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The sustainability can be maintained by utilizing the available waste as feedstock and catalyst such as dairy and eggshell waste respectively for biodiesel production. In this study, the calcium oxide (CaO) synthesized from calcined eggshell was doped with potassium hydroxide (KOH-ECaO) via wet impregnation method and analyzed the catalyst performance on biodiesel production from dairy waste scum oil (DWSO) via microwave assisted transesterification. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) contents were deduced by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The KOH-ECaO catalyst showed a good potential based on the characterizations analysis such as high pore size (25.5 nm) which supported by SEM pattern analysis. The highest biodiesel production (75%) was obtained at optimum reaction parameters conditions. The optimized conditions were discovered to be 3 wt.% of catalyst, 16:1 of methanol to oil molar ratio, reaction temperature of 65°C and 15 minutes of reaction time as microwave provided faster reaction for the transesterification. These innovative results showed that KOH-ECaO could enhance the biodiesel production from DWSO which encouraged the usage of waste for wealth product.

Vermicomposting enhances the breakdown of the organic wastes into vermicompost by adding earthworms. Recent studies revealed the potential of vermicompost to be used as electrolyte of bio-battery however, the voltage is lower and less stable than conventional batteries. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the quality of vermicompost generated and improve the voltage generation of vermicompost-derived battery. The vermicompost was first produced from green wastes collected in the vicinity of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) campus at optimum carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 30:1. Next, humic and fulvic acid were extracted from vermicompost and used as electrolytes for bio-batteries with different organic additives namely, deionized water, spent tea waste, spent coffee waste, fruit enzyme and lemon juice which served as voltage enhancers. Vermicompost quality was established by final C:N ratio with respect to the total organic carbon and total Kjeldahl nitrogen as well as humic and fulvic acid yields and moisture content analysis in comparison to commercial vermicompost while voltage enhancement was assessed via voltage profiling using digital multimeter over a period of time. Key highlights include the generated vermicompost reaching maturation on day 40 with mass reduction of 18% and humic and fulvic acid yields at 3.41% and 0.38%, significantly higher than that of commercial vermicompost. The highest voltage recorded was 0.62 V for humic acid electrolyte with fruit enzyme additive followed by humic acid electrolyte with lemon juice additive which exhibited 0.61 V voltage generation. Should UTP make the move to harness electricity from vermibatteries, a comprehensive economic feasibility study with sound assumptions deduced that the payback period of the project is approximately 2.8 years which is very promising. Vermicomposting green wastes has multiple benefits from cutting down labour requirement to promoting eco-friendly waste management and generating high-quality compost and bio-battery electrolytes.

Introduction: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is rare but fatal thyroid cancer responsible for majority of thyroid cancer related mortality. ATC may originate de novo or from preexisting differentiated thyroid cancer. Complex interaction between different gene mutation has been suggested to be the main causative factor for origin of ATC in both pathways. Mostly affected pathways are MAP kinase and PI3CA kinase. Hence, we decided to study the frequent alterations in both the pathways in ATC patients. Methodology: Clinico-pathological data of 34 ATC patients were collected retrospectively and Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) blocks were taken out for genetic analysis. DNA and RANA were isolated from FFPE tissues. BRAF V600E mutations were screened by RFLP PCR method and confirmed by sequencing. RAS, PI3CA and p53 mutations were checked by sequencing. RET/PTC translocations were screened by Real Time PCR. Results: A total of 34 patients were studied: Mean age 58.6+ 11.6 years with F:M- 1.8:1, 60% had history of goiter. Most common presenting symptom was rapidly growing thyroid mass followed by dyspnea, dysphasia and hoarseness of voice. Extent of disease was local, locoregional and metastatic in 32%, 35% and 33% respectively. 57.6% were euthyroid, 20.5 % were hyperthyroid while functional status were not available in 11.7%. FNAC was suggestive of ATC only in 52.9% cases. 15 (44%) were operated. BRAF V600E mutations were observed in 10/34 (29.4%). Interestingly, all three ATC patients with DTC components had previous history of goiter with rapid increase in size and BRAF V600E mutation, while BRAF was positive only in 7/31 (22.5%) of patients with no DTC component. Mean survival of 3.5 months in BRAF positive cases in comparison to 5.5 months in BRAF negative ATC. RAS mutations were found to be positive in 5.8%, and none had RET-PTC/PI3CA mutations. P53 mutation was positive in 7 patients. 3 patients presented with history of rapid increase in size of previous goiter while rest 4 patients presented with rapidly increasing thyroid swelling of 1 to 3 months. At presentation 2 patients has disease localized to thyroid, 4 has loco-regional disease and one patient presented with metastasis. 5 out of these 7 patients were operated (Total thyroidectomy:3, thyroidectomy with neck dissection:2). Mean survival was 4 months (1-6 months). Conclusion: BRAF V600E was the commonest mutation followed by p53 of the 5 genes tested and BRAF was more common in patients with previous history of longstanding goiter or differentiated thyroid cancer. This provides an indirect evidence of neoplastic transformation of PTC to ATC.

Aims: The study is aimed to verify Aperio AT2 scanner for reporting on the digital pathology platform (DP) and to validate the cohort of pathologists in the interpretation of DP for routine diagnostic histopathological services in Wales, United Kingdom. Materials, Methods and Results: This was a large multicenter study involving seven hospitals across Wales and unique with 22 (largest number) pathologists participating. 7491 slides from 3001 cases were scanned on Leica Aperio AT2 scanner and reported on digital workstations with Leica software of e-slide manager. A senior pathology fellow compared DP reports with authorized reports on glass slide (GS). A panel of expert pathologists reviewed the discrepant cases under multiheader microscope to establish ground truth. 2745 out of 3001 (91%) cases showed complete concordance between DP and GS reports. Two hundred and fifty-six cases showed discrepancies in diagnosis, of which 170 (5.6%) were deemed of no clinical significance by the review panel. There were 86 (2.9%) clinically significant discrepancies in the diagnosis between DP and GS. The concordance was raised to 97.1% after discounting clinically insignificant discrepancies. Ground truth lay with DP in 28 out of 86 clinically significant discrepancies and with GS in 58 cases. Sensitivity of DP was 98.07% (confidence interval [CI] 97.57–98.56%); for GS was 99.07% (CI 98.72–99.41%). Conclusions: We concluded that Leica Aperio AT2 scanner produces adequate quality of images for routine histopathologic diagnosis. Pathologists were able to diagnose in DP with good concordance as with GS. Strengths and Limitations of this Study: Strengths of this study – This was a prospective blind study. Different pathologists reported digital and glass arms at different times giving an ambience of real-time reporting. There was standardized use of software and hardware across Wales. A strong managerial support from efficiency through the technology group was a key factor for the implementation of the study. Limitations: This study did not include Cytopathology and in situ hybridization slides. Difficulty in achieving surgical pathology practise standardization across the whole country contributed to intra-observer variations.

Osteopetrosis is a rare metabolic disease. Dental abnormalities may be attributed to the pathological changes in osteopetrosis. Patients with disease seem to be especially susceptible to osteomyelitis of mandible. A 9 yrs old girl presented with complaints of jaw swelling on left side with multiple discharging sinuses since last seven months. The radiograph of left mandible (oblique lateral view) showed periodontal involvement of associated molars with loss of lamina dura with small sequestrum with irregularity and erosions of the mandibular cortical margins. The patient was diagnosed as a case of osteopetrosis with superadded mandibular osteomyelitis.

