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OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the functional outcomes of fragment reduction and to measure the rate of postoperative complications between arthrotomy (ORIF) and arthroscopy(ARIF) pediatric tibial spine avulsion fractures using the Lysholm knee scoring system (limp, pain swelling, climbing stairs) and IKDC subjective knee evaluation form. METHODS: This Comparative Study was conducted at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinnah Hospital Lahore, between 2021-2022. A total of 42 patients who had tibial spine avulsion fracture with follow-up of 6 months were included. Twenty-one patients were treated with ORIF, and 21 were treated with ARIF. Functional outcomes were assessed using the IKDC score and LYSHOLM score (Follow-up rate was 95 %). Radiographic findings of patients were recorded, and a statistical study was done. The level of significance was set at

Accident rates in academic laboratories are increasing rapidly day to day. The incorporation of complex activities with the inclusion of modern technologies and human behavior during experiments often makes it difficult to manage health and safety risks. Failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) is widely used risk assessment technique that consider (03) risk parameters which include severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D), and calculate a risk priority number (R.P.N), which facilitates in failure modes ranking. However, there are some shortcomings associated with this method. This study aims to propose a framework for prioritizing the health and safety risks (failure modes) in an experiment using a widely used Multi-criteria decision-making method, i.e., Fuzzy VIKOR supported by criteria objective weights determined using the Shannon entropy concept. The fuzzy VIKOR method is employed to rank the failure modes based on the maxi group utility and the minimum individual regret. In this study, an experiment related to preparing rock core samples is taken as an example for implementing the proposed technique. Core sample preparation is one of the most common and dangerous experiments in the petroleum industry. The performance of the experiment allows rock sample preparation of desired shape and size to be tested for its hydrocarbon producing potential. The final results indicate that applying the proposed method in a fuzzy environment can efficiently prioritize the experiment’s health and safety risks, which is further considered for the implementation of control measure prioritization. The proposed approach can be applied to other experiments with the same or different domains.

Carbofuran is a widely used poisonous pesticide around the world that helps to control insects during farming. Upon oral ingestion to humans, it exaggerates oxidative stress in various organs like the liver, brain, kidney, and heart. Several studies reported that oxidative stress in the liver initiates and propagates hepatic cell necrosis, ultimately resulting in hepatotoxicity. It also reported that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) can neutralize oxidative stress due to its antioxidant properties. However, the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective role of CoQ10 against carbofuran toxicity has not been investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective role of CoQ10 in carbofuran-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in a mouse model for the first time. We determined the blood serum diagnostic markers, oxidative stress parameters, antioxidant system, and histopathological characteristics of liver and kidney tissues. The administration of 100 mg/kg of CoQ10 in carbofuran-treated rats significantly attenuated AST, ALT, ALP, serum creatinine, and BUN levels. Moreover, CoQ10 (100 mg/kg) remarkably altered the level of NO, MDA, AOPP, GSH, SOD, and CAT in both the liver and kidney. The histopathological data also unveiled that CoQ10 treatment prevented inflammatory cell infiltration in carbofuran-exposed rats. Therefore, our findings infer that CoQ10 may effectively protect liver and kidney tissues against carbofuran-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.

Abstract Wellbore instability is one of the major problems that arise in drilling shale formations. Drilling in these formations may lead to breakouts and induce fractures. In Pakistan, drilling companies face quiet a number of formations that are shaly in nature and are candidates for wellbore instability issues. To counter these issues, it is required to have good understanding about the composition of the shale and its chemical reactivity with drilling fluids. Shale samples of three different formations have been obtained. These samples belong to two different regions of Indus Basin of Pakistan and were subjected to cation exchange capacity test and X-rays diffraction analysis to determine the reactivity and mineralogy, respectively. The samples were then tested for swelling properties using linear dynamic swell meter. The testing was done in two different water-based drilling fluids. The increase in height and swelling percentage for each sample was then recorded against each type of drilling fluid. A comparative analysis was done as to what type of drilling fluid systems out of the two used in the swelling test would best inhibit the swelling nature of shale for each formation in these regions of Pakistan. Finally, analytical and numerical modeling was performed on each shale sample. It was observed that the swelling parameter A (total swelling) increases significantly for Middle Indus Basin Shale Formation, and on the contrary, the filtration term (C) becomes independent of time after certain period of testing.

