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The soil underneath any type of structure e.g. Building, road, highways etc. should be able to resist loadings, if not so it is subjected to failure. Usually the soil at the site is not ideal from viewpoint of engineering. An approach to this problem, is to improve the soils or to adopt soil stabilization. Various methods of soil stabilization have been developed and in practice across the world. In this research an attempt was made to use the agricultural waste to improve the soil stability, as in Punjab agricultural waste is available in excess. In Punjab, major crops are wheat and rice. So wheat straw is available in excess in Punjab. In Punjab, mostly we have clayey soil. We select the representative samples from different areas of Punjab namely Kasur, Lahore and Sheikhupura and performed certain tests on these samples. The wheat straw totally failed in enhancing compaction, but compressive stress increased up to some extent. So it can be utilized in slopes of embankments of highways, railways etc. but can’t be used in construction of structures. So it is recommended that the future students should very fine wheat straw to make the project better and having a more in depth analysis.

Objective: Bushen Chengyun granule (BCG) is an empirical treatment for female infertility (FI) caused by low endometrial receptivity (LER) involving a poorly understood mechanism. In this study, network pharmacology was used to explore the potential therapeutic mechanism of BCG on FI caused by LER. Methods: The corresponding herb targets were obtained by conducting a search in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and PubMed-reported literature. Disease targets were obtained from the following databases: Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, Human Phenotype Ontology, and Therapeutic Target Database. Treatments for LER using BCG have used target matching (BCG – LER target). Then, the predicted targets were uploaded to the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins database for gene ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. Furthermore, triptorelin acetate for injection + menotrophin + chorionic gonadotropin for injection were used to establish a mouse model of blastocyst implantation disorder and to evaluate the in vivo effect of BCG on blastocyst implantation. Results: Overall, 156 bioactive chemical components and 1092 targets of BCG were identified. The results indicated that 482 biological processes (FDR

Abstract Background Hen eggs contaminated with lead can be harmful to the health of children and adults. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate if sub-chronic treatment with ascorbic acid can reduce lead levels in the different parts of hen eggs after intentionally exposing the laying hens to a concentrated source of lead. Methods Clinically normal mixed-breed egg laying hens (n = 18) were used in this pilot study. Hens were exposed to a concentrated source of lead (200 mg/kgbody weight/day lead acetate) for 1 week. Subsequently, egg laying hens were either treated with sub-chronic doses of ascorbic acid (500 mg/kgbody weight/day) or left untreated for 4 weeks. Lead levels were assessed in egg-shell, egg-albumen, and egg-yolk samples using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results Lead levels increased significantly (p-value

Sensor nodes heterogeneity if not properly utilized could lead to uneven energy consumption and load imbalanced across the network, which degrades the performance of the network. Routing algorithms should try to achieve energy-efficiency and load-balancing among the heterogeneous nodes to prolong network lifetime. One of the solutions is by using duty-cycling in cluster-based routing such as in Sleep-awake Energy Efficient Distributed (SEED) clustering algorithm to minimize redundant transmission to achieve energy efficiency. However, this scheme suffers from idle listening problem, which lead to energy wastage across the network. Moreover, SEED cannot cope with an environment with sensor nodes with heterogeneous traffic rate. To cope with energy and traffic heterogeneity issues among sensor nodes, a traffic and energy aware routing protocol (TEAR) is proposed. TEAR avoids selecting node with low energy and high traffic rate for cluster head role to achieve load balancing. However, TEAR does not avoid redundant transmission from the sensor nodes that are in close distances. In this paper, we proposed a hybrid method called energy and traffic aware sleep-awake (ETASA) mechanism to improve energy efficiency and enhanced load balancing in heterogeneous wireless sensor network scenario. Unlike prior methods, in ETASA, the paired nodes alternate into sleep and awake mode based on node's energy and traffic rate. Moreover, we revised the conventional TDMA scheduling in SEED by allocating one slot for group of pairs in a cluster. This is done to address idle listening problem to minimize energy consumption. The proposed method improves the cluster head selection technique that selects high energy, low traffic and nodes with high number of pairs to improve balanced energy consumption. The proposed approach is evaluated and compared against the state-of-the-art baseline protocols. The result shows that the proposed ETASA has 16% and 15% lifetime improvements against TEAR and SEED.

Objective: To determine the incidence of complications [Surgical site infection (SSI), intra-abdominal abscess (IAA), stump leak] related to stump ligation with manual loop of sliding extracorporeal suture knot in LA. Methods: This cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy from June 2014 to November 2020 performed by the same surgeon with almost similar technique. Stump was ligated with manual loops, applied by the surgeon or trainee or both (one by surgeon and other by trainee). SSI and IAA were classified according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Results: Total 120 patients were included with median (Interquartile range, IQR) age of 24 (19-35) years and male predominance i.e. 81 (67.5%). Median (IQR) for the duration of symptoms, time from presentation to surgery and duration of surgery was 2(1-4) days, 10 (4-15) hours and 60 (44-70) minutes, respectively. SSI was documented in 9(7.5%) patients, managed by wound hygiene and antibiotics. IAA was observed in one(0.8%) patient who required readmission for antibiotics and radiology guided drain placement. No stump leak was observed. Conclusion: Manual endo-loop is a safe, reliable and cost effective technique for stump ligation in LA, and can safely be incorporated into teaching of surgical trainees. Keywords: Surgical Site Infection, Intra Abdominal Abscess, Endoloop, Stump leak, Clips, Stapler.

The fetal-maternal immune system determines the fate of pregnancy. The trophoblast cells not only give an active response against external stimuli but are also involved in secreting most of the cytokines. These cells have an essential function in fetal acceptance or fetal rejection. Other immune cells also play a pivotal role in carrying out a successful pregnancy. The disruption in this mechanism may lead to harmful effects on pregnancy. The placenta serves as an immune barrier in fetus protection against invading pathogens. Once the infections prevail, they may localize in placental and fetal tissues, and the presence of inflammation due to cytokines may have detrimental effects on pregnancy. Moreover, some pathogens are responsible for congenital fetal anomalies and affect almost all organs of the developing fetus. This review article is designed to address the bacterial and viral infections that threaten pregnancy and their possible outcomes. Moreover, training of the fetal immune system against the exposure of infections and the role of CD49a + NK cells in embryonic development will also be highlighted.