Hypothesis testing is a valuable method used to investigate ideas and test predictions arising from theories based on available data. In the context of critical system architecture, there is a need to effectively utilize hypothesis testing to identify faulty paths and improve system safety. This research aims to propose guidelines and best practices for presenting hypothesis testing in critical system architecture. The problem addressed in this study is the underutilization of hypothesis testing in life-critical system methods, resulting in a lack of identification of faulty paths. To address this challenge, we propose an enhanced pathway analysis technique that integrates error-derived information from a system's architectural description, thereby augmenting traditional hypothesis testing methods. By investigating various paths, we aim to identify false positive and false negative errors in life-critical system architecture. Furthermore, the proposed method is validated based on specific validation criteria for each step such as system boundary, assumption, content/architecture, and traceability validations. Also, the method is evaluated based on our claims. The results of our research highlight the significance of tracing errors in early system knowledge. By leveraging the augmented hypothesis testing method, we are able to identify hazards, safety constraints, and specific causes of unsafe actions more effectively. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating early design knowledge into hypothesis testing for enhanced hazard identification and improved system safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study carefully assesses the capability of supervised machine learning classification algorithms in identifying land cover (LC) in the context of the Jhelum River basin in Kashmir. Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 high-resolution data from two satellite sources were used. Through preprocessing techniques, we removed any potential noise inherent to satellite imagery and assured data consistency. The study then utilized and compared the skills of the supervised algorithms random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM). A hybrid approach, amalgamating classifications from both methods, was also tested for potential synergistic enhancements in accuracy. Using a stratified random sampling approach for validation, the SVM algorithm emerged with a commendable accuracy rate of 82.5%. Using simulations from 2000 to 2015, the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model was used to further explore the hydrological effects of LC alterations. Between 2009 and 2019, there were discernible changes in the land cover, with a greater emphasis on ranges, forests, and agricultural plains. When these changes were combined with the results of the hydrologic simulation, a resultant fall in average annual runoff—from above 700 mm to below 600 mm—was seen. With runoff values possibly ranging between 547 mm and 747 mm, the statistics emphasize the direct effects of urban communities encroaching upon forest, agricultural, and barren lands. This study concludes by highlighting the crucial role that technical pipelines play in enhancing LC classifications and by providing suggestions for future water resource estimation and hydrological impact evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidural hematoma (EDH) is accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and thedural membrane due to trauma and predominantly consists of venous blood in case of children. Children with extradural hematoma (EDH) present differently than adults and outcome would also be different. Methods and Materials: This is a prospective interventional study done in the Department of Neurosurgery, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in between period of January 2016 to December 2019. Children of both sex below 12 years of age with EDH were included after fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria. Follow up period was 1 month after surgery. Results: Among 90 patients, 73.3% were male and 26.7% were female. Age 5 - 12 years is most commonly affected among all age groups, attributing to 58.9%, fall from height was the most common cause (58.9%) followed by road traffic accident (32.2%), fall of heavy object over head (7.8%) etc. The most common symptom was vomiting which was present in 85.6% of patients followed by altered consciousness in 72.2%, headache in 60% and scalp swelling in 25.6% of patients. The follow-up of our patients was 1 month after surgery. Most of our patients made good recovery. Among them 73 patients (81.1%) were neurologically intact (GOS 5), 10 (11.1%) patients had some deficit but could do their daily activity independently (GOS 4), 03 patients (3.3%) was dependant on other for daily activity with cognitive deficit (GOS 3) and 4 patients (4.4%) died. Conclusion: EDH in children can be managed by surgery with good outcomes. Even in the presence of poor initial clinical and radiologic conditions, timely intervention can lead to a good recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur-based polymers are unique renewable materials that are receiving a growing attention. The utilization of elemental sulfur with a variety of monomers in their preparation in the absence of solvents using the inverse vulcanization are granting them green nature and unique properties. Several characterization techniques have been used to evaluate the properties of sulfur-based polymers. However, the complex structure and lack of solubility undermine the applicability of some standard characterization techniques in the usual manners. This article reviews the characterization methods used for the evaluation of various properties of sulfur-based polymers such as chemical, morphological, structural, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties, all of which vary depending on the type of comonomer involved in the reaction and heat treatment conditions. The successful applications of different characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), scanning electron microscopy/X-ray energy dispersion (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mechanical tester, rheometer, thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are discussed. The challenges to the evaluation of the properties of sulfur-based polymers and the innovative applications of the conventional techniques to overcome them are also deliberated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative composite and nonmetallic structures can be developed only with close collaborations between state-of-the-art university research and industrial partners. Although composites have been applied in many structures, technical challenges and [...]

Fullerenes are commonly defined as 'any of a class of closed hollow aromatic carbon compounds that are made up of twelve pentagonal and differing numbers of hexagonal faces.' Higher-order fullerenes […]

Carbon fiber has been described as a fiber containing at least 90% carbon prepared by the controlled pyrolysis and thermal treatment of selected feedstocks and fibers. The ability to fabricate […]

A 64-item questionnaire was used to determine college students' (N=1,515) attitudes/knowledge on energy issues. Comparisons were made between classroom (nonvolunteers) and library (volunteers) participants on opinions regarding energy situation, attitudes regarding energy future, energy-related knowledge questions, and attitude/knowledge change through education. Results suggest misconceptions in students' perceptions of the energy situation. (JN)

The stellar surface rotation is the indicator of internal dynamo process. The dynamo generates many active phenomena like stellar spots and also affect stellar evolution. In this study we have analyzed the surface rotation and evolutionary parameters such as mass, density, radius, effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicity of stars all together. Surface rotation is used in different forms such as rotational shear, relative differential rotation and average surface rotation. Approximately 12000 Keplers star data of rotation and above mentioned evolutionary parameters were used. Fractal dimension and the Hurst exponent technique is used to analyze the persistency and persistency correlation of data in different spectral classes. Strong persistency correlation is found between data of rotational shear vs effective temperature (0.992), rotational shear vs radius (-0.82) and average differential rotation vs metallicity (0.995). Additionally, correlation between other evolutionary parameters and rotational parameters are also found. On the basis of these correlations and physical relationship the nonlinear models between luminosity, radius and rotation (relative differential rotation and rotational shear) are established for main sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine consenting practice for post-cholecystectomy diarrhea at a single UK tertiary care center and how it could be improved to ensure patients are fully informed. Material and Methods: Data on discussed complications was obtained from consent forms between February 2015 to August 2015 in a single unit high-volume UK teaching hospital (Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, UK). All adults (aged 18 or more) undergoing either emergency or elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy as a primary procedure for gallstones, acute cholecystitis and biliary colic, were included. The re-audit following educational intervention was completed between June 2016 and November 2016. Data was analysed according to grade of consenting surgeon. Results: During the first audit involving 74 patients, only 22 (29.7%) were consented for risk of post-operative diarrhoea, all by consultants. Following re-education and subsequent re-audit, 45 out of 75 patients (60%) were consented for post-operative diarrhoea, representing an increase. Conclusion: Effective education can raise awareness about post-operative diarrhoea following cholecystectomy. This will enable effective awareness and manage patient expectations following surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surgical outcome of spinal tumours varies depending on a number of factors such as: site of tumour compression within the spinal canal, the histological characteristics of tumours, the neurological progression and initial response to corticosteroid therapy, patient's age, comorbidity, tumour extension, involvement of neighbor structures and organs etc. Materials & Methods: The 46 patients with intradural extramedullary (IDEM) spinal tumour underwent surgery by our team in 7 years (2010-2017) were reviewed retrospectively. Discussion: Analysis of the surgical outcome of our spinal tumour patients was done on different variables like age, sex, presenting symptoms, neuro imaging, comorbidities etc. The aim of surgery was decompression of the spinal cord and total removal of the tumour. Conclusion: The aim of this study is to analyze the data to make conclusion for more effective strategy as per site, size, type, resectibility and histological variety to establish an effective treatment protocol and prevention of per-operative and post-operative complications. Intradural extramedullary tumor can be radically resected with no mortality and minimal peri-operative morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of mortality of patients with Acute Pancreatitis having bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP). Material and Methods: This was a Cross sectional descriptive study, conducted at Department of Surgery of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar-Pakistan, from January 2014 to June 2016 on patients after diagnosing the disease severity of the acute pancreatitis and expected mortality of patients were calculated on bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) >3 and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20. Results: In this study, 65 patients presenting with acute pancreatitis were observed, in which male to female ratio was 1.24:1. The study included age ranged from 16 up to 75 years. Average age was 52.85 years + 12.99 SD. Mortality was observed in 51(78.46%) patients having acute pancreatitis by using BISAP score. Conclusion: The BISAP score represents a simple way to accurately identify patients at risk of developing severe acute pancreatitis within 24 hours of presentation in our setup. Its components are clinically relevant and easy to obtain. This risk stratification capability can be utilized to improve clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of laparostomy as a life saving procedure in patients with late presentation for small bowel perforations in emergency. Material and Methods:This comparative trial was conducted in the department of surgery at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar Pakistan from January, 2014 till December 2016. Following ethical approval from the ethical committee of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar all patients presenting to the emergency department with evidence of gas under diaphragm on chest X ray were admitted and resuscitated with intravenous fluids, analgesia and antibiotics. A detailed history and examinations were performed following which they were sent to the Operating room for laparotomy. Patients of all ages with evidence of severe peritonitis secondary to spontaneous perforation of the small bowel, perforated appendicitis and perforated duodenum were included in the study. Patients with evidence of malignancy or colonic/gastric perforations were excluded from the study. Group A included patients that were primarily closed using polypropylene 0 or 1 en masse; whereas group B included patient that had their abdominal wall left open with covering of the wound with either a Bogota bag fashioned from a drainage bag or polyethylene sheet. Results: During the period of three years 1123 laparotomies were performed out of which 561(49.95%) were performed in emergency department. 50 patients were place in each group with male preponderance (p value =0.51). Age of patients was between 16-58{mean age age equals to group A (31.3yrs vs, group B(33.8yrs)}.A significantly higher mortality was observed in patients not subjected to laparotomy. 3(6%) vs. 11(22%) (p=0.778). Incisional hernia frequency was more in cases with infection and majority of closure of ventral wall defects were either achieved on completion of 1 year following failure of sequential facial closure or primary closure. The incisional hernias were performed by CST with or without re enforcement with poly propylene mesh. There was a significantly higher time spent by patients on ventilatory support following laparotomy in patients from group A (p=0.041). Conclusion: Performing a Laparostomy in time can significantly reduce mortality with patients treated for secondary bacterial peritonitis. Fistulation is slightly greater in cases where the abdominal wall is closed primarily with re-laparotomy on demand but this can be reduced by decreasing the duration of exposure and use of a Bogota bag to cover the... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare patients undergoing single level anterior cervical discectomy without fusion (ACD) versus anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 50 patients with degenerative cervical spondylosis of them 25 had undergone ACD without fusion and remaining 25 undergone ACDF at either C4-C5, C5- C6 level or at C6-C7 level. Results: The kinematic analysis included the range of motion, intervertebral angulations, anteroposterior translation and disc height assessed for the cervical functional spinal units at the operated level and adjacent levels. At the operated level of C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7, the range of motion and the translation were minimal in the anterior cervical discectomy without fusion (ACD) group, but absent in the cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) group. The superior adjacent levels range of motion and the translation were greater in the ACDF group compared with the ACD group. But both groups had almost similar results in term of hospital stay, mean time for improvement and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: The clinical results of anterior cervical discectomy without fusion (ACD) and anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) were comparable. In cervical discectomy without fusion, the elastic fibrous intradiscal scar at the operated level allows a small degree of mobility and the adjacent cervical levels are not overstressed. Fusion is not routinely required in single level cervical disc herniation until it is associated with instability, loss of cervical lordosis, hard disc, osteophytic bar and multi-segmental disease. So ACD is a better option in single level cervical disc disorder than ACDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the advantages of observations of gravitational microlensing is stellar spots detection. Our aim ‎in this paper is to study and characterize the perturbations due to stellar spots on the microlensing ‎light curves. Considering a suitable formalism for the stellar spots, we simulate the microlensing of ‎spotted source stars. One of the effects of a spot on stellar light curve is the local demagnification (where ‎the lens is crossing the stellar spot) and it causes asymmetric perturbations on the light curve. The ‎spots that locate at the source center after projection make larger and deeper perturbations than the ‎spots locate the stellar limbs. In caustic crossing binary microlensing events, the typical-size spot-‎induced perturbations mostly make (more than 40‏‎ percent) the relative deviations larger than ‎‏5‏‎. This ‎fraction is bigger for single lensing events‎‎‎.‎

In this paper, first some characterization of various fuzzy bounded sets in FM-spaces are given. Some important fixed point theorems for multi-valued mappings in FM-spaces will be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bacterial resistance to antibacterial agents is a very serious threat to public health. Where some antibacterial agents prove ineffective, the antibacterial properties of honey have been shown to be highly efficacious against several human bacterial pathogens. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the nursing staff of a hospital to natural honey. Methods: In this study, 35 strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus samples were selected from hospital staff’s nasal swabs. Two strains were vancomycin-resistant. The serial dilution tube test methodwas used to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The susceptibility of each strain of staph bacteria to natural honey without wax was determined and compared with that of a glucose solution with the same density. Results: In all strains, except for the two strains resistant to vancomycin, MIC level was

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Arthritis is one of the inflammatory diseases that can cause debilitating problems. Existing drugs have numerous side effects that limit their use. KOM has anti-inflammatory properties due to its flavonoid compounds. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of hydroalcoholic extract of KOM in an experimental model of arthritis. METHODS: In this experimental study, 46 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: healthy and patient control groups, normal saline recipient , hydrocortisone recipient and 3 groups treated with hydroalcoholic extract at doses of 300, 500 and 700 mg/kg. First, KOM was extracted then arthritis induced by injection of 0.1 cc of Incomplete Freund's adjuvant, and from 15th day KOM extract was injected intraperitoneally. On the last day (31st), their ankle joint was prepared for histological examination and the groups were compared. FINDINGS: The results showed that doses of 300, 500 and 700 mg/kg of hydroalcoholic extract did not significantly reduce joint diameter. Histologic studies of positive control group showed subcutaneous inflammation, destruction and fibrosis of cartilage and panus formation which subcutaneous inflammation was reduced in the low and high doses of the extract (p