Aging-induced memory impairment is closely associated with oxidative stress. D-Galactose (D-gal) evokes severe oxidative stress and mimics normal aging in animals. Curcumin, a natural flavonoid, has potent antioxidant and anti-aging properties. There are several proteins like glutathione S-transferase A1 (GSTA1), glutathione S-transferase omega-1 (GSTO1), kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), beta-secretase 1 (BACE1), and amine oxidase [flavin-containing] A (MAOA) are commonly involved in oxidative stress and aging. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of curcumin to these proteins and their subsequent effect on aging-associated memory impairment in two robust animal models: D-Gal and normal aged (NA) mice. The aging mice model was developed by administering D-gal intraperitoneally (i.p). Mice (n = 64) were divided into the eight groups (8 mice in each group): Vehicle, Curcumin-Control, D-gal (100mg/kg; i.p), Curcumin + D-gal, Astaxanthin (Ast) + D-gal, Normal Aged (NA), Curcumin (30mg/kg Orally) + NA, Ast (20mg/kg Orally) + NA. Retention and freezing memories were assessed by passive avoidance (PA) and contextual fear conditioning (CFC). Molecular docking was performed to predict curcumin binding with potential molecular targets. Curcumin significantly increased retention time (p < 0.05) and freezing response (p < 0.05) in PA and CFC, respectively. Curcumin profoundly ameliorated the levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, advanced oxidation protein products, nitric oxide, and lipid peroxidation in mice hippocampi. In silico studies revealed favorable binding energies of curcumin with GSTA1, GSTO1, KEAP1, BACE1, and MAOA. Curcumin improves retention and freezing memory in D-gal and nature-induced aging mice. Curcumin ameliorates the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in mice. Anti-aging effects of curcumin could be attributed to, at least partially, the upregulation of antioxidant enzymes through binding with GSTA1, GSTO1, KEAP1, and inhibition of oxidative damage through binding with BACE1 and MAOA.

Abstract Drilling in Barents Sea proves to be a challenging task, as this region is situated in auroral zones having high geomagnetic latitude, where magnetic interferences develop from magnetic field and magnetic materials inside subsurface are quite common. For this region, monitoring of magnetic field is utterly significant as any fluctuations can distort the tool sensor performance with ultimately enlarging the uncertainty in azimuth. To guide a well to its desire location, measurement while drilling (MWD) tool needs to be operated with utmost precision; however, its accuracy compromises as a result of magnetic interferences from drill string and nearby magnetic material. The performance of this tool depends upon its sensors. Any distortion in sensor performance can lead to problems such as multiple sidetracking and increase in overall project cost. Furthermore, the same BHA was also placed in a region of Pakistan and the impact drill string interference was observed. It was discovered that the interferences that had tremendous impact on magnetometer Z-component in Barents Sea had a drastic reduction in the region of Pakistan as it is situated in low latitude, where uncertainty in azimuth is low. In this work, an exemplary bottom-hole assembly (BHA) was analyzed and the impact of individual drill string components interferences was observed on the MWD sensors. It was perceived that the bit was responsible for creating the major distortion in MWD sensor. Apart from that, it was also investigated that the location of the well also plays a vital role in this distortion. This intervention in the sensors is created by a vast difference between the used actual length and the recommended length of nonmagnetic drill collar in the BHA. Numerically, it was investigated that if the physical distance between the sensors and bit is increased, then this interference is reduced. It was also apparent that the Z-component of the magnetometer was utterly distorted because of this interference, while the X- and Y-components were proved to be independent of these interferences. It was further examined that the effects of latitude and longitude play a significant role in the course of changing the impact of these errors on magnetization.