Currently, hydrogels are considered as ideal biomaterials due to their unique structure and characteristics that facilitates considerable hydrophilicity, swelling, drug loading and release. In this study, we report pH-responsive GG-MAA-AMPS hydrogel delivery system prepared via free radical polymerization technique. Hydrogels were loaded with Metformin HCl as a model drug. Hydrogels were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR confirmed the successful crosslinking of reactants, hydrogel network formation and drug loading. TGA and DSC proved the higher thermal stability of reactants after crosslinking and drug loading. XRD analysis showed decrease in crystallinity of drug after loading into the hydrogels. SEM revealed smooth and glassy appearance of both loaded and unloaded hydrogels. Gel content was increased with increase in concentration of reactants. Drug entrapment was decreased by increasing concentration of GG and AMPS while MAA acted inversely. Hydrogels displayed pH-dependent swelling and drug release behavior being high at pH 6.8 and 7.4 while low at acidic pH (1.2). Oral tolerability in rabbits showed that hydrogels were safe without causing any hematological or histopathological changes in healthy rabbits. Based on the obtained results, GG-MAA-AMPS can be considered as potential carrier for metformin HCl as well as other hydrophilic drugs.

Phaseolus vulgaris, an essential food and source of protein, is cultivated across the world. This study was carried out to investigate the diversity and population structure of 34 P. vulgaris landrace accessions collected from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) regions of Pakistan. The samples were analyzed both morphologically and using genetic variation identified through RNA sequencing. Our results indicated that most genetic variation occurs among local accessions, with little genetic variation occurring between geographical regions. In addition, the accessions fell into two major genetic groups. Morphological analysis revealed that these two genetic groups differ in a number of quantitative traits, including seed length, seed width, and seed weight. One accession, DUD-11, appears to be a mixture of the two major groups genetically as well as morphologically. Among the other accessions, DUD-8, RWK-2, and NGD-1 depicted particularly high seed weight along with higher seed length, seed width, and seed yield per plant. We suggest focusing on these accessions in future breeding programs. More generally, our results provide baseline data that will be useful for crop improvement and effective cultivation practices in Pakistan.

Complex IT outsourcing relationships aptitude several benefits such as increased cost likelihood and lowered costs, higher scalability and flexibility upon demand. However, by virtue of its complexity, the complex outsourcing typically necessitates the interactions among various stakeholders from diverse regions and cultures, making it significantly more challenging to manage than traditional outsourcing. Furthermore, when compared to other types of outsourcing, complex outsourcing is extremely difficult because it necessitates a variety of control and coordination mechanisms for project management, which proportionally increases the risk of project failure. In order to overcome the failure of projects in complex outsourcing relationships, there is a need of robust systematic research to identify the key challenges and practices in this area. Therefore, this research implements systematic literature review as a research method and works as a pioneer attempt to accomplish the aforementioned objectives. Upon furnishing the SLR results, the authors identified 11 major challenges with 67 practices in hand from a total of 85 papers. Based on these findings, the authors intend to construct a comprehensive framework in the future by incorporating robust methodologies such as AHP and fuzzy logic, among others.

Phaseolus vulgaris L. is the major pulse cultivated and culturally inculcated in the food habits of the locals in the Himalayan mountainous region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. The current study was designed to investigate the role of P. vulgaris cultivation in providing livelihood support and to evaluate its production and consumption patterns correlated with the household variables in the state of AJK. The socio-economic data was collected from nine bean cultivated areas in six districts of AJK. The data was acquired by administrating a total of 522 detailed semi structured questionnaires from a diverse array of the respondents following the snowball technique focusing on yield, consumption, revenue generation and livelihood support provided by bean cultivation. The results revealed that common bean cultivation provided significant livelihood support to the local mountainous populations with an average annual income of 50.80 $/family. Subsequently, bean production contributed an average annual per capita income of 6.81 $ in the area, which was attributed to the large family size. Local populations showed an average bean production of 33.93 kg/family, whereas the average annual bean consumption was recorded as 31.99 kg/family in the region. Bean crops were recorded to have an average price of $1.49/kg, with significant variations in the study area correlated with local yield. A data analysis indicated a strong correlation in bean production and consumption patterns. Common bean farmers had a very small farm size, averaging 0.24 ha, where 100% of farmers cultivated common beans as an intercrop with Maize as the primary crop. A Pearson’s test (p value < 0.05) revealed significant correlations between land holding and bean production as well as consumption, and bean production with annual per capita income. Small farm size, declining soil fertility, low bean pricing and the unavailability of market mechanisms were identified as the major challenges faced by the common bean farmers. It is recommended to employ an integrated bean farming approach to enhance the economic impact of common bean cultivation in the socioeconomic appraisal of the local populations.

The current research aimed to fabricate ondansetron nanostructured lipid carriers (OND-NLCs) and incorporate them into a suppository base to manage chemotherapy-induced vomiting and nausea, which offer the advantage of both rapid onset and prolonged release. NLCs were fabricated by adopting the solvent diffusion method. The binary lipid mixture of oleic acid (liquid lipid) and lauric acid (solid lipid) were prepared in distinct ratios. The NLCs were characterized concerning the surface charge, size, drug encapsulation efficiency, and surface morphology. In addition, the influence of surfactant, co-surfactant, and lipid on entrapment efficiency and particle size was investigated. Phosphate buffer having pH 7.4 is used for evaluating in vitro drug release by utilizing a dialysis membrane. Various kinetics models were used to estimate the drug release kinetics of fabricated nanostructured lipid carriers. The particle size of the NLCs was calculated between 101 and 378 nm with negative zeta potential on the NLC’s surface. The entrapment efficiency was found between 68 and 87%. Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis showed the spherical shape of nanostructured lipid carriers. The dissolution profile of the ondansetron-loaded NLC suppository depicts biphasic behavior of firstly burst release then slow release was observed. The diffusion controlled release was evident from kinetic modeling. The succeeding step comprehended the fabrication and characterization of NLC-based suppositories utilizing NLC formulations that demonstrated the combined advantage of rapid onset, prolonged release, and better in vivo bioavailability as compared to control suppository.

Objective: To describe this technique for treatment of caudal septal dislocation and to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique in terms of correction of cosmetic deformity and relief of nasal obstruction. Methods: This was a descriptive case series study performed at ENT department of Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Services Hospital, Jail Road, Lahore. 30 Cases of mild to moderate degree of septal caudal dislocation were selected and operated. The septum was fixed by sutures to the anterior nasal spine. Columellar pocket was made and septum was sutured in the pocket by two sutures at upper and lower levels to increase the stability of corrected septum. Results: We performed this suturing technique on 30 septoplasty cases during 3 years from Jan-2016 to Jan-2019. Among them 12 (40%) were male and 18 (60%) were female. Total follow up period ranged between 3 to 6 months. Anterior rhinoscopy showed no persistence of deviation or dislocation in 25 patients. 5 cases had mild deviation of septum on non-operated side. Conclusion: Two level septocolomellar suture technique is very effective, easy to learn & perform and shows long term reliability in correction of caudal septal dislocation. This is effective in improving cosmesis and nasal air flow.

