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In this paper, we develop unbiased estimators of the finite population cumulative distribution function (CDF) using two-stage and three-stage cluster sampling. In addition, the ranked-set sampling scheme is also used in the secondary and tertiary sampling frames for further increasing the precision of the CDF estimators. This work is then extended to develop unbiased CDF estimators based on stratified two-stage and three-stage cluster sampling. Moreover, unbiased estimators of the variances of the proposed CDF estimators are also derived. Real datasets are considered to demonstrate the estimation of the CDF under these complex survey sampling schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the interactive effects of organizational and individual factors on the safety leadership at various Saudi universities. A Likert Scale response type standardized questionnaire was administered among staff and students (n = 60) of 30 universities who attended a symposium regarding safety at universities, and a 100% response rate was observed. A two-way MANOVA analysis was performed to check the interactive effects of organizational and individual factors, and the results were discussed with different significance levels. The results showed the study population with an overall agreed (3.9/5) response about the role of academic safety leadership. Overall responses for safety caring (4.0/5) and safety controlling (4.0/5) followed the response of safety coaching (3.8/5). This study indicates that the perception of safety leadership varied with respect to the nature of the job, and workers with greater work experience have a traditional belief of utilizing personal experience for effective safety leadership rather than specialized measures. University staff with accident experience showed a poor response to safety leadership and safety initiatives such as formulation of the safety committee and availability of safety training. Identified deficiencies can be useful to raise positive safety leadership in the Saudi universities and can be useful to improve the relative poor response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a retrospective analysis of annual reports on occupational injuries issued by the national social insurance agency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the years 2004 through 2016. For each criterion we calculated an index based on the equation NY/Nref x100, where NY is the number of occupational injuries by a specific criterion in a specific year Y, and Nref is the number of injuries in the corresponding criterion in the reference year, i.e. 2004. We also calculated the number of injuries to number of workers ratio (Ni/Nw) for different occupations and economic sectors to get a clearer idea of the injury trends per worker. In terms of occupational injury rates (with respect to 2004), we observed increases in construction, financing & real estate (economic sectors), among engineers and technicians (occupations), in infections and secondary contusions (injury type), for upper and lower limbs (affected body parts), over falls and "other" causes. Most injuries occurred on Fridays, which is a weekend day in Saudi Arabia. We also observed increased recovery without disability (injury status). However, if we look at the number of occupational injuries per worker, we can see a decreasing trend over time for all occupations and economic sectors, most likely thanks to improved labour law and safety at work practices for insured workers. Our findings are similar to reports from other Persian Gulf countries and reflect current labour health and safety issues in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease caused by the malignant plasma cells proliferation through the bone marrow, often without symptoms, the cause of MM disease is unknown. Abnormal antibodies produce by the abnormal plasma cells, which can lead to renal problems and extremely thick blood. The plasma cells can form a mass in the bone marrow soft tissue. The diagnosing of MM is based on finding abnormal antibodies in blood or urine, trace elements are much important to an organism for their cell functions at the chemical, biological, and molecular levels. Examination of trace elements may be useful for diagnosing MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effective strategies for improving the ionic conductivity of complex hydrides. • Solid ionic transport mechanism in complex hydrides. • Potential applications and challenges in using complex hydrides as solid ionic conductors. • Relationship between ionic mobility and hydrogen sorption kinetics in hydrogen storage systems. In recent years, complex hydrides have been extensively studied for energy storage and conversion applications. In particular, the possibility of using this class of materials as solid ionic electrolytes is attracting increasing interest. This review aims at providing a comprehensive overview of ionic conduction in complex hydrides containing various monovalent (Li+, Na+, and K+) and multivalent (Mg2+) ions. Possible approaches to enhance the ionic conductivity of complex hydrides such as ionic substitution, nanoconfinement, interface engineering, and composite formation are highlighted, and the associated conduction