern. Transfusion of contaminated blood is one of the major causes of spread of blood borne diseases. Objective: To find out the seroprevalence of blood borne pathogens among the healthy blood donors in Lahore, Pakistan. Method: The sample size was of 1674 healthy blood donors. The selection of blood donors was based upon pre-established criteria of body weight, hemoglobin and interviewing about their previous medical and donation history. Venous blood was collected from each blood donor for testing of HBsAg, HIV, HCV and syphilis through Immunochromatography (ICT) method. Results: Seventy-seven (77) out of total 1674 blood donors were found positive for different blood borne diseases. Eighteen (23.38%) out of total 77 were found positive for HBsAg, followed by 38 (49%) for HCV, 2 (2.6%) for HIV and 19 (25%) for syphilis. Blood group A+ was observed the most prevalent donors and the overall incidence of blood borne pathogens was found significantly high in this blood group. The prevalence of HCV was high (31.6%) between the age group of 26-33 years, whereas the incidence of Syphilis (47.4%) and HBsAg (61.1%) were considerably high between the 18-25 years of ages. Results indicated the overall 4.6% prevalence of different infectious diseases with varying frequency among healthy blood donors and statistically there was no association of infectious diseases found with blood groups. Conclusion: The stringent selection and complete screening of donor’s blood using standard methods (good quality ICT test kits), which were highly suggested to make sure the safety of blood for the recipient as well as donor. Seropositivity for Hepatitis B virus (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human Immune Deficiency virus (HIV) and Syphilis are of the highest public health concern. Transfusion of contaminated blood is one of the major causes of spread of blood borne diseases. Objective: To find out the seroprevalence of blood borne pathogens among the healthy blood donors in Lahore, Pakistan. Method: The sample size was of 1674 healthy blood donors. The selection of blood donors was based upon pre-established criteria of body weight, hemoglobin and interviewing about their previous medical and donation history. Venous blood was collected from each blood donor for testing of HBsAg, HIV, HCV and syphilis through Immunochromatography (ICT) method. Results: Seventy-seven (77) out of total 1674 blood donors were found positive for different blood borne diseases. Eighteen (23.38%) out of total 77 were found positive for HBsAg, followed by 38 (49%) for HCV, 2 (2.6%) for HIV and 19 (25%) for syphilis. Blood group A+ was observed the most prevalent donors and the overall incidence of blood borne pathogens was found significantly high in this blood group. The prevalence of HCV was high (31.6%) between the age group of 26-33 years, whereas the incidence of Syphilis (47.4%) and HBsAg (61.1%) were considerably high between the 18-25 years of ages. Results indicated the overall 4.6% prevalence of different infectious diseases with varying frequency among healthy blood donors and statistically there was no association of infectious diseases found with blood groups. Conclusion: The stringent selection and complete screening of donor’s blood using standard methods (good quality ICT test kits), which were highly suggested to make sure the safety of blood for the recipient as well as donor.

Cotton Leaf Curl Disease (CLCuD) is one of the threatening constrains of cotton production in Pakistan for which no adequate remedy is available until now. Local variety of Gossypium hirsutum (FH-142) was grown in field and infected naturally by CLCuV under variable range of temperature and humidity. Plants showed thickening of veins in lower leaf surface at 34?C and 60% relative humidity at 15days post infection (dpi) and curling of leaf margins at 33?C with 58% relative humidity at 30dpi. Remarkable leaf darkening was observed with reduced boll formation at 45dpi at 26?C and 41% relative humidity. Enation developed, severe thickening and curling of leaves intensified and plants showed dwarf growth at 60dpi at 24?C with 52% relative humidity. PCR amplification of Rep associated gene confirmed the presence of CLCuD-associated begomovirus in the infected samples. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the amplification and differential expression of a number of pathogen stress responsive genes at different levels of temperature and humidity. This observation predicts that Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV) interacts with several host genes that are upregulated to make plants susceptible or suppress other genes to overcome host defense responses.

The utilization of carbon and glass fiber composites is very extensive in the fields of aviation and automobiles. The strength to weight fraction of these composites is immense. Even though, the modern applications require a lot of improvement in strength. The addition of Nano fillers had brought about significant changes in mechanical properties of the composites. The present work aims at finding out the effects on mechanical properties of composites due to the addition of titanium oxide 10% + silicon dioxide 10% hybrid filler. Hand layup process is used for the fabrication of tensile and flexural test specimens which are prepared as per the ASTM standards. The tensile test specimen is D-638 type-iv and the flexural specimen is D-790. Epoxy is used as resin and forms the matrix whereas the carbon and glass fibers act as reinforcement. The comparison is made between the specimens with and without hybrid filler. Two specimens of each type are prepared to have repeatability. The tensile and flexural tests are carried on universal testing machine (UTE-10) and results were obtained. The results showed a significant improvement in tensile and flexural strengths of carbon composites and only flexural strength in glass fibers with hybrid filler.

Hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were doped with varying concentration (1-4%) of neodymium. Nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Band gap tuning was observed with the addition of the dopant. With the addition of 4% Nd the band gap reduced to 3.00eV.The XRD study showed hexagonal structure of the synthesized material while SEM study revealed that the doping substantially affect he morphology of the nanoparticles. FTIR study showed the successful doping of the nanoparticles with Nd. The catalytic activity of the synthesized nanomaterials was evaluated while applying them for the degradation of Coomassie violet R200 dye under sun light and UV radiation. Effect of various parameters’s like time, concentration, dosage rate and pH was also studied on the photodegradation. At 200 minutes time duration 94% of the dye was degraded using Nd-doped ZnO nanoparticles while the degradation was only 84% with bare ZnO nanoparticles. Low concentration of the dye (10ppm), a catalyst dose of 0.0075g and high pH of the medium enhanced the degradation process. Best performance of the catalyst was achieved under sunlight illumination.

The present work describes the detailed macromolecular design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of mono- and bi-terminal functionalized polystyrenes (PSs) by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. We further study the effect of the incorporated end groups on the glass transition behavior of the resulting polymers. The mono and bi functionalized polystyrenes were synthesized by using 1-phenylethyl bromide and 1,4-bis(bromomethyl)benzene as the initiators to form bromo mono-end functionalized PS (PS-Br) and bromo bi-terminal functionalized PS (Br-PS-Br), respectively. PS-Br and Br-PS-Br were then transformed to azido mono- and bi-terminal functionalized PSs (PS-N3 and N3-PS-N3) by SN2-type reaction with sodium azide. PS-N3 and N3-PS-N3 were then subjected to CuAAC reactions with various alkynes like 1-decyne, 1-hexyne, trimethylsilylacetylene, phenylacetylene, and 4-ethynyl-1,1′-biphenyl respectively to give a series of alkyl or aromatic mono- and bi-terminal functionalized PSs (PS-Rs and R-PS-Rs), such as PS-Rs of PS-C8H17, PS-C4H9, PS-SiMe3, PS-Ph, PS-biPh, and R-PS-Rs of C8H17-PS-C8H17, C4H9-PS-C4H9, SiMe3-PS-SiMe3, Ph-PS-Ph, and biPh-PS-biPh. PS-SiMe3 and SiMe3-PS-SiMe3 were then transformed to the corresponding PS-H and H-PS-H through the detrimetylsilylation reaction with tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF). Among the five end groups, -C8H17 and -C4H9 were with great flexibility; -H was viewed as a standard; and -Ph and -biPh groups represented the typical rigid moieties. The effect of these end groups on glass transition behavior was thoroughly investigated based on the above macromolecular design.

Objective: The objective of this research is to assess the FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) diagnostic accuracy among breast lump patients with the help of a gold standard histopathology. Material and Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional research at Services Hospital, Lahore (Surgical Department) in the timeframe of February to November 2017. The research sample comprised of 200 breast lump patients. Results: In the total of 200 breast lump patients the factor of mean age was (35.45 ± 8.57) years. Various age groups were made out of the total research sample. The age bracket of (20 – 30) years included 90 patients (45%), the age bracket of (31 – 40) years included 47 patients (23.5%), the age bracket of (41 – 50) years included 32 patients (16%), the age bracket of (51 – 60) years included 29 patients (14.5%) and lastly above sixty years included 2 patients (1%). Among two hundred patients 7 patients were male (3.5%) and 193 patients were female (96.5%). The outcomes of histopathology of breast lesions reflected 53 malignant cases (26.5%) and 147 benign cases (73.5%). Outcomes reflected FNAC as gold standards for histopathological outcomes. Forty-nine patients were TP (True Positive) (24.5%), sixteen patients were FP (False Positive) (8%), eight patients were FN (False Negative) (4%) and 127 patients were TN (True Negative) (63.5%). The values of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV & NPV) were respectively 85.96%, 88.81%, 75.38% and 94.07%. Conclusion: FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) diagnostic accuracy among breast lump patients is undoubtedly a gold standard diagnostic tool with greater specificity and sensitivity, cost-effective and less invasive diagnostic procedure. Keywords: Diagnostic Accuracy, Breast Lump, FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology), Specificity and Sensitivity.

