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Tomatoes are a major crop worldwide, and accurately classifying their maturity is important for many agricultural applications, such as harvesting, grading, and quality control. In this paper, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a convolutional transformer. The convolutional transformer is a hybrid architecture that combines the strengths of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and transformers. Additionally, this study introduces a new tomato dataset named KUTomaData, explicitly designed to train deep-learning models for tomato segmentation and classification. KUTomaData is a compilation of images sourced from a greenhouse in the UAE, with approximately 700 images available for training and testing. The dataset is prepared under various lighting conditions and viewing perspectives and employs different mobile camera sensors, distinguishing it from existing datasets. The contributions of this paper are threefold: firstly, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a modular convolutional transformer. Secondly, the authors introduce a new tomato image dataset that contains images of tomatoes at different maturity levels. Lastly, the authors show that the convolutional transformer outperforms state-of-the-art methods for tomato maturity classification. The effectiveness of the proposed framework in handling cluttered and occluded tomato instances was evaluated using two additional public datasets, Laboro Tomato and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, as benchmarks. The evaluation results across these three datasets demonstrate the exceptional performance of our proposed framework, surpassing the state-of-the-art by 58.14%, 65.42%, and 66.39% in terms of mean average precision scores for KUTomaData, Laboro Tomato, and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, respectively. This work can potentially improve the efficiency and accuracy of tomato harvesting, grading, and quality control processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment is a global issue deeply rooted in cultural, economic, and social practices. The present study investigates the representation of child abuse in the mainstream newspapers of Pakistan (i.e., Dawn and The News) from 2013 to 2020. This specific time frame is that these cases increased during these years. The data regarding the child abuse cases were accessed from the LexisNexis database. A computational technique of topic modeling (Latent Dirichlet Allocations) was applied to discover the hidden topics from the filtered data. The study underpinned Computational Grounded Theory as a theoretical frame for this study. The results reveal topics related to awareness of child abuse, the types of child abuse, and the law and procedural matters specific to child abuse cases in Pakistan. The study brings possible implications that child protection laws are to be improved to overcome the menace of child abuse in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teleconsultations have gained prominence as a viable method for delivering medical services remotely. In oral radiology, the ability to interpret radiographic images accurately is crucial for diagnosing and treating various dental conditions. The use of teleconsultations in this domain holds promise for extending specialized care to patients who are geographically distant from dental healthcare facilities. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 patients' oral radiographic images were collected for analysis in this study. These images were obtained from diverse geographical locations, showcasing the applicability of teleconsultations. Two groups of dental professionals, one conducting in-person evaluations and the other performing remote interpretations through teleconsultations, participated in the study. The radiographic findings were assessed for concurrence between the two groups. Statistical analysis included the calculation of P values to determine the level of agreement between the in-person and teleconsultation interpretations. Results: The results of this study revealed a substantial level of agreement between in-person and teleconsultation interpretations of oral radiographic images. The calculated P values indicated a statistically significant concordance between the two evaluation methods (P <.05). This suggests that teleconsultations can be a reliable approach for oral radiology interpretation, offering comparable results to traditional in-person evaluations. Conclusion: In conclusion, teleconsultations have demonstrated their potential as an effective means of interpreting oral radiographic images remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tristeza disease is caused by citrus tristeza virus (CTV) expresses salient symptoms like stem pitting, yellowing of leaves, stunted growth of large, small lateral branches and twigs. The study was carried out to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of CTV disease in major citrus growing areas of Sargodha district (Sargodha, Kot Momin, and Bhalwal). The samples from the declined orchards were collected based on symptomology and confirmed through ELISA. CTV was detected in 3 varieties viz., Kinnow (Citrus reticulate), Mosambi (Citrus sinensis) and Feutrell's early (Citrus reticulate cv feutrell's early). The maximum disease incidence was recorded in Mosambi (90%), followed by Feutral's early (74%) and Kinnow (57%). Mosambi was the most susceptible within the range of OD values (0.82-2.35) followed by Feutrell's early (0.45-0.64) and Kinnow (0.25-0.56). The disease severity was recorded only on Mosambi as it was more affected than Feutral's early and Kinnow. The rating scale to observe the severity of tristeza disease was based on percentage of pits in the 1 sq. inch piece of bark at bud union of infected tree. This rating scale has been developed for the first time to record the tristeza disease severity. The maximum disease severity was recorded in Kot Momin (62%) followed by Bhalwal (56%) and Sargodha (50%). The study concluded that CTV is one of the most promising factors playing role in the citrus decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tristeza disease is caused by citrus tristeza virus (CTV) expresses salient symptoms like stem pitting, yellowing of leaves, stunted growth of large, small lateral branches and twigs. The study was carried out to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of CTV disease in major citrus growing areas of Sargodha district (Sargodha, Kot Momin, and Bhalwal). The samples from the declined orchards were collected based on symptomology and confirmed through ELISA. CTV was detected in 3 varieties viz., Kinnow (Citrus reticulate), Mosambi (Citrus sinensis) and Feutrell’s early (Citrus reticulate cv feutrell’s early). The maximum disease incidence was recorded in Mosambi (90%), followed by Feutral’s early (74%) and Kinnow (57%). Mosambi was the