mechanisms are discussed. The use of complex hydrides as solid electrolytes for electrochemical conversion and storage applications is then reviewed, including potential applications, challenges, and our perspectives. Finally, the relationship between ionic conduction and hydrogen sorption properties of complex hydrides is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current study was conducted in 2019 at Post Harvest Research Center, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan and Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to address this problem of strawberry fruit where aloe vera gel coating was applied with different concentrations (0.1%, 1.5% and 2%) at 3°C to determine its possible effects on postharvest fruit quality and to increase the shelf life. Data were recorded on different fruit related parameters like fruit weight loss, fruit shape index, firmness, disease and decay %age, pH, TSS, titrateable acidity, vitamin-c content, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and total sugars. The results showed that application of 1.5% aloe vera gel significantly increased the shelf life as evidenced by minimum fruit weight loss (5.2%), higher fruit firmness (2.75%), less disease and decay (5.8%). However, TSS (8.16 °Brix), reducing sugars (2.98%), non-reducing sugars (2.59%) and total sugars (5.57%) were found maximum for control. Highest acidity (0.88%) and vitamin C contents (53.46 mg/100g) were found in fruits treated with 2% aloe vera gel. Moreover, lowest pH (4.41) was recorded in fruits coated with 2% aloe vera gel. Results of this study revealed that the potential of using aloe vera gel at 1.5% as a coating material proved to be better to prolong postharvest life as well as to maintain quality of strawberry fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nKEY MESSAGE/HIGHLIGHTS\nNOVELTYWater contamination with metals poses significant environmental challenges. The occurrence of heavy metals (HMs) prompts modifications in plant structures, emphasizing the necessity of employing focused safeguarding measures. Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and chromium (Cr) emerge as particularly menacing toxins due to their high accumulation potential. Increasing the availability of organic acids is crucial for optimizing toxic metal removal via phytoremediation. This constructed wetland system (CWs) was used to determine how oxalic acid (OA) treatments of textile wastewater (WW) effluents affected morpho-physiological characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activity, oxidative stress, and HM concentrations in Phragmites australis. Multiple treatments, comprising the application of OA at a concentration of 10 mM and WW at different dilutions (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), were employed, with three replications of each treatment. WW stress decreased chlorophyll and carotenoid content, and concurrently enhanced HMs adsorption and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, the application of WW was found to elevate oxidative stress levels, whereas the presence of OA concurrently mitigated this oxidative stress. Similarly, WW negatively affected soil-plant analysis development (SPAD) and the total soluble proteins (SP) in both roots and shoots. Conversely, these parameters showed improvement with OA treatments. P. australis showed the potential to enhance HM accumulation under 100% WW stress. Specifically, there is an increase in root SP ranging from 9% to 39%, an increase in shoot SP from 6% to 91%, and an elevation in SPAD values from 4% to 64% compared to their respective treatments lacking OA inclusion. The OA addition resulted in decreased EL contents in the root and shoot by 10%–19% and 13%–15%, MDA by 9%–14% and 9%–20%, and H2O2 by 14%–21% and 9%–17%, in comparison to the respective treatments without OA. Interestingly, the findings further revealed that the augmentation of OA also contributed to an increased accumulation of Cr, Cd, and Pb. Specifically, at 100% WW with OA (10 mM), the concentrations of Cr, Pb, and Cd in leaves rose by 164%, 447%, and 350%, in stems by 213%, 247%, and 219%, and in roots by 155%, 238%, and 195%, respectively. The chelating agent oxalic acid effectively alleviated plant toxicity induced by toxins. Overall, our findings demonstrate the remarkable tolerance of P. australis to elevated concentrations of WW stress, positioning it as an eco-friendly candidate for industrial effluent remediation. This plant exhibits efficacy in restoring contaminants present in textile effluents, and notably, oxalic acid emerges as a promising agent for the phytoextraction of HMs.HMs stress decreased the physiology and morphology of Phragmites australis L.OA improved the photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant enzymesHMs accumulation and bioavailability increased under OAPhragmites australis L. showed higher efficacy for textile effluent treatment under OAHMs stress decreased the physiology and morphology of Phragmites australis L.OA improved the photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant enzymesHMs accumulation and bioavailability increased under OAPhragmites australis L. showed higher efficacy for textile effluent treatment under OAThe adoption of ecological or nature-based approaches