Surface plasmon resonance sensors have been widely considered due to their sensitivity, accuracy and response speed. In order to stimulate surface plasmons, a crisman structure is used in which the metal layer (mainly gold or silver) is placed on the surface of the prism. Due to temperature changes, various factors such as optical properties of the metal, the prism and the surrounding environment can change, which can, in turn, change the response of the plasmonic sensors. In this paper, the thermal effects on the optical response of a surface plasmon resonance sensor were theoretically evaluated. The results showed that the change in temperature led to significant changes in the reflectivity and phase. The greatest effect was due to the changes in the optical properties of the metal layer (gold here) due to temperature changes.

This research study is motivated by the growing use of e-commerce in Indian Industries. E-Commerce encompasses all business conducted by the use of Information and communication technology. Many business houses have started implementing the use of e-commerce solutions to conduct their businesses. But carpet industry is lagging behind in the use of this very critical tool as we found in our study only 18% carpet exporters are using e-commerce solutions to sell their products across the borders. Exporters are still relying on traditional methods of selling products overseas. E-Commerce can provide global opportunities by enabling the flow of ideas across national boundaries improving the flow of information and linking increased numbers of buyers and sellers. Exporters and artisans can expand the boundary of marketplace by using e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fluidity of movement & feelings seem to be lost in PD. Automatic activities of facial expression, swallowing, speaking, walking become less automatic. Clinical experience is essential to diagnose, decide symptom worsening, determine end of dose wearing off & the on-off states, acknowledge non-motor problems, titrate dopaminergic treatment & add adjunctive treatment. Current breakthroughs in the treatment concepts like discovery of non-dopaminergic brain targets, neuroplasticity, L-DOPA formulations including Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel[LCIG], pump therapies, deep brain stimulation have been discussed. LCIG is available in some 30 countries but cost makes it prohibitive for widespread use. Goalbased motor skill training improves cognitive & automatic components of motor control in mild to moderate PD. Levodopa + carbidopa, remains the gold standard & eventually leads to L-DOPA induced dyskinesia in the majority within 10 years of treatment. MAO-B inhibitors have an excellent side effect profile but mild motor benefit. Dopamine agonists (nonergot-ropinirole, pramipexole) provides moderate symptomatic benefit and delay the development of dyskinesia but at the expense of psychiatric and non-motor side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Banach space operator T satisfies property(Bgw), a variant property(gw), if the complement in the approximate point spectrum σa(T) of the semi-B-essential approximate point spectrum σSBF++ (T) coincides with set of isolated eigenvalues of T of finite multiplicity E0(T). We also introduce properties (Bb), and property (Bgb) in connection with Weyl type theorems, which are analogous, respectively, to generalized Browder's theorem and property(gb). We obtain relation among these new properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the world's largest irrigation networks, based on the Indus River system in Pakistan, faces serious scarcity of water in one season and disastrous floods in another. The system is dominated both by monsoon and by snow and glacier dynamics, which confer strong seasonal and inter-annual variability. In this paper two different forecasting methods are utilized to analyse the long-term seasonal behaviour of the Indus River. The study also assesses whether the strong seasonal behaviour is dominated by the presence of low-dimensional nonlinear dynamics, or whether the periodic behaviour is simply immersed in random fluctuations. Forecasts obtained by nonlinear prediction (NLP) and the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) methods show that the performance of NLP is relatively better than the SARIMA method. This, along with the low values of the correlation dimension, is indicative of low-dimensional nonlinear behaviour of the hydrological dynamics. A relatively better performance of NLP, using an inverse technique, may also be indicative of the low-dimensional behaviour. Moreover, the embedding dimension of the best NLP forecasts is in good agreement with the estimated correlation dimension. This provides evidence that the nonlinearity inherent in the monthly river flow due to the snowmelt and the monsoon variations dominate over the high-dimensional components and might be exploited for prediction and modelling of the complex hydrological system. Citation Hassan, S. A. & Ansari, M. R. K. (2010) Nonlinear analysis of seasonality and stochasticity of the Indus River. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(2), 250-265. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal aim of this paper is to study and compare some of the statistical characteristics of local temperature dynamics, taking mega-city Karachi (24.51 N, 67.01 E) as a case study, with global temperature fluctuations. Therefore, temperature fluctuations are examined graphically for distributive properties and correlations. It seems that the statistical nature of local and global temperature fluctuations are similar and can be expressed by Markov processes. As correlations between the two are found to be statistically significant and high, a Bayesian regression is also established between local and global annual temperature fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific organizations the world over, such as the European Space Agency, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the United Nations Organization, are deeply concerned about the imbalances, caused to a significant extent due to human interference in the natural make-up of the earth's ecosystem. In particular, ozone layer depletion (OLD) over the South Pole is already a serious hazard. The long-term effect of ozone layer depletion appears to be an increase in the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth. In order to understand the effects of ozone layer depletion, investigations have been initiated by various research groups. However, to the best of our knowledge, there does not seem to be available any work treating the problem of computing and constructing an empirical model for the UV flux reaching the Arabian Sea surface due to the O3 hole. This communication presents results of quantifying UV flux and modeling future estimation using time series analysis in a local context to understand the nature of the problem of depletion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Survay of the particulates, biological molecules and other harmful materials which enter into Earthchr('39')s atmosphere as airborn agents is one of research intrest of health sciences. Animal housing laboratories for producing malodor especially near residential, educational and official areas can cause neighbors complainant. In order to overcome this challenge qualitative and quantitative evaluation of airborn contaminants of Iran university of medical scienses animal housing had been done. Method: In order to sampling and evaluation of the airborne contaminants in the animal housing the ASTM D3686-95 (for VOCs), ASTM D 4490-90 (for NH3, CO2 and, H2S) and, NIOSH 0500 (for total dusts) standard methods had been used. According to the survey goals apparatus and equipment were prepared and calibrated. Results: According to the results, the unspesified mixed dusts need controling measures and, also showed the presence of the toxic substances like xylene and ethyl benzene, 1, 2, 3-trimethyl Benzene. However the analyses of these show trace concentration of mixture exposure in the air. High number of animals in the small areas and large animal such as rabbits are responsible for more ammonia production. Conclusion: More frequently passing through the salons and geographical condition of the building and also natural ventilation of the laboratory all are good methods reducing the concentration of pollutions. In the other hand long times presence of employees in the laboratory could cause reduce sensitively. Nevertheless in order to increase employees and researcher welfare the implementation of general ventilation is recommended