Objective: To evaluate different VMAT planning techniques for a multi-leaf collimator (MLC)providing maximum aperture of 21 × 16 cm². Methods: A VMAT planning study of nine prostate and nine head-and-neck cancer patients was carried out. The patients were previously treated with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) technique during 2014-15, at radiation oncology SanBortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy. Three VMAT plans for each of prostate and head-and-neck cancer patient were optimized using Pinnacle treatment planning system for 6MV photon beam from ElektaSynergyS®Linac system. Single arc, dual arc and combined two independent-single-arcs were optimized for collimator angle 45°. VMAT treatment planning comparison was made among single-arc dual-arc and combined two independent-single-arcs. The student’s t-test (two-sided) with p ? 0.05 was applied for significant difference between dose volume indices of plans. Results: All VMAT techniques produced clinically acceptable plans for prostate, while for head-and-neck, DA and ISAs significantly improved target coverage compared to SA. Single arc is sufficient for prostate, while inefficient in case of head-and-neck dose-planning. In spite of having different VMAT optimization approach dual arc and two combined independent-single-arcs provided very similar target coverage, while dual arc improved sparing of organs-at-risk. Similar treatment delivery times were observed for DA and ISAs VMAT techniques. Conclusion: Single arc is sufficient for prostate, while inefficient in case of head-and-neck dose-planning.Dual arc and two combined independent-single-arcs provided similar PTV coverage, while DA provided better sparing of organs at risk. Continuous...

Accumulation of heavy metals in the environment can pose a potential risk to living organisms. Ingestion of leafy vegetables, containing heavy metals, is one of the main routes through which these elements enter the human body. The present study was conducted to assess the accumulation of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in spinach grown on metal contaminated soil, and to examine the bioassimilation of these metals in spinach-fed rabbits. Spinach grown in the fields spiked with Pb (1000 mg kg-1 soil) and Zn (150 mg kg-1 soil), was fed to the rabbits for 14 days. Concentrations of Pb and Zn in the leaves of spinach were 39.1 and 113 mg kg-1, respectively. For the assessment of Pb and Zn concentration, blood samples were collected after 24 h, 7 days and 14 days of feeding, while the essential organs, i.e. liver and kidneys of rabbits were collected at the end of feeding trials. Concentrations (mg L-1) of Pb (3.28) and Zn (7.10) increased in blood after 24 h compared to control treatment and then decreased (Pb 1.12; Zn 3.32) to a steady state with the passage of time after 7 days. A significant increase in the concentrations of Pb (1.20%, 3.95% and 5.58%) and Zn (10.7%, 6.89% and 18.4%) as compared to control treatment was also found in liver, kidney and bones of the rabbits, respectively, which was further confirmed by multivariate analysis. The highest significant values of correlation coefficient (r) were observed for blood and bones, i.e. 0.992 followed by blood and liver, i.e. 0.989. The bioassimilation of Pb in the body of rabbits was in the order of bone > kidney > liver > blood, while for Zn the order was bone > liver > kidney > blood. The bioassimilation of Pb and Zn in the blood, essential organs and bones depicted the serious health risks associated by consuming the metal contaminated vegetable.

This paper presents hourly Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) measured data at three stations (Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur) in Punjab, Pakistan. The estimated GHI data from three reanalysis datasets have also been presented. Clearness index (KT), Solar zenith angle (θsza) and Periodicity factor (Pf) were calculated and used to develop bias correction models. The estimated corrected GHI data using best model M20 for years 2015 and 2016 is also presented.

We propose a new parametrization of the resonant Rossby/drift wave triads to develop an algorithm to enumerate all resonant triads in a given grid of wavenumbers. To arrive at such a parametrization, we have employed tools from arithmetic/algebraic geometry to project resonant triads on a certain class of conics. Further, we extend the newly developed algorithm for the enumeration of quasi-resonant triads and experimentally show that the said algorithm is robust to design the network of quasi-resonances. From the experimental results, we observed that the new algorithm enumerates all triads in low computation time when compared with the existing methods. Finally, we apply this work to information security by constructing a total order on the enumerated resonant triads to design a substitution box (S-box) generator. Via extensive analyses over several indicators (nonlinearity, algebraic complexity, linear and differential approximation probabilities, strict avalanche criteria, and bit independence criterion) we show that the newly developed S-box outperforms the S-boxes constructed by most of the existing schemes.

Application of wastewater to agricultural soils not only enhances economic benefits but is also considered as a safe disposal option by the administrators. Worldwide, peri-urban horticulture is a common practice for growing vegetables. When agricultural soils are irrigated with wastewater, numerous potentially toxic elements (PTEs) contained therein are bioaccumulated and pose health risks. The presented study aimed to reveal the PTEs, i.e., copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) concentration in the agricultural soils irrigated with wastewater for longer times. Zeolite, a natural mineral was used to immobilize these in contaminated soils to reduce its availability to brinjal (Solanum melongena L.). During a pot study, zeolite was applied at four different levels, i.e., 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 and 2.00% in contaminated soil, keeping one control. The results revealed that growth as well as biochemical and physiological characters were found best with treatment receiving zeolite at 2.00%. In edible parts (fruit), PTE contents were found lowest in the same treatment. Relative to the control, ~121, 87, 120 and 140% less DTPA-extracted Cu, Cd, Ni and Pb in soil was found with this treatment. Based on the results, it was revealed that zeolite effectively immobilized Cu, Cd, Ni and Pb in the soil. Although all the applied levels of zeolite had positive potential to immobilize PTEs in wastewater-contaminated soil, zeolite applied at 2.00% proved most effective.

Our study used the full-potential linearized augmented plane waves (FP-LAPW) method to conduct a first-principles evaluation of the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of ThMn2X2 (X = Si and Ge) compounds. To establish theoretical dependability with the currently available experimental results, computations for the structural findings of ternary intermetallic thorium (Th)-based compounds were achieved using the generalized gradient approximation in the scheme of Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE–GGA) potential, while the generalized gradient approximation plus the Hubbard U (GGA + U) approach was employed to improve the electrical and magnetic properties. In contrast with both the paramagnetic (PM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases, the ThMn2X2 compounds were optimized in a stable ferromagnetic (FM) phase, which was more suited for studying and analyzing magnetic properties. The electronic band structures (BS) and the density of state (DOS) were computed using the two PBE–GGA and GGA + U approximations. The thorium (Th)-based ThMn2X2 compound has full metallic character, due to the crossing and overlapping of bands across the Fermi level of energy, as well as the absence of a gap through both spin (up and down) channels. There was a significant hybridization between (Mn-d and (X = Si and Ge)-p states of conduction band with Th-f states in the valence band. The total magnetic moment of ThMn2Si2 in the ferromagnetic phase was 7.94534 μB, while for ThMn2Ge2 it was 8.73824 μB with a major contribution from the Mn atom. In addition, the ThMn2Ge2 compound’s total magnetic moment confirmed that it exhibits higher ferromagnetism than does the ThMn2Si2 compound.

The flow and heat characteristics of an unsteady, laminar biomagnetic fluid, namely blood containing Fe3O4 magnetic particles, under the influence of thermal radiation and a magnetic dipole over a cylinder with controlled boundary conditions using a group theory method are investigated in the present study. The mathematical formulation of the problem is constructed with the aid of biomagnetic fluid dynamics (BFD) which combines principles of ferrohydrodynamics (FHD) and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). It is assumed that blood exhibits polarization as well as electrical conductivity. Additionally, the shape of the magnetic particles, namely cylindrical and spherical, is also considered. Moreover, in this model, a group theoretical transformation, namely a two-parameter group technique, is applied. By applying this group transformation, the governing system of partial differential equations (PDEs) along with applicable boundary conditions are reduced to one independent variable and, consequently, converted into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with suitable boundary conditions. An efficient numerical technique is applied to solve the resultant ODEs and this technique is based on three essential features, namely (i) a common finite differences method with central differencing, (ii) tridiagonal matrix manipulation and (iii) an iterative procedure. The flow and heat characteristics of blood-Fe3O4 are found to be dependent on some physical parameters such as the particle volume fraction, the ferromagnetic interaction parameter, the magnetic field parameter, and the thermal radiation parameter. An ample parametric study is accomplished to narrate the influences of such physical parameters on velocity, temperature distributions as well as the coefficient of skin friction and rate of heat transfer. From the numerical results, it is deduced that the fluid velocity is enhanced for the ferromagnetic number and the temperature profile is decreased as the ferromagnetic number is gradually increased. It is also obtained that for the cylindrical shape of magnetic particles, the fluid temperature is more enhanced than that of the spherical shape. Both the skin friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number are increased for increasing values of the ferromagnetic interaction parameter, where the heat transfer rate of blood-Fe3O4 is significantly increased by approximately 33.2% compared to that of pure blood, whereas the coefficient of skin friction is reduced by approximately 6.82%.

Nicotine smoking is the most common mode of tobacco smoking among young people. It affects the areas of the brain associated with memory, attention, and learning. This study has investigated the effect of nicotine smoking on cognitive performance. One hundred male volunteers (50 nicotine smokers and 50 nonsmokers) aged 18–30 years with similar socioeconomic backgrounds were recruited for this study. Clinical history of participants was obtained using a questionnaire. Their brain health and handedness were determined using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI), respectively. The dependent variables examined in the study were attention-switching tasks (AST), pattern recognition memory (PRM), and choice reaction time (CRT). These parameters were assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Battery (CANTAB). The average ages of participating smokers and nonsmokers were 24.02 ± 3.41 years (mean ± standard deviation) and 22.68 ± 1.87 years, respectively. MMSE and EHI scores of smokers were 28.42 ± 1.09 and 99.75 ± 1.77, respectively; for nonsmokers, these scores were 28.54 ± 1.34 and 98 ± 1.91, respectively. The mean score for AST correct latency/delay was significantly higher (p = 0.050) in smokers (620.26 ± 142.03) than in nonsmokers (570.11 ± 108.39). The percentage of correct AST trials was significantly higher (p = 0.000) in nonsmokers (96.95 ± 2.18) than in smokers (83.75 ± 11.22). The PRM percent correct were significantly higher (p = 0.000) of nonsmokers (93.42 ± 8.34) than of smokers (79.75 ± 13.44). The mean correct latency for CRT was significantly higher (p = 0.009) in smokers (509.87 ± 129.83) than in nonsmokers (455.20 ± 65.73). From this data, it can be concluded that nicotine smoking is linked with impaired cognitive functions in smokers.

Offshore software development outsourcing (OSDO) is a modern business strategy for producing high-quality software at a low cost. The OSDO refers to the practice of contracting to an offshore (extrinsic) organization to perform some or all software development work of a product. For the benefit of the OSDO vendors, this paper aims to develop a “communication and coordination challenges mitigation model” (CCCMM) that provides solutions for unambiguously defined communication and coordination processes in global software development (GSD) environment. Our proposed model is based on the fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making (FMADM) approach incorporating the capability of group decision-making. The FMADM approach is used both in the ranking of survey and assessment of case studies. First, the authors undertook a systematic literature review (SLR) that identified all cited challenges from a set of 101 articles. We identified 18 problem areas faced by the GSD vendors in OSDO relationships. Of these, six were ranked as critical. For the purpose of identifying corrective interventions, a second SLR was conducted that revealed 75 remedial measures extracted from 63 chosen articles. To validate our SLR findings, we surveyed 42 outsourcing experts from six countries. We also categorized six critical challenges and 75 corrective practices into four mitigation levels based on CMMI, SOVRM, and SOPM. In addition, two case studies were conducted to evaluate CCCMM outcomes in OSDO companies. The assessment results of the first case study do not recommend Company-A for the successful implementation of level-2 of the CCCMM, so Company-A stands at level-1. We have observed from the second case study that Company-B has implemented all the critical challenges of the level-2 only; therefore, Company-B is at level-2 “success” of the proposed assessment model.

Prior to the innovation of information communication technologies (ICT), social interactions evolved within small cultural boundaries such as geo spatial locations. The recent developments of communication technologies have considerably transcended the temporal and spatial limitations of traditional communications. These social technologies have created a revolution in user-generated information, online human networks, and rich human behavior-related data. However, the misuse of social technologies such as social media (SM) platforms, has introduced a new form of aggression and violence that occurs exclusively online. A new means of demonstrating aggressive behavior in SM websites are highlighted in this paper. The motivations for the construction of prediction models to fight aggressive behavior in SM are also outlined. We comprehensively review cyberbullying prediction models and identify the main issues related to the construction of cyberbullying prediction models in SM. This paper provides insights on the overall process for cyberbullying detection and most importantly overviews the methodology. Though data collection and feature engineering process has been elaborated, yet most of the emphasis is on feature selection algorithms and then using various machine learning algorithms for prediction of cyberbullying behaviors. Finally, the issues and challenges have been highlighted as well, which present new research directions for researchers to explore.

The objective was to study the present scenario, challenges, and future anticipation of traditional Mongolian medicine (TMM) in China. The literature was retrieved using various sources of information such as meetings with TMM experts, research and review articles, national health databases, and government websites and authoritative papers. Health care using TMM, TMM education and research, and the pharmaceutical industry of TMM has been improved by implementing TMM growth policies. TMM has been extensively used for health care in Mongolia and in various regions of China including Beijing. The national education system of China contains a stream of TMM education. There is a yearly increase in research productivity in the field of TMM due to extensive research funding by the government. The rapidly growing pharmaceutical industry of TMM has provided more availability of TMM to more patients. The literature search revealed good preservation and development of TMM in China, urging the need to take steps for the promotion of its spread and development in China and worldwide.