HPLC elution curves of chlorothalonil and metabolites.

Objective: The purpose of the research was to judge the regularity of abnormal glucose tolerance in children with ß thalassemia major over frequent blood transfusion. Material and methods: Researcher performed the research at Mayo Hospital, Lahore from April to October 2017. The researcher enrolled one hundred and sixty-one patients of ß thalassemia major with three to twenty years of age for research. Results: The number of patients having age between three to ten years in eighty-six (53.24%) along with seventy-five (46.58%) patients, having age between eleven to twenty years with an average age of (10.55 + 4.90) years. Among one hundred and sixty-one enrolled patients, the number of male and female was ninety-seven (60.25%) and sixty-four (39.75%) patients respectively as well as regularity of vitiated glucose tolerance discovered in seventeen (10.56%) patients Conclusion: Researcher finalized that the regularity of abnormal glucose tolerance in children with ß thalassemia major over frequent blood transfusion is too high, whereas several additional research on the same topic is mandatory for verification of our results. Keywords: Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), ß-Thalassemia Major, Red Blood Cell (RBC), OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) and Haemoglobin (Hb).&nbsp

Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) has been shown to occur more frequently with self-expanding (SE) compared to balloon-expandable (BE) TAVR valves, with a 17% incidence in a recent clinical trial. For the Evolut SE valve range, the manufacturer recommends a depth of implantation (DOI) 3-5 mm

Objective: The Edwards INSPIRIS RESILIA valve is the first in a new class of biological valve prostheses with anti-calcification properties, improved hemodynamics and prolonged longevity as compare...

Objective: FET is a relatively new technique which allows combined pathologies of the thoracic aorta to be treated in a 1 stage procedure using a hybrid surgical prosthesis. The purpose of this stu...

Rationale & Objective Clinical practice guidelines for dietary intake in hemodialysis focus on individual nutrients. Little is known about associations of dietary patterns with survival. We evaluated the associations of dietary patterns with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among adults treated by hemodialysis. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting & Participants 8,110 of 9,757 consecutive adults on hemodialysis (January 2014 to June 2017) treated in a multinational private dialysis network and with analyzable dietary data. Exposures Data-driven dietary patterns based on the GA2LEN food frequency questionnaire. Participants received a score for each identified pattern, with higher scores indicating closer resemblance of their diet to the identified pattern. Quartiles of standardized pattern scores were used as primary exposures. Outcomes Cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Analytical Approach Principal components analysis with varimax rotation to identify common dietary patterns. Adjusted proportional hazards regression analyses with country as a random effect to estimate the associations between dietary pattern scores and mortality. Associations were expressed as adjusted HRs with 95% CIs, using the lowest quartile score as reference. Results During a median follow-up of 2.7 years (18,666 person-years), there were 2,087 deaths (958 cardiovascular). 2 dietary patterns, “fruit and vegetable” and “Western,” were identified. For the fruit and vegetable dietary pattern score, adjusted HRs, in ascending quartiles, were 0.94 (95% CI, 0.76-1.15), 0.83 (95% CI, 0.66-1.06), and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.69-1.21) for cardiovascular mortality and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.83-1.09), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.71-0.99), and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.72-1.05) for all-cause mortality. For the Western dietary pattern score, the corresponding estimates were 1.10 (95% CI, 0.90-1.35), 1.11 (95% CI, 0.87-1.41), and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.80-1.49) for cardiovascular mortality and 1.01 (95% CI, 0.88-1.16), 1.00 (95% CI, 0.85-1.18), and 1.14 (95% CI, 0.93-1.41) for all-cause mortality. Limitations Self-reported food frequency questionnaire, data-driven approach. Conclusions These findings did not confirm an association between mortality among patients receiving long-term hemodialysis and the extent to which dietary patterns were either high in fruit and vegetables or consistent with a Western diet.

As wireless systems grow rapidly worldwide, one of the most important things, wireless systems designers and service providers faces is interference. Interference decreases coverage, capacity [1], and limits the effectiveness of both new and existing systems. It is very difficult to avoid because wireless communications systems must exist together in extremely complex signal environments. These environments are consisting of multiple operating wireless networks [2]. At the same instant, new technologies and signal sources in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and digital video broadcasting are jeopardized to wireless communications service. This article provides a survey and analysis of interference in Wireless Network and provides a taxonomy., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures