Search

In this article, eight new definitions are introduced in the context of neutrosophic soft bi-topological spaces with respect to the soft points of the space. Among these new definitions, one important concept known as the soft open set is selected for a pairwise discussion of different structures. These structures include separation axioms, subspaces, the connections between separation axioms and closures, results concerning interiors and closures, the product of separation axioms, and their relationships with neutrosophic soft coordinate spaces regarding soft points. Finally, the most significant structure known as entropy is discussed, and based on this structure, an example related to engineering is presented. In this example, to achieve effective risk supervision in the field of engineering, certain risks are classified along with specific parameters, and these risks are evaluated by a team of expert engineers. Mehmood et al. [40] proposed a new approach to generalized neutrosophic soft sets in neutrosophic soft topology concerning the soft points of the space and discussed several structures related to this new approach. The references by Ozturk et al. [32-35] led us to this present work, with [32] serving as a significant source of motivation. In this particular work, the author defined neutrosophic soft topological space in an exceptionally novel way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Byline: Mohammad. Kermansaravi, Aamir. Abbas, Mohadeseh. Pishgahroudsari, Abdolreza. Pazouki Background: Revising the size of the gastric pouch during the conversion of one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB)/mini-gastric bypass to Roux-en-Y gastric [...]

Byline: Aamir. Abbas, Mohammad. Kermansaravi, Seyed. Daryabari, Nasrin. Shayanfar Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) in adults is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. Here, we report the case of a GDC containing [...]

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

The phenomenon of globalized world has paved the way for international trade which eventually leads to conflicts among parties hailing from different jurisdictions. One of the striking issues which might befall against enforceability of arbitral awards is of overcharging of damages or compensation based on interests. Interests based transactions are questionable on count of changeable rates in different jurisdictions and prohibition of interest in the eye of Islamic states where riba (interest) is prohibited. Alternative dispute resolution can come to rescue this state of affairs under the supervision of courts in order to allay ambiguities pertaining to commercial arbitration in Pakistan. This paper succinctly discusses developments pertaining to commercial arbitration and the emerging jurisprudence in this regard in Pakistan. As such, it canvasses applicable laws, jurisdictional controversies, Sharia interpretations and enforcement issues in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright of Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the property of World Health Organization and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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

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

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

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

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

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to translate, culturally adapt and validate Cell Phone Addiction Scale (CPAS) for the population of Pakistan. STUDY DESIGN Cross sectional study PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The study was carried out at Aga Khan University from February to March, 2013. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The CPAS was translated using the standardized procedure to verify the semantic, technical and conceptual equivalence of each item in order to maintain the originality of the questionnaire. The validation was carried out in two stages. The participants were initially interviewed by trained data collectors using the CPAS. The second stage interview was conducted by a psychiatrist using DSM IV (TR) as gold standard. Cronbach's alpha was used to estimate internal consistency of each item. Phi correlation coefficients was used to evaluate the validity of scale. RESULTS Fifty-one participants participated in this validation study. Most of the participants were females, single with an intermediate level of education. The sensitivity was increased to 89% at cut of value of 50 on CPAS. The Phi correlation coefficient for the CPAS against the gold standard assessment was 0.62. Cronbach's alpha of 0.83 was obtained for internal consistency of each item. CONCLUSION Cell Phone Addiction Scale (CPAS) can be used to screen cell phone addiction in clinical and community setting with good psychometric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

ABSTRACT Sulfur dioxide is serious ultimatum to human health as well as environment, while carbon dioxide is viewed as one of the primary drivers of the worldwide temperature alteration. Therefore, capturing of these gases is a dynamic research subject attracting much consideration from scientists. Herein, we report synthesis of a series of Co‐ZIF and bimetallic M‐Co‐ZIF adsorbents and application for room temperature adsorption of SO2 and CO2. In this work, the breakthrough curves for the adsorption of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide on Co‐ZIF and M‐Co‐ZIF were obtained experimentally and theoretically using a laboratory‐scale fixed bed column at room temperature. In this work, the adsorption capacities and breakthrough points for modified bimetallic M‐Co‐ZIF were found to be relatively higher than parent Co‐ZIF. Notably, a high SO2 uptake capacity of 7.1 mmol/g for Zr‐Co‐ZIF and high CO2 uptake capacity of 69.9 mmol/g for Ni‐Co‐ZIF were achieved. The parent cobalt and bimetallic ZIF materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, and nitrogen physisorption. The XRD results confirm the formation of pure phase highly crystalline ZIF materials while BET analysis suggests high surface area of prepared adsorbents. Finally, the results of dynamic adsorption combined with characterization show great potential for preparation of bimetallic ZIF adsorbents for effective SO2 and CO2 adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, a biopolymer Chitosan (C) grafted with ethylenediamine (EDA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were compared for the adsorption of Congo red dye from aqueous phase. The grafted chitosan product was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and point of zero charge to study the change in mechanical and thermal properties. The effects of process variables like adsorbent loading, initial dye concentration, initial solution pH, contact time and temperature on adsorption phenomena were investigated. The equilibrium isotherm data was analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, and the adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.992 and 0.991 for EDAC and MAC, respectively). The maximum adsorption capacity of EDAC and MAC for Congo red uptake calculated from Langmuir isotherm model was 1607 mg/g and 1143 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetics was studied using pseudo 1st and 2nd order models. Pseudo second order rate model provided the best fit for both grafted adsorbents with R2 ≥0.99. The values of Gibbs free energy (−9.628 and −8.878 kJ/mol), enthalpy (44.9 and 42.2 kJ/mol) and entropy (0.18 and 0.17 J/mol·K) revealed spontaneous and endothermic adsorption of Congo red onto EDAC and MAC surface. The pollutant adsorption test indicated that chitosan grafting with ethylenediamine is superior to Methyl acrylate grafting agent. Unlabelled Image • Successful grafting of chitosan with ethylene diamine and methyl acrylate • Adsorption mechanism follows Langmuir isotherm and pseudo 2nd order kinetics model. • Maximum uptake was 1607 and 1143 mg/g for EDA and MA grafted chitosan, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The article discusses the risk factors for Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) involving communication technology. It mentions that the overuse of communication technology such as cellular phones, and Internet had increased unconstructive consequences of different types of repetitive thoughts including preservative cognition, cognitive, and emotional processing. It notes the prevalence of GAD in different countries including U.S., Europe, and Great Britain.

In this work, a novel approach is used to synthesize an iron oxide doped carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane, with the goal of fully utilizing the unique properties of CNTs. No binder is used for the synthesis of the membrane; instead, iron oxide particles serve as a binding agent for holding the CNTs together after sintering at high temperature. The produced membrane exhibited a high water flux and strong fouling resistance. In the first step, CNTs were impregnated with various loadings of iron oxide (1, 10, 20, 30 and 50%) via wet chemistry techniques. Impregnated CNTs were then compacted at 200 MPa and sintered at 1350 °C for 5 h to form a compact disc. The membranes were analysed by measuring their porosity, contact angle, diametrical compression test and water flux. The flux of pure water was observed to increase with an increase in iron oxide content. The permeate flux and rejection rate of sodium alginate (SA) were determined to predict the antifouling behaviour of the membrane. A maximum removal of 90 and 88% of SA was achieved for membranes with a 10 and 1% iron oxide content, respectively, after 3 h. A minor decline in the permeate flux was observed for all membranes after 4 h of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the use of an aerosol box during video laryngoscopy intubation, we conducted a two-phase simulation-based study to assess if there were significant differences in time needed to safely intubate a patient with an aerosol box in place, as well as assess changes in laryngoscopists' hand motions as determined by changes in accelerometry. 20 anesthesiology providers from our institution participated in the first phase assessing the time to intubation. Use of the aerosol box led to statistically significant increases in intubation times (Wilcoxon-Signed Rank test p < 0.001, z-score = 3.921), with the calculated Pearson's correlation coefficient (r = 0.877) indicating a large effect size. An 8.5 - 11.5 second difference in median intubation times was maintained between corresponding attempts with versus without the aerosol box. 15 participants completed an optional post-assessment survey, with 10 of 15 respondents firmly stating they would not use the box in clinical practice. The hand accelerometry assessment included five anesthesiology providers from our institution. This revealed a statistically significant increase in trials with aerosol boxes for the left hand's general accelerometry with a medium effect size (p = 0.031; z = -1.873; r = -0.484), as well as for the right hand's general accelerometry with a large effect size (p < 0.001; z = -3.351; r = -0.865). Although the aerosol box is an interesting concept, its use is associated with increased time to intubation and a change in ergonomics, which may increase risk during airway management and represents a concern for patient safety., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, de Lima et al.)

As the volume of published medical research continues to grow rapidly, staying up-to-date with the best-available research evidence regarding specific topics is becoming an increasingly challenging problem for medical experts and researchers. The current COVID19 pandemic is a good example of a topic on which research evidence is rapidly evolving. Automatic query-focused text summarization approaches may help researchers to swiftly review research evidence by presenting salient and query-relevant information from newly-published articles in a condensed manner. Typical medical text summarization approaches require domain knowledge, and the performances of such systems rely on resource-heavy medical domain-specific knowledge sources and pre-processing methods (e.g., text classification) for deriving semantic information. Consequently, these systems are often difficult to speedily customize, extend, or deploy in low-resource settings, and they are often operationally slow. In this paper, we propose a fast and simple extractive summarization approach that can be easily deployed and run, and may thus aid medical experts and researchers obtain fast access to the latest research evidence. At runtime, our system utilizes similarity measurements derived from pre-trained medical domain-specific word embeddings in addition to simple features, rather than computationally-expensive pre-processing and resource-heavy knowledge bases. Automatic evaluation using ROUGE-a summary evaluation tool-on a public dataset for evidence-based medicine shows that our system's performance, despite the simple implementation, is statistically comparable with the state-of-the-art. Extrinsic manual evaluation based on recently-released COVID19 articles demonstrates that the summarizer performance is close to human agreement, which is generally low, for extractive summarization., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Sarker, Yang, Al-Garadi and Abbas.)

This research study shows the adsorptive potential of biopolymer based nanocomposite for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous phase. The nanocomposite was synthesized by Femur calcined hydroxyapatite and glutaraldehyde cross-linked chitosan. Characterizations like Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were performed to investigate the structural modifications, mineral composition and the surface texture of prepared nanocomposite. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions over nanocomposite reveals that the synthesized solid sorbent has promising abatement tendency for heavy metal ions. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the equilibrium data of lead ions adsorption was best fitted to Sips isotherm model. The uptake capacity of synthesized nanocomposite increased from 209 mg/g to 354 mg/g with rise in temperature from 18 °C to 48 °C. The thermodynamic analysis suggested that the Pb(II) ions adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Additionally, enthalpy of adsorption (~22.07 KJ/mol) indicated that the heavy metal ions were chemisorbed over nanocomposite surface. Adsorption of Pb 2+ increased about ~1.6 times in the observed pH range and highest uptake was obtained at pH 5., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the clinical features and patterns of interstitial lung disease., Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of patients diagnosed with interstitial lung disease from January 2005 to December 2015. All patients aged 16 years and above diagnosed with interstitial lung disease on the basis of clinical features, radiological features on high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, and lung biopsies were included. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis., Results: Of the 537 patients, 324(60.3%) of the participants were females. The overall mean age was 60.5±14.9 years. The most common co-morbid condition was diabetes mellitus in 72(13.4%) patients, followed by hypertension in 48(8.9%) and ischaemic heart disease in 21(3.9%). The most common interstitial lung disease was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 217(40.4%) patients, followed by non-specific interstitial pneumonia in 106(19.7%), sarcoidosis in 82(15.3%) and connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease in 56(10.4%) patients., Conclusions: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was found to be the most common interstitial lung disease subtype followed by non-specific interstitial pneumonia, sarcoidosis and connective tissue disease-related-interstitial lung disease.

Aim: To study the effect of itopride on gastric accommodation, gastric emptying and drinking capacity in functional dyspepsia (FD)., Methods: Randomized controlled trial was conducted to check the effect of itopride on gastric accommodation, gastric emptying, capacity of tolerating nutrient liquid and symptoms of FD. We recruited a total of 31 patients having FD on the basis of ROME III criteria. After randomization, itopride was received by 15 patients while 16 patients received placebo. Gastric accommodation was determined using Gastric Scintigraphy. 13 C labeled octanoic breadth test was performed to assess gastric emptying. Capacity of tolerating nutrient liquid drink was checked using satiety drinking capacity test. The intervention group comprised of 150 mg itopride. Patients in both arms were followed for 4 wk., Results: Mean age of the recruited participant 33 years (SD = 7.6) and most of the recruited individuals, i.e ., 21 (67.7%) were males. We found that there was no effect of itopride on gastric accommodation as measured at different in volumes in the itopride and control group with the empty stomach ( P = 0.14), at 20 min ( P = 0.38), 30 min ( P = 0.30), 40 min ( P = 0.43), 50 min ( P = 0.50), 60 min ( P = 0.81), 90 min ( P = 0.25) and 120 min ( P = 0.67). Gastric emptying done on a sub sample ( n = 11) showed no significant difference ( P = 0.58) between itopride and placebo group. There was no significant improvement in the capacity to tolerate liquid in the itopride group as compared to placebo ( P = 0.51). Similarly there was no significant improvement of symptoms as assessed through a composite symptom score ( P = 0.74). The change in QT interval in itopride group was not significantly different from placebo (0.10)., Conclusion: Our study found no effect of itopride on gastric accommodation, gastric emptying and maximum tolerated volume in patients with FD., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: None.