Cancer is the second-ranked disease and a cause of death for millions of people around the world despite many kinds of available treatments. Phytochemicals are considered a vital source of cancer-inhibiting drugs and utilize specific mechanisms including carcinogen inactivation, the induction of cell cycle arrest, anti-oxidant stress, apoptosis, and regulation of the immune system. Family Fabaceae is the second most diverse family in the plant kingdom, and species of the family are widely distributed across the world. The species of the Fabaceae family are rich in phytochemicals (flavonoids, lectins, saponins, alkaloids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids), which exhibit a variety of health benefits, especially anti-cancer properties; therefore, exploration of the phytochemicals present in various members of this family is crucial. These phytochemicals of the Fabaceae family have not been explored in a better way yet; therefore, this review is an effort to summarize all the possible information related to the phytochemical status of the Fabaceae family and their anti-cancer properties. Moreover, various research gaps have been identified with directions for future research.

Globally, breast cancer (BC) is the prevailing cause of unusual deaths in women. Breast tumor (BT) is a primary symptom and may lead to BC. Digital histology (DH) image modality is a gold standard medical test for a definite diagnosis of BC. Traditionally, DH images are visually examined by two or more pathologists to come up with a consensus for authentic BC detection which may cause a high error rate. Therefore, researchers had developed automated BC detection models using a machine learning (ML) based approach. Thus, this study aims to develop a BC detection model through ten feature extraction methods which extract both local and global type features from publicly available breast histology dataset. The extracted features are sorted by their weights, which are computed by the neighborhood component analysis method. A feature selection algorithm is developed to find the minimum number of discriminating features, evaluated through seven heterogeneous traditional ML classifiers. The proposed ML-based BC detection model acquired 90% accuracy for the initial testing set using 51 Harris features. Whereas, for the extended testing set, only three Harris features is shown 93% accuracy. The proposed BC detection model can assist the doctor in giving a second opinion.

Abstract Background The main objective of the present protocol is to assess the lifestyle interventions (eating habits, physical exercise, social and cultural participation) on the brain health as people age. Methods We will look at the following database sources, “The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar,” for this protocol, which is standardized by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) Protocols. Only Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients will be eligible, and no restriction will be placed on participant's gender, age, education, ethnicity, or other demographic characteristics. All the studies based on the impact of active intervention centered on lifestyle interventions, including eating habits, sleep patterns, and physical exercise on the cognitive and functional status in the elderly populations. The primary outcome is the effects of nutrition and lifestyle interventions on the patients with AD, and secondary outcomes include body mass index, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. Results In this study, we hope to find lifestyle interventions, which could have a preventive effect on brain health as people age, in particular AD. Conclusion The conclusion of our study would suggest that a healthy lifestyle interventions, defined on the basis of proper nutrition, sleep patterns, physical exercise, and social and cultural activities, can positively influence the cognitive consequences of healthy brain aging.

The core aim of this study is to propose a novel computational procedure, namely, Elzaki transform iterative method to work out two-dimensional nonlinear time-fractional Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation numerically. We execute the suggested iterative procedure on two models and results are presented graphically in the form of surface plot and absolute error is compared with the VIM and HPM to show that the method is more powerful than VIM and HPM and deduce that the offered numerical pattern is more efficient in simulating linear and nonlinear fractional order models.

It has been widely known that oxidative stress disrupts the balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant system in the body. During pregnancy, the physiological generation of ROS is involved in a variety of developmental processes ranging from oocyte maturation to luteolysis and embryo implantation. While abnormal overproduction of ROS disrupts these processes resulting in reproductive failure. In addition, excessive oxidative stress impairs maternal and placental functions and eventually results in fetal loss, IUGR, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Although some oxidative stress is inevitable during pregnancy, a balancing act between oxidant and antioxidant production is necessary at different stages of the pregnancy. The review aims to highlight the importance of maintaining oxidative and antioxidant balance throughout pregnancy. Furthermore, we highlight the role of oxidative stress in pregnancy-related diseases.

Defective implantation is related to pregnancy-associated disorders such as spontaneous miscarriage, intrauterine fetal growth restriction and others. Several factors proclaimed to be involved such as physiological, nutritional, environmental and managemental that leads to cause oxidative stress. Overloading of free radicals promotes oxidative stress, and the internal body system could not combat its ability to encounter the damaging effects and subsequently leading to pregnancy-related disorders. During pregnancy, essential amino acids display important role for optimum fetal growth and other necessary functions for continuing fruitful pregnancy. In this context, dietary amino acids have received much attention regarding the nutritional concerns during pregnancy. Arginine, glutamine, tryptophan and taurine play a crucial role in fetal growth, development and survival while ornithine and proline are important players for the regulation of gene expression, protein synthesis and angiogenesis. Moreover, amino acids also stimulate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway which plays a central role in the synthesis of proteins in placenta, uterus and fetus. This review article explores the significances of dietary amino acids in pregnancy development, regulation of nutrient-sensing pathways such as mTOR, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway (IIS) and 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which exhibit important role in reproduction and its related problems. In addition, the antioxidant function of dietary amino acids against oxidative stress triggering pregnancy disorders and their possible outcomes will also be enlightened. Dietary supplementation of amino acids during pregnancy could help mitigate reproductive disorders and thereby improving fertility in animals as well as humans.

Flexible wearable materials have frequently been used in drug delivery, healthcare monitoring, and wearable sensors for decades. As a novel type of artificially designed functional material, photonic crystals (PCs) are sensitive to the changes in the external environment and stimuli signals. However, the rigidity of the PCs limits their application in the field of biometric and optical sensors. This study selects silk fibroin (SF) and poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) as principal components to prepare the hydrogel with the physical crosslinking agent lithium silicate (LMSH) and is then integrated with PCs to obtain the SF-PNIPAM dual-crosslinked nanocomposite for temperature and strain sensing. The structural colors of the PCs change from blue to orange-red by the variation in temperature or strain. The visual temperature-sensing and adhesion properties enable the SF-PNIPAM dual-crosslinked nanocomposite to be directly attached to the skin in order to monitor the real-time dynamic of human temperature. Based on its excellent optical properties and biocompatibility, the SF-PNIPAM dual-crosslinked nanocomposite can be applied to the field of visual biosensing, wearable display devices, and wound dressing materials.