This study was conducted to estimate the profitability of different varieties of wheat in two villages of District Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. A total of 100 respondents were interviewed to collect the data on cost and revenue in the target area. 27.2 percent of the area was under wheat cultivation. 38 percent of the respondents were literate while about 52 percent of the wheat growers were owners. Owner cum tenants and tenants were 15 and 33 percent respectively. Simple budgeting technique was used for estimation. The overall total cost of wheat production was Rs. 20760.2 per acre, while for Bakar variety and other varieties total cost of production were , Rs.1 21856 and Rs. 22309 per acre respectively. The overall net return was Rs. 13447.3 per acre; while from Baker variety and other varieties net return were Rs. 11825 and Rs. 12425 per acre respectively. OLS estimation technique was used to analyze contribution of major factors in the wheat yield. The sings of the explanatory variables were found according to our prior expectation of the economic theory. The estimated results of yield function indicated that seed rate, FYM (Farm Yard Manure), NPK (Nitrogen, Phospouras and Potassium) and labor days have positive and significant effect on wheat yield, while number of tractor hours and educational level of the growers have positive but statistically insignificant effect. Finally, it is suggested that extension personal should transfer latest technology and diseases free seeds of wheat to the farmer’s for optimum yield.

Himalayan glacier changes in the context of global climate change have attracted worldwide attention due to their profound cryo-hydrological ramifications. However, an integrated understanding of the debris-free and debris-covered glacier evolution and its interaction with glacial lake is still lacking. Using one case study in the Gyirong River Basin located in the central Himalayas, this paper applied archival Landsat imagery and an automated mapping method to understand how glaciers and glacial lakes interactively evolved between 1988 and 2015. Our analyses identified 467 glaciers in 1988, containing 435 debris-free and 32 debris-covered glaciers, with a total area of 614.09 ± 36.69 km2. These glaciers decreased by 16.45% in area from 1988 to 2015, with an accelerated retreat rate after 1994. Debris-free glaciers retreated faster than debris-covered glaciers. As a result of glacial downwasting, supraglacial debris coverage expanded upward by 17.79 km2 (24.44%). Concurrent with glacial retreat, glacial lakes increased in both number (+41) and area (+54.11%). Glacier-connected lakes likely accelerated the glacial retreat via thermal energy transmission and contributed to over 15% of the area loss in their connected glaciers. On the other hand, significant glacial retreats led to disconnections from their proglacial lakes, which appeared to stabilize the lake areas. Continuous expansions in the lakes connected with debris-covered glaciers, therefore, need additional attention due to their potential outbursts. In comparison with precipitation variation, temperature increase was the primary driver of such glacier and glacial lake changes. In addition, debris coverage, size, altitude, and connectivity with glacial lakes also affected the degree of glacial changes and resulted in the spatial heterogeneity of glacial wastage across the Gyirong River Basin.

Abstract Background Diabetes during pregnancy is associated with significant risk of complications to the mother, fetus and newborn. We reviewed the potential impact of early detection and control of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy on stillbirths for possible inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Methods A systematic literature search up to July 2010 was done to identify all published randomized controlled trials and observational studies. A standardized data abstraction sheet was employed and data were abstracted by two independent authors. Meta-analyses were performed with different sub-group analyses. The analyses were graded according to the CHERG rules using the adapted GRADE criteria and recommendations made after assessing the overall quality of the studies included in the meta-analyses. Results A total of 70 studies were selected for data extraction including fourteen intervention studies and fifty six observational studies. No randomized controlled trials were identified evaluating early detection of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy versus standard screening (glucose challenge test between 24th to 28th week of gestation) in pregnancy. Intensive management of gestational diabetes (including specialized dietary advice, increased monitoring and tailored dietary therapy) during pregnancy (3 studies: 3791 participants) versus conventional management (dietary advice and insulin as required) was associated with a non-significant reduction in the risk of stillbirths (RR 0.20; 95% CI: 0.03-1.10) (‘moderate’ quality evidence). Optimal control of serum blood glucose versus sub-optimal control was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of perinatal mortality (2 studies, 5286 participants: RR=0.40, 95% CI 0.25- 0.63), but not stillbirths (3 studies, 2469 participants: RR=0.51, 95% CI 0.14-1.88). Preconception care of diabetes (information about need for optimization of glycemic control before pregnancy, assessment of diabetes complications, review of dietary habits, intensification of capillary blood glucose self-monitoring and optimization of insulin therapy) versus none (3 studies: 910 participants) was associated with a reduction in perinatal mortality (RR=0.29, 95% CI 0.14 -0.60). Using the Delphi process for estimating effect size of optimal diabetes recognition and management yielded a median effect size of 10% reduction in stillbirths. Conclusions Diabetes, especially pre-gestational diabetes with its attendant vascular complications, is a significant risk factor for stillbirth and perinatal death. Our review highlights the fact that very few studies of adequate quality are available that can provide estimates of the effect of screening for aid management of diabetes in pregnancy on stillbirth risk. Using the Delphi process we recommend a conservative 10% reduction in the risk of stillbirths, as a point estimate for inclusion in the LiST.