for treating textile industry wastewater poses significant challenges. Despite laboratory and field demonstrations showcasing the potential of macrophytes for remediating metal-polluted wastewater, this study investigates the Phragmites australis to address heavy metal contamination in wastewater.This research bridges this gap by presenting the outcomes of applying oxalic acid single and in combination with wastewater to Phragmites australis, focusing on the accumulation of cadmium, chromium, and lead from textile wastewater.The adoption of ecological or nature-based approaches for treating textile industry wastewater poses significant challenges. Despite laboratory and field demonstrations showcasing the potential of macrophytes for remediating metal-polluted wastewater, this study investigates the Phragmites australis to address heavy metal contamination in wastewater.This research bridges this gap by presenting the outcomes of applying oxalic acid single and in combination with wastewater to Phragmites australis, focusing on the accumulation of cadmium, chromium, and lead from textile wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonic spray-coating (USSC)—a wet chemical deposition method to deposit ultrathin (down to 20 nm) coatings—is being applied as a promising alternative deposition method for functional coatings due to an economical, simple, and precise coating process with easy control over its operating parameters. In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were ultrasonically spray-coated on commercial-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) films. The most suitable parameters for the ink composition, the ultrasonic spray-coating process, and the number of coating passes (up to 50×) were selected on the basis of a series of experiments. The oxygen gas barrier properties in terms of the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of neat PET, and 3×, 5×, 10×, and 50× ZnO NP-coated PET and PHBHHx substrates were investigated. The OTR values for neat PET, and 3×, 5×, and 10× ZnO NP-coated PET substrates were found to be the same; however, a 5% reduction in OTR for 50× ZnO NP-coated PET substrate was observed compared to the neat PET substrate. No reduction in OTR was found for any above number of coating passes on PHBHHx substrates against the neat PHBHHx substrate. However, the ultraviolet (UV) tests of 3×, 5×, and 10× ZnO NP-coated PET and PHBHH× substrates revealed a significant decrease in percentage transmission for 10× coated PET and PHBHHx substrates as compared to their 3× and 5× ZnO NP-coated substrates, respectively. It was revealed from the study that the 50× ZnO NP coating of the PET substrate created a slight difference in OTR as compared to the reference substrate. However, the ultrasonic spray-coating method created a significant UV barrier effect for 3×, 5×, and 10× ZnO NP-coated PET and PHBHHx substrates, which demonstrates that the optimized coating method cannot be used to create a high oxygen barrier but can certainly be applied for UV barrier applications in food packaging. It is concluded that ultrasonic spray deposition of ZnO NPs on PET and PHBHHx materials has shown promising results for UV barrier properties, demonstrating the advantages of using this method compared to other coating methods with regard to cost-effectiveness, precise coating, and better process control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substitution of Ti with Co enhances OER activity of anatase. Retention of free carbon in such doped materials provides an OER activity comparable to the benchmark IrO 2 catalyst. [Display omitted] • Co doping in anatase enhances its OER activity. • Presence of carbon in Co-doped anatase further improves OER activity making it comparable to benchmark OER catalyst. • Co-doped titania show remarkable stability under experimental conditions. Due to poor electron mobility, early transition metal oxides typically, are not known to catalyze water electroxidation. Here we report the modulation of electrocatalytic properties of pristine anatase by the doping of an earth-abundant metal (Co). So obtained hybrid materials show enhanced catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It was noted that the retention of free carbon during the synthesis of such hybrid materials further enhances their OER activity bringing it at par with the benchmark IrO 2 catalyst. Evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) was used to prepare mesoporous titania using a triblock copolymer (P123) as structure directing agent. Nanostructured titania was first impregnated with a cobalt complex followed by thermal treatment at 500, 700 and 900 °C under air, argon and hydrogen atmosphere to obtain a series of catalysts. The effect of metal content and annealing atmosphere was studied on the composition and OER activity of the catalysts. The best OER activity (η: 440mV@10 mA.cm−2), comparable to benchmark IrO 2 and decent stability was noted for the material annealed under argon and containing 15 wt % Co. Improved OER activity was attributed to better water adsorption, charge transfer and conductivity of titania upon Co doping and carbon retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology is playing a pivotal role in improving quality of life due to its versatile applications in many areas of research. In this regard, nanoparticles have gained significant importance. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) amongst other nanoparticles are being used in producing nanocomposites. Methods like solvent casting, solution casting, solvent volatilization, twin-screw extrusion, melt compounding and extrusion blow molding have been applied to produce ZnO NPs based (bio)polymer composites. These composites are of great interest in the research area of food packaging materials due to their improved multifunctional characteristics like their mechanical, barrier and antimicrobial properties. This paper gives an overview of the main methods to synthesize ZnO NPs, methods to incorporate ZnO NPs in (bio)polymers, and finally, the gas barrier and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. As a conclusion, a maximum decline in oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor permeability was reported as 66%, 17% and 38% respectively, while tensile strength and young's modulus were observed to increase by 32% and 57% respectively, for different (bio)polymer/ZnO nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of waste energy contributes to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating global warming. A novel heat integration system comprising an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Boiler, and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) coupling is techno‐economically examined in this study. The feasibility of waste heat recovery from industrial boilers of a thermal power plant (Gadoon Textile Mills Limited, Pakistan) having 2.66‐MW capacity was assessed. This was done by efficiently harnessing the waste heat from boiler exhaust gas by coupling an existing system with an ORC. A steady‐state simulation model of the ICE‐Boiler‐ORC system was developed through Power Plant Simulator and Designer (PPSD) software to perform a multiparametric study. Additional heat power (3710 kW) was extracted from the boilers' waste gases through ORC. Consequently, the overall plant thermal efficiency was enhanced from 61.84% to 82.68% and the overall net electric efficiency of the existing system was increased by 0.9%. The average payback period was found 4.2 years based on different plant operation scenarios and equipment prices (Chinese or European origin). Therefore, the proposed system holds significant technical and economic potential for enhancing energy efficiency through low‐grade waste heat and proves to be economically viable with a short payback period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to comprehensively examine and present the current state of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic elements (TEs) in soil. Additionally, it seeks to assess the viability of employing advanced biotechnology, specifically phytoremediation with potent microbial formulations, as a means of detoxifying POPs and TEs. In the context of the "global treaty," which is known as the Stockholm Convention, we analyzed the 3D chemical structures of POPs and its prospects for living organisms which have not been reviewed up to date. The obstacles associated with the phytoremediation strategy in biotechnology, including issues like slow plant growth and limited efficiency in contaminant uptake, have also been discussed and demonstrated. While biotechnology is recognized as a promising method for detoxifying persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and facilitating the restoration of contaminated and degraded lands, its full potential in the field is constrained by various factors. Recent advances in biotechnology, such as microbial enzymes, designer plants, composting, and nanobiotechnology techniques, have opened up new avenues for mitigating persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic elements (TEs). The insights gained from this review can contribute to the development of innovative, practical, and economically viable approaches for remediating and restoring soils contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic elements (TEs). The ultimate aim is to reduce the risks to both human and environmental health. [Display omitted] • The global imperative lies in preserving the natural ecosystem through plant-based approaches. • Arable lands' biodiversity options suffer from the adverse impact of global soil degradation. • Biotechnological advancements aid in restoring polluted soil to the ecosystem. • Effective restoration programs rely on essential mitigation packages. • Bio-based economy sustains by extracting bioproducts in restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated how different doses of microwave irradiation (MR) affect seed germination in Sorghum, including the level of remediation against textile and surgical wastewater (WW) by modulating biochemical and morpho-physiological mechanisms under glutamic acid (GA) application. The experiment was conducted to determine the impact of foliar-applied GA on Sorghum under wastewater conditions. Plants were treated with or without microwave irradiation (30 s, 2.45 GHz), GA (5 and 10 mM), and wastewater (0, 25, 50, and 100). Growth and photosynthetic pigments were significantly decreased in plants only treated with various concentrations of WW. GA