The hydrology of arid to semi-arid regions is substantially different from that in humid regions due to scarce hydrological data distributions with dry climates and strong evapo-transpirative conditions. In the perspective of global water shortage, food security for all of the living beings has become a matter of great concern. Efficient use of water resources both in urban and rural environments and application of non-conventional water resources for irrigation are becoming increasingly important. In order to sustain crop production, the re-use of treated wastewater for irrigation of crops could be a good option. A pot experiment was set up to evaluate effects of different doses of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer on lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) phyto-availability by two cultivars of rice irrigated with city effluent. Experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) each with three replications. The results showed effective immobilization of Pb with applied phosphatic fertilizer. Among all of the tested treatments, the most effective treatment to reduce phyto-availability of Pb was T4 (248 kg P ha−1) due to antagonistic interaction. While Ni showed inconsistent behavior with both synergistic and antagonistic interaction (biphasic) to applied phosphorus (P) rates. Data regarding various growth parameters such as plant height, number of tillers, shoot and root dry weights, straw and grain yields, and physiological attributes such as total chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic and transpiration rates showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) responses to P application. An increasing trend was revealed in determined parameters with increased P application rates, with the exception of decreased plant height. The conclusion of the present remedial approach indicated that addition of P can significantly reduce the risks of rice grown under city effluent irrigation containing high Pb and Ni contents.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. ABL1 (c-Abl) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, whose role, and molecular mechanism in CRC remain largely unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of ABL1 to obtain information on colon cancer gene mutation. We analyzed the tissue samples obtained from patients with CRC, CRC cell lines, and the immunodeficient mice. The proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of CRC cells were examined. IPA software was used to analyze the molecules involved in CRC after ABL1 RNA interference. We found ABL1 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cells. This high expression was associated with the TNM stage of CRC patients. In exon 8 of the ABL1 gene, we identified a novel mutation of C1222C deletion, which was related to the CRC stage. Depletion of ABL1 resulted in the inhibition of proliferation and escalation of apoptosis in two CRC cell lines, SW480, and HCT-116. Our in vivo study also demonstrated that depletion of ABL1 reduced CRC tumor progression. The results of the ingenuity pathway analysis indicated that the expression of 732 genes was upregulated and that of 691 genes was downregulated in mice transplanted with ABL1-downregulated CRC cells, among which we confirmed that depletion of ABL1 inhibited TGF-β1 via IRS1/PI3K/AKT pathway in CRC progression. These findings demonstrated that ABL1 plays an important role and that it can be a potential molecular target for CRC therapy.

Introduction: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the bacterial infection of ascitic fluid in the absence of other apparent causes. It is the most prevalent and serious infection in cirrhosis and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. The frequency of SBP in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis varies from 7 to 23% in the west and it is around 33% in Pakistan. Our study aim was to determine the frequency of microbial organisms isolated from spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients. Material and Methods: We did a cross-sectional study at the Department of Medicine, Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi for 6 months. Cirrhosis was diagnosed on the bases of clinical, biochemical and ultrasonography findings. Peripheral blood samples were obtained for the evaluation of complete blood cell count, polymorphonuclear leukocyte count, albumin and coagulation parameters. At the same time, the patients underwent paracentesis and a 20ml ascitic fluid sample was taken for culture sensitivity along with routine biochemical examination from the pathology department lab at our hospital. Results: A total of 150 patients were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria of the study. The mean age (yrs) of patients was 32.3+9.31. The frequency and percentages of male and female patients were 70 (46.7) and 80 (53.3) respectively. Frequency and percentages of E Coli and streptococcal pneumonia were 94 (62.7) and 34 (22.7) respectively, whereas frequency and percentages of staph aureus and Klebsiella were 22 (14.7). Conclusion: SBP is quite common in patients with cirrhosis. It should be suspected in all such cases presenting with typical or atypical features. E Coli was the most common causative organisms in our study but gram-positive organisms were quite frequent as well.

Camelina sativa L. is an oilseed crop with wide nutritional and industrial applications. Because of favorable agronomic characteristics of C. sativa in a water-limiting environment interest in its production has increased worldwide. In this study the effect of different irrigation regimes (I0 = three irrigations, I1 = two irrigations, I2 = one irrigation and I3 = one irrigation) on physio-biochemical responses and seed yield attributes of two C. sativa genotypes was explored under semi-arid conditions. Results indicated that maximum physio-biochemical activity, seed yield and oil contents appeared in genotype 7126 with three irrigations (I0). In contrast water deficit stress created by withholding irrigation (I1, I2 and I3) at different growth stages significantly reduced the physio-biochemical activity as well as yield responses in both C. sativa genotypes. Nonetheless the highest reduction in physio-biochemical and yield attributes were observed in genotype 8046 when irrigation was skipped at vegetative and flowering stages of crop (I3). In genotypic comparison, C. sativa genotype 7126 performed better than 8046 under all I1, I2 and I3 irrigation treatments. Because 7126 exhibited better maintenance of tissue water content, leaf gas exchange traits and chlorophyll pigment production, resulting in better seed yield and oil production. Findings of this study suggest that to achieve maximum yield potential in camelina three irrigations are needed under semi-arid conditions, however application of two irrigations one at flowering and second at silique development stage can ensure an economic seed yield and oil contents. Furthermore, genotype 7126 should be adopted for cultivation under water limited arid and semi-arid regions due to its better adaptability.

One of the standards for cancer treatment is cancer immunotherapy which treats both primary and metastasized tumors. Although cancer immunotherapeutics show better outcomes as compared with conventional approaches of cancer treatment, the currently used cancer immunotherapeutics have limited application in delivering cancer antigens to immune cells. Conversely, in solid tumors, tumor microenvironment suppresses the immune system leading to the evasion of anticancer immunity. Some promising attempts have been made to overcome these drawbacks by using different approaches, for instance, the use of biomaterial-based nanoparticles. Accordingly, various studies involving the application of nanoparticles in cancer immunotherapy have been discussed in this review article. This review not only describes the modes of cancer immunotherapy to reveal the importance of nanoparticles in this modality but also narrates nanoparticle-mediated delivery of cancer antigens and therapeutic supplements. Moreover, the impact of nanoparticles on the immunosuppressive behavior of tumor environment has been discussed. The last part of this review deals with cancer immunotherapy using a combination of traditional interventional oncology approach and image-guided local immunotherapy against cancer. According to recent studies, cancer therapy can potentially be improved through nanoparticle-based immunotherapy. In addition, drawbacks associated with the currently used cancer immunotherapeutics can be fixed by using nanoparticles.

Obesity linked diabetes, popularly known as diabesity, has been viewed as a direct product of the modern lifestyle in both developed and developing countries, and its increased prevalence is seen as a major threat to public health globally. Ficus carica (FC) and Syzigium cumini (SC) are part of indigenous flora with traditional medicinal properties. Fresh seeds of SC fruit and fruit of FC were collected and macerated to obtain the final extract. Wistar rats were divided into seven groups fed either on a normal diet or high-fat diet (HFD) along with streptozocin (STZ) to induce diabesity. The crude extract of FC (FC.Cr.) and SC (SC.Cr.) were administered at 250 mg/kg/day and 500 mg/kg/day in induced diabesity state. Body weights, blood glucose level, complete blood count (CBC), cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were recorded to analyze their effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. Further, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured to examine their effects on lipid peroxidation and ant oxidative enzyme. Results showed that both FC.Cr. and SC.Cr. have the potential to control obesity-linked type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by lowering the body weights, serum glucose, cholesterol, TG, LDL, and VLDL, while increasing the protective effects of HDL dose-dependently. The crude extract of both plants showed significant activity to raise SOD and curb MDA under diabetic states. It was concluded that both FC.Cr. and SC.Cr. exhibited remarkable therapeutics potential in HFD-STZ-induced diabetic rats. However, we found that the effects of SC.Cr. are relatively more pronounced as compared to FC.Cr. in almost all parameters.