The effect of different cations on the adsorption of Dy 3+ , Gd 3+ , Eu 3+ and Sm 3+ ions on activated charcoal from aqueous solutions (pH = 4.0) has been studied at room temperature (295 ± 1 K). Their effect on the adsorption of the metal ions has been correlated with the charge density (Z/r) of the cations. It was observed that cations with a larger Z/r value reduced the adsorption of metal ions more than cations with smaller Z/r values. It was also observed that the ease of adsorption of the metal ions followed the sequence: Dy 3+ > Gd 3+ > Eu 3+ > Sm 3+ . Such data are important in relation to the recovery of metal ions from solution.

Nitrogen adsorption on metal (Ni, Cu, Zn) impregnated charcoal has been carried out at 77 K by the continuous flow method using a Quantasorb sorption system. It was observed that such metal impregnation did not contribute any extra surface area to the charcoal. The values of the surface area, micropore and total pore volumes determined from nitrogen adsorption follow the sequence Ni–charcoal < Cu–charcoal < Zn–charcoal < charcoal. Their behaviour is discussed in terms of the ionic radii of the metal ions concerned. The pore size distribution curves demonstrate the microporous nature of the charcoal, with the micropores contributing significantly to the total pore volume.

The values of the isosteric heat of adsorption (q st ) of Sr 2+ , Ce 3+ , Sm 3+ , Gd 3+ , Th 4+ and UO 2 2+ ions on activated charcoal have been calculated at different surface coverages and temperatures by applying the Clausius–Clapeyron equation. The variation of q st with surface coverage indicates the heterogeneous nature with varying activities of the activated charcoal surface. The behaviour of q st values with temperature suggests that two types of adsorption processes occur simultaneously; one with a small activation energy and the other with a large activation energy. A large increase in the q st values indicates that increasing temperature changes the physical adsorption process to chemisorption.

The adsorption of europium on activated charcoal has been studied as a function of shaking time, pH, concentration of adsorbate and temperature. The adsorption of europium obeys the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms. Thermodynamic quantities such as ΔH 0 and ΔS 0 have been calculated from the slopes and intercepts of plots of In K D versus 1/T. The influence of different cations and anions on europium adsorption has been examined. The adsorption of other metal ions on activated charcoal has been investigated under specified conditions to check their selectivity for europium. As a result, europium has been successfully removed from a mixture containing Ba, Sr, Ru, Cs, Cr, Nd, Pr and In. Approximately 96% of the europium adsorbed on the activated charcoal was recovered using 45 ml of 3 M HNO 3 . X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was used for measuring the europium concentration.

Background: Delays in patient flow and a shortage of hospital beds are commonplace in hospitals during periods of increased infection incidence, such as seasonal influenza and the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the efficacy of machine learning methods at identifying and ranking the real-time readiness of individual patients for discharge, with the goal of improving patient flow within hospitals during periods of crisis., Methods and Performance: Electronic Health Record data from Oxford University Hospitals was used to train independent models to classify and rank patients' real-time readiness for discharge within 24 hours, for patient subsets according to the nature of their admission (planned or emergency) and the number of days elapsed since their admission. A strategy for the use of the models' inference is proposed, by which the model makes predictions for all patients in hospital and ranks them in order of likelihood of discharge within the following 24 hours. The 20% of patients with the highest ranking are considered as candidates for discharge and would therefore expect to have a further screening by a clinician to confirm whether they are ready for discharge or not. Performance was evaluated in terms of positive predictive value (PPV), i.e., the proportion of these patients who would have been correctly deemed as 'ready for discharge' after having the second screening by a clinician. Performance was high for patients on their first day of admission (PPV = 0.96/0.94 for planned/emergency patients respectively) but dropped for patients further into a longer admission (PPV = 0.66/0.71 for planned/emergency patients still in hospital after 7 days)., Conclusion: We demonstrate the efficacy of machine learning methods at making operationally focused, next-day discharge readiness predictions for all individual patients in hospital at any given moment and propose a strategy for their use within a decision-support tool during crisis periods., Competing Interests: DWE has received lecture fees and conference expenses from Gilead. No other author has a conflict of interest to declare. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