significantly improved the plant growth characteristics both in MR-treated and -untreated plants compared with respective controls. HMs stress increased electrolyte leakage (EL), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content; however, the GA chelation significantly improved the antioxidant enzymes activities such as ascorbate oxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) both in MR-treated and -untreated plants under WW stress compared with respective controls. The results suggested that the MR-treated plants accumulate higher levels of HMs under GA addition in comparison to the WW-only-treated and MR-untreated plants. The maximum increase in Cd accumulation was observed in the range of 14–629% in the roots, 15–2964% in the stems, and 26–4020% in the leaves; the accumulation of Cu was 18–2757% in the roots, 15–4506% in the stems, and 23–4605% in the leaves; and the accumulation of Pb was 13–4122% in the roots, 21–3588% in the stems, and 21–4990% in the leaves under 10 mM GA and MR-treated plants. These findings confirmed that MR-treated sorghum plants had a higher capacity for HMs uptake under GA and could be used as a potential candidate for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of extreme values of the auxiliary variable is sometimes more beneficial to get the high efficiency of the estimators, and the study variable can have a correlation with the rank of the decently correlated auxiliary variable. As a result, it can be regarded as additional data for the study variable that can be used to improve the estimators' efficiency. When the knowledge of the minimum and maximum values, as well as the rankings of the auxiliary variable, is known, various better estimators for calculating the finite population mean of the research variable based on extreme values under simple random sampling are proposed in this paper. The suggested estimators' bias and mean squared error expressions are derived using first-order approximation. The recommended estimators have been compared mathematically to the current estimators. The suggested estimators are more exact in terms of relative efficiency than the other estimators addressed here, as shown by simulation and real datasets used to demonstrate the estimation of a limited population mean based on extreme values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive usage of heavy metals (HMs) in chemical reactions and processes eventually contaminate the environmental segments and is currently a major environmental concern. HMs such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) are considered the most harmful pollutants as they have adequate potential of bioaccumulation. The current research was carried out to assess the HMs toxicity of textile and tannery wastewater and effect of acetic acid (AA) on phytoextraction of HMs by duckweed (Lemna minor L.) in a hydroponic system. Plants were treated with different treatments having different hydroponic concentrations of AA (5 and 10 mM) and textile and tannery effluents, where these two effuents were equally mixed and then diluted with good quality water with different ratios (25, 50, 75, and 100%) along with three replications of each treatment. Results were recorded for growth attributes, chlorophylls, antioxidant enzymes, electrolytic leakage, reactive oxygen species and HMs accumulation in plants. HMs accumulation disrupts the growth parameters, chlorophyll contents and carotenoids contents along with increased activities of antioxidant enzyme such as catalases (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidases (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Addition of AA in the hydroponic experimental system significantly improves the antioxidant defense mechanism and alleviated the HM induced toxicity in plants. Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu and Ni concentrations were maximally increased up to 116 & 422%, 106 & 416%, 72 & 351%, 76 & 346%, and 41 & 328% respectively under AA (10 mM) application. The results revealed that duckweed can be applied as potential phyto-remedy to treat industrial wastewater. [Display omitted] • Various industrial wastewater dilutions differentially affected biomass of Lemna minor. • Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, and Ni concentrations increased in plants with increasing concentrations in industrial wastewaters. • Acetic acid enhanced the biomass of plants under industrial wastewater irrigation. • Acetic acid increased metal accumulation in plants with industrial wastewater treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 58 years old man with a history of ischemic heart disease presented with massive hemoptysis. On evaluation with CT chest, he was found to have a large aspergilloma in the left upper lobe. Coronary angiogram was also performed for increasing episodes of angina which showed critical 100% ostial left anterior descending (LAD) stenosis. In view of aspergilloma and hemoptysis, patient could not have conventional open heart surgery and heparinization. Therefore, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was performed on beating heart and this was followed by left upper lobectomy at the same time. Patient had an uneventful post-operative course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]