Digital volume correlation is a new experimental technique that allows the measurement of the full-field strain tensor in three dimensions. We describe the addition of rotational degrees of freedom into the minimization problem for digital volume correlation in order to improve the overall performance of the strain measurement. A parameterization of rotations that is particularly suited to the minimization problem is presented, based on the angle-axis representation of finite rotations. The partial derivative of both a normalized cross-correlation coefficient and the sum-of-squares correlation coefficient are derived for use with gradient-based minimization algorithms. The addition of rotation is shown to greatly reduce the measurement error when even small amounts of rigid body rotation are present in an artificially rotated test volume. In an aluminum foam sample loaded in compression, including rotational degrees of freedom produced smoother contours of minimum principal strain. Renderings of the aluminum foam architecture in areas of low, medium and high rotation showed material deformation pattern in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The welderschr('39') health threat due to exposure to welding fume is an important issue, so effective exhaust of fumes are needful for to be assured from the workers safety in exposured to such proccess. In this study, was evaluated prototype operation of local exhaust ventilation on-gun in bench scale. Methods: duct velocity Average was determined by using traverse points method and calculated flow rate by hood using ACGIH standard method. Also capture velocity close in contaminant source (Arc Point) was measured using thermal anemometer. Then in order to determine total particles concentration and capture efficiency created by system, Was used NIOSH 7200 standard method. Results: the results show that, duct velocity average and created flow rate by evaluated system was obtained respectively 6296.1±92.50 fpm and 34.06±0/50 scfm. Also capture velocity in close the weld point was obtained 140 fpm. Sampling results shows averaged total particles concentration in off and on positions of system, respectively 75±7 mg/m3 and 16.7±4 mg/m3. As a result achieved containment efficiency 77% by this system. Conclusion: The local exhaust ventilation used in this study was a low cust prototype and according to acheived results, it lead to reduce total particles concentration (T.P) in breathing zone aproximately to 22%.