We have previously developed a cost-effective chemically defined medium formula for weekend-free culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), costing ∼3% of the price of commercial medium. This medium, which we termed B8, is specifically optimized for robust and fast growth of hiPSCs and for a weekend-free medium change regimen. We demonstrated that this medium is suitable for reprogramming of somatic cells into hiPSCs and for differentiation into a variety of lineages. Here, we provide a protocol for simple generation of the most cost-effective variant of this medium, along with a protocol for making Matrigel-coated plates and culturing, passaging, cryopreserving, and thawing hiPSCs. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of a highly optimized, robust, and cost-effective human induced pluripotent stem cell culture medium Basic Protocol 2: Weekend-free maintenance and passaging of human induced pluripotent stem cells in B8 medium., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This study investigated the characteristics of iron corrosion scales in pipes at tube well, overhead tank, and consumers' end in older untreated water distribution system in Peshawar city, Pakistan. Effect of water quality conditions on corrosion scales and that of scales on drinking water quality in such systems was also assessed by undertaking a comparison with new piped distribution systems. The scales were analyzed for chemical composition and morphology using X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), while water quality was examined for physicochemical and biological characteristics. The main crystalline phases of corrosion scales were goethite, magnetite, siderite, and quartz. From tube well to consumers' end, goethite increased from 36 up to 48%, quartz declined from 22 to 15%, while magnetite fluctuated and siderite disappeared. Elemental composition of scales showed the deposition of Zn, Al, Mn, Cr, Pb, Cu, As, and Cd with Zn (13.9 g/kg) and Al (3.6 g/kg) in highest proportion. The SEM analysis illustrated the presence of microbial communities indicating the formation of biofilms in the corrosion scales. The significant difference (P < 0.05) in levels of dissolved oxygen (DO), Cl - , SiO 4 4- , electrical conductivity (EC), SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , alkalinity, hardness, and trace metals between old (DS-O) and new piped systems indicated their role in corrosion scale formation/destabilization and the effect of scale dissolution on water quality. In DS-O, EC, Cu, and Mn were significantly higher (P < 0.05), whereas turbidity, EC, DO, and SiO 4 4- significantly increased from source to consumers' end implying a higher dissolution of scales and lowered corrosion rates in DS-O to utilize SiO 4 4- and DO for iron oxidation.

Foregut duplication is commonly found in the posterior mediastinum. 10-20% of these anomalies are associated with oesophageal duplication. It can occur in all parts of oesophageal length. Although duplication of cervical oesophagus has been previously reported, but a majority of them were found in thoracic oesophagus. Infants with oesophageal duplication usually manifested by respiratory distress or asymptomatic thoracic mass, casually, detected in X-ray. A 7-month-old infant weighing about 7.5 kg, with the signboard of respiratory distress, fever and nutritional intolerance was admitted to our hospital. Physical examination showed dehydration, stridor, tachypnoea, intercostal retraction and neck stiffness. Plain chest radiogram showed dubious cystic mass in the distal neck. Cervical and chest computed tomography scan showed neck cystic lesion disseminated to posterior mediastinum, probably propagated to the respiratory system. Cystic lesion connected to oesophagus was partially resected, oesophagus was repaired and remaining mucous of a cyst was removed, then gastrostomy tube was applied. Although cervical oesophageal duplication cysts are rare, but they must be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of cervical mass with respiratory distress in infants.