The study of biomagnetic fluid flow and heat transfer containing magnetic particles through an unsteady stretching/shrinking cylinder was numerically investigated in this manuscript. Biomagnetic fluid namely blood taken as base fluid and CoFe2O4 as magnetic particles. Where blood acts as an electrically conducting fluid along with magnetization/polarization. The main concentration is to study a time-dependent biomagnetic fluid flow with magnetic particles that passed through a two dimensional stretching/shrinking cylinder under the influence of thermal radiation, heat source and partial slip condition which has not been studied yet as far as best knowledge of authors. This model is consistent with the principles of magnetohydrodynamic and ferrohydrodynamic. The flow equations, such as momentum, energy which is described physically by a system of coupled, nonlinear partial differential equation with appropriate boundary conditions and converted into a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations by using suitable similarity transformations. The resultant ODEs numerically solved by applying by applying an efficient numerical technique based on a common finite differencing method along with central differencing, tridiagonal matrix manipulation and an iterative procedure. The values assigned to the parameters are compatible with human body conditions. The numerous results concerning velocity, temperature and pressure field, as well as the skin friction and the rate of heat transfer, are presented for the parameters exhibiting physical significance, such as ferromagnetic interaction parameter, magnetic field parameter, volume fraction, unsteady parameter, curvature parameter, etc. The main numerical findings are that the fluid velocity is decreased as the ferromagnetic number is enhanced gradually in both stretching or shrinking cases whereas, the opposite behavior is found for the skin friction coefficient. The rate of heat transfer with ferromagnetic interaction parameter was also monitored and found that opposite behavior occurs for stretching and shrinking cases. Comparisons were made to check the accuracy of the present numerical results with published literature and found to be in excellent agreement. Hopefully, this proposed model will control the blood flow rate, as well as the rate of heat transfer, such as magnetic hyperthermia.

In this study, first we establish a p,q-integral identity involving the second p,q-derivative, and then, we use this result to prove some new midpoint-type inequalities for twice-p,q-differentiable convex functions. It is also shown that the newly established results are the refinements of the comparable results in the literature.

The natural gas in several gas fields in Pakistan is associated with varying percentages of inert gases (e.g., CO2, N2, and H2S). The heating capacity of such natural gas is measured in British thermal units (BTU) in Pakistan and is based on the combustion of the natural gases. The study area of this work belongs to the Middle Indus Basin, which also covers some parts of the Sulaiman Foldbelt and the Punjab Platform. Petroleum wells drilled in the study area contain inert gases (mostly CO2 and N2) in varying percentages, which decreases the BTU value of sweet gases and the economic value of the gas reserves.Attempts were made to analyze the varying compositions of inert gases (mostly CO2 and N2) along the deep-seated basement faults in the Zindapir Anticlinorium, eastern Sulaiman Foldbelt, but no specific relation could be established. Similarly, geothermal gradient zones were identified and the distribution of inert gases in these zones was studied, but even so, no well-established relation could be tracked. However, variations in the amounts of inert gases in the Chiltan Limestone of the Rodho Structure and the Afiband Structure point to the generation of in situ inert gases because both wells were drilled on the same anticlinorium and share the same geology, and possibly, the same source rock. Post-accumulation changes probably play an important role in the generation of in situ inert gases in varying concentrations. H2S is also present in some parts of the Indus Basin. Therefore, a brief discussion about the possible origin of the H2S is also included in this paper. Keywords: Inert gases, Zindapir anticlinorium and hydrocarbon reservoir pool, Middle Indus basin, Pakistan

Multimedia based tourist information applications are gaining much popularity with the increased usage of electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, tables and global positioning systems. In this research project multimedia tools have been used to develop an android based digital tour guide app for Sindh Province which will be used by tentative tourists from around the globe. For the ease of the tentative travelers, the digital tour guide app is available and named as followed on the google play store “Indus Explorer”. The purpose of this application is to introduce a digital and handy view of the archaeological, historical, recreational places for the interest of tourists, people, and the cultural aspects of Sindh one of the four provinces of Pakistan has great piece in the history of earliest and organized settlements. Sindh is also known as the great Indus civilization, which dates back as far as 1300 BCE. As the scientific researchers suggest, it is one of the oldest civilization in the world. The Android platform is the most popular operating system that is being used in the world, and keeping that in mind this extremely user-friendly platform have been used to develop this application, the system would hopefully provide Sindh, Pakistan with exposure at international and digital level, as it was observed that similar tourist applications are available but this systems to serves this particular purpose of highlighting the historical cultural heritage of Sindh.

The growing demand of industries has led to environmental degradation due to excessive release of toxic chemicals. Nanotechnology has developed to combat the impacts integrated with industrial revolution. The present investigation proposes a remediation model for toxic dyes and poly aromatic hydrocarbons by effective use of nanotechnology. For this purpose, zinc sulphide (ZnS), silver sulfide (Ag2S) and bimetallic ZnS-Ag2S are synthesized from a single source precursor and evaluated as potential photocatalytic agents. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by a range of techniques like UV–visible, PL, XRD, EDX, TEM and TGA. The results indicated that prepared nanoparticles were crystalline, spherical in shape, possess obvious atomic planes with a size in the range of 6–12 nm.Each of the synthesized material was tested as potential photocatalyst candidate for the degradation of representative azo-dyes (Crystal Violet, Congo Red) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (Naphthalene, Phenanthrene and Pyrene) under visible light irradiation source. The degradation efficiency of the synthesized nanoparticles was calculated to be more than 70% for Crystal Violet and 80%for Congo Red upon contact with the dye solutions for 50 min and pseudo second order kinetic model was found to be the best fit. The synthesized nanoparticles were also effective in its own significance for the degradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The fragmentation study of polyaromatic hydrocarbons using nanoparticles postulates that phthalic acid pathway is the predominant mechanism for PAHs. It is recommended that environmental compartment with mix pollutants can conveniently be treated with a single material to an appreciable extent. The study offers economical and environment friendly remediation model. Keywords: Single source precursor, Azo-dyes, Poly aromatic hydrocarbons, Environmental remediation, Photocatalysis

Bridge pier scouring may lead to the bridge failure and the shape of bridge pier itself is one of the main factor to control scouring around bridge pier. The amount of sediment which is removed from the boundary of bridge pier is called bridge pier scouring and the depth up to which sediment removed is called scour depth. Scouring results, the exposure of foundation, eventually leading to bridge failures. Assessment of the maximum scour that can be faced by pier has a vital role in the design of bridge foundation. Different techniques are used to minimize the scouring effect in order to control the bridge failure. In this study effect of bridge pier shape on scouring was checked on four different shape i.e. circular, oval, square and octagonal. Each pier shape was tested against three different values of flows i.e. 16, 22.50 and 29.50 liter/sec. Uniform bed material of standard deviation (g = 1.21) and median size (D50 = 0.28 mm) was used for all tests. Scour is measured with the help of point of gauge and bed is levelled before every experiment. Experimental results show that minimum scour is observed for octagonal bridge pier and maximum for square bridge pier while circular and oval faced intermediate scour depth relative to square and octagonal bridge pier. It is concluded that scour has reduced to 22% when octagonal pier was used compared to circular one.

Abstract Background Olea ferruginea Royle (Oleaceae) has long been used as an important ethnomedicinal plant to cure fever and debility, toothache, hoarseness, throatache and skeleton disorders. In this study, phenolic contents, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of leaf and bark extracts (chloroform, ethanol and methanol) of O. ferruginea were evaluated. Methods Total phenolic contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu Spectrophotometric method. Antimicrobial activity was examined against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive), Escherichia coli (Gram negative), Candida albicans and Sccharomyces cerevisiae (yeas strains) by disc diffusion method. Antioxidant activity was observed through DPPH assay. Results The higher phenolic content was found in bark extract (376 μg/mg) of O. ferruginea. Chloroform extracts was found inactive against tested microorganisms while ethanol and methanol extracts showed pronounced inhibitory activity against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Only methanol extract of leaves inhibited the yeast strains. None of the bark extract inhibited the growth of tested yeast strains. The zones of inhibition formed by plant extracts were compared with zones of inhibition of available reference antibiotic discs such as tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and nystatin. Higher antioxidant activity was observed with methanol extracts of leaves and bark of O. ferruginea. Conclusion These findings show that O. ferruginea has potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. This study suggests a possible application of olive leaves and bark as sources of natural antimicrobial and antioxidants.

The objective of this study was to determine the information literacy (IL) skills of Management Sciences students. A questionnaire was adopted to collect data from 254 currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students of two universities, one public sector and one private sector, situated in Lahore, Pakistan. An equal-sized stratified random sampling technique through random numbers was used for this purpose. The results showed that the majority of the students used the university library infrequently to locate their requisite information. Most of the students required a moderate level of information and preferred to get this information in an online format. The opinion of most of the students showed that they were proficient in using internet services (e.g. Google, Yahoo etc.) and different websites to identify their required information. The findings revealed that most of the students were unanimous in their skills to precisely recognize and describe the information they required. This study highlights the importance of IL skills, in order that students can become lifelong learners in retrieving, using, organizing, and presenting their information. The findings of this study would provide some insightful guidelines to university management, policy makers, and those concerned to augment and increase the IL training sessions and programs in Pakistan at the university level. These findings could be implemented on other universities with the same teaching and learning system, strategies, and circumstances.

Abstract We establish some reiteration theorems for limiting K-interpolation methods, thereby obtaining new limiting variants of the classical reiteration theorem. An application to the Fourier transform is given.

Energy management strategies are widely used for the fuel efficiency of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Most of the on road hybrid cars use Atkinson cycle engine instead of Otto cycle engine, on account of better efficiency. The authors have already proposed a control oriented extended mean value engine model (EMVEM) of the Atkinson cycle engine and also developed and evaluated its control framework. The prior research was limited to evaluate the fuel efficiency of the engine only, while HEV employs both the engine and the motor. The presented work is an attempt to devise and demonstrate energy management strategy (EMS) by giving full consideration to the powertrain using Atkinson cycle engine. A novel energy management strategy based on the vehicle speed for Atkinson cycle engine for HEV is proposed. A parallel hybrid electric vehicle is modeled in Matlab/Simulink through a forward facing simulator. The proposed EMS with Atkinson cycle engine control framework exhibits the significant improvement in the fuel economy around 12.30% for standard Manhattan driving cycle and 7.22% for the modified federal urban driving schedule (FUDS) driving cycle in comparison with the Otto cycle engine.

Salmonella Typhi is a Gram-negative pathogen that causes typhoid fever in humans. The use of antibiotics to treat typhoid has considerably mitigated its fatality risk, but rising multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) resistance in Pakistan threatens effective treatment. This study determined the prevalence of MDR and XDR S. Typhi at a local hospital in Lahore. Blood samples (n = 3000) were obtained and processed for bacterial identification. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using VITEK® 2 Compound 30 System. Statistical data analysis was performed using a Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis H test, respectively. The results revealed 600 positive cultures, of which the majority were found to be XDR S. Typhi (46.1%) and MDR S. Typhi (24.5%) strains. The disease burden of resistant Salmonella strains was greater in males (60.67%) than females (39.33%), with the most affected age group being 0–10 years old (70.4 %). In both the outpatient department (OPD) and general ward, the prevalence of XDR S. Typhi cases was found to be alarmingly high (48.24%), followed by MDR S. Typhi (25.04 %). The results of the statistical analysis demonstrated that the incidence of resistance in MDR and XDR S. Typhi strains was not affected by the age as well as the gender of patients (p > 0.05). The occurrence of resistant strains against four tested antibiotics (azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and meropenem) was found to be similar in different wards and among hospitalized and OPD patients (p > 0.05). Maximum resistance was observed against chloramphenicol and ampicillin in the OPD and pediatric ward. Piperacillin/Tazobactam was observed to be the most effective antibiotic, followed by co-amoxiclav (p < 0.001). This study is effective in validating the existence of MDR and XDR S. Typhi in Lahore, where stringent methods should be applied for controlling its spread.

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is a pesticide used extensively in agricultural crops. Residual CP has been found in a variety of soils, vegetables and fruits indicating a serious danger to humans. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict its entry into agricultural products for food safety. A wire-house pot experiment was conducted with maize plants in biochar- and compost-amended soil (at 0.25% and 0.50%, respectively, in weight-by-weight composition) contaminated with 100 and 200 mg kg−1 of CP, respectively. Results indicated toxicity at both CP levels (with 84% growth reduction) at CP 200 mg kg−1. However, application of compost and biochar at the 0.50% level improved the fresh weight (2.8- and 4-fold, respectively). Stimulated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POX) activities and depressed catalase (CAT) activity were recorded in response to CP contamination and were significantly recovered by the amendments. Both amendments significantly decreased the CP phytoavailability. With biochar, 91% and 76% reduction in the CP concentration in maize shoots and with compost 72% and 68% reduction was recorded, at a 0.50% level in 100 and 200 mg kg−1 contaminated treatments respectively. Compost accelerated the CP degradation in postharvest soil. Therefore, biochar and compost amendments can effectively be used to decrease CP entry in agricultural produce by reducing its phytoavailability.

In this paper, we establish some new Hermite–Hadamard type inequalities for preinvex functions and left-right estimates of newly established inequalities for p,q-differentiable preinvex functions in the context of p,q-calculus. We also show that the results established in this paper are generalizations of comparable results in the literature of integral inequalities. Analytic inequalities of this nature and especially the techniques involved have applications in various areas in which symmetry plays a prominent role.