most susceptible within the range of OD values (0.82-2.35) followed by Feutrell’s early (0.45-0.64) and Kinnow (0.25-0.56). The disease severity was recorded only on Mosambi as it was more affected than Feutral’s early and Kinnow. The rating scale to observe the severity of tristeza disease was based on percentage of pits in the 1 sq. inch piece of bark at bud union of infected tree. This rating scale has been developed for the first time to record the tristeza disease severity. The maximum disease severity was recorded in Kot Momin (62%) followed by Bhalwal (56%) and Sargodha (50%). The study concluded that CTV is one of the most promising factors playing role in the citrus decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Regardless of amazing advancements in contemporary science & technology, it is not possible to provide everyone access to high-quality healthcare. Traditional medicine, in particular Ayurveda and Unani medicine, is regarded as a major global provider of healthcare. This manuscript is aimed to provide the promulgation of Unani Medicine in contemporary healthcare system. Methods: A in-depth literature analysis was successfully carried out from year 2006 to 2021 to collate the information on the advancement, growth and development of the Unani System of Medicine (USM). The search strategy was performed with recent surveys, articles and the numerous initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of AYUSH, Centre council in research in unani medicine (CCRUM) & other institutions on Unani education and research. Additionally, the updated market analysis (2020-2022) comprises import, export and trade data on Unani medicines is also described. From what we know, this review is the first of a kind to describe the domestic and global perspective of Unani medicine with and its global development. Results: The multi-disciplinary, multi-centric research initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH have resulted in an increase in medical facilities and education in the Unani System of Medicine. With 1748 Unani dispensaries and 3947 beds in Unani hospitals, the number of these facilities has grown at a 2.4% annual pace between 2011 and 2021. Conclusion: There is tremendous growth in Unani as well as in herbal industry. Unani Medicines have shown their potential and need for better drugs and remedies against various diseases. The knowledge on import and export and the information on research and education enable to work more in this domain. These initiatives favour the World Health Organisation advocating Unani medicine as a better alternative system against various diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study aimed to establish the effectiveness of Unani add-on regimen by comparing theduration required for change in disease status from COVID-19 positive asymptomatic / mildto moderate symptomatic patients to asymptomatic negative. Methods: This single-centric, randomized, twin arm, controlled, clinical trial was carried out on a totalnumber of 62 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients. The Intervention group (IG) receivedUnani Regimen (Khameera Marwareed and Unani Joshanda) in addition to the conventional management, while the Control group (CG) received only conventional management. Results: It was observed that 16 (51.6%) patients in Intervention Group and 3 (9.4%) patients incontrol group became negative for COVID-19 at day 7 and remaining 13 out of 15 (93.5%) patients in Intervention Group and 20 out of 28 (74.1%) patients in control group becamenegative for COVID-19 at day 14. This effect of the Unani Regimen in comparison to thecontrol group was statistically significant (p =0.003). Conclusions: It can be concluded that the change of COVID-19 positive asymptomatic / mild to moderate symptomatic patients to RT-PCR negative was much earlier in the add-on Unani regimen group as compared to control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated monitoring of vegetation health in a landscape is often attributed to calculating values of various vegetation indexes over a period of time. However, such approaches suffer from an inaccurate estimation of vegetational change due to the over-reliance of index values on vegetation's colour attributes and the availability of multi-spectral bands. One common observation is the sensitivity of colour attributes to seasonal variations and imaging devices, thus leading to false and inaccurate change detection and monitoring. In addition, these are very strong assumptions in a citizen science project. In this article, we build upon our previous work on developing a Semantic Vegetation Index (SVI) and expand it to introduce a semantic vegetation health monitoring platform to monitor vegetation health in a large landscape. However, unlike our previous work, we use RGB images of the Australian landscape for a quarterly series of images over six years (2015–2020). This Semantic Vegetation Index (SVI) is based on deep semantic segmentation to integrate it with a citizen science project (Fluker Post) for automated environmental monitoring. It has collected thousands of vegetation images shared by various visitors from around 168 different points located in Australian regions over six years. This paper first uses a deep learning-based semantic segmentation model to classify vegetation in repeated photographs. A semantic vegetation index is then calculated and plotted in a time series to reflect seasonal variations and environmental impacts. The results show variational trends of vegetation cover for each year, and the semantic segmentation model performed well in calculating vegetation cover based on semantic pixels (overall accuracy = 97.7%). This work has solved a number of problems related to changes in viewpoint, scale, zoom, and seasonal changes in order to normalise RGB image data collected from different image devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the awareness, practice, and utilization pattern of Unani medicine among the general population of Trilokpuri, East Delhi. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational descriptive survey was conducted in New Delhi using pretested, predesigned, and structured questionnaire to assess the awareness and utilization pattern of Unani medicine on a sample size of 100 subjects. Result: Out of 100 subjects, 60% were males and 40% were females with mean age 38.96 ± 9.12 years, ranged between 18 and 65 years. The awareness about Unani medicine was found in 67% of adopted population, while 57% population among them preferred Unani system of medicine as a mode of treatment. Unani is preferred because of minimal side effects associated as reported by 47% users. On the other hand, among nonuser (n = 29), 48% population do not prefer Unani medicine because of its slow action. Very few (2.6%) users adopted Unani medicine exclusively, while most of them preferred Unani as an adjuvant with allopathic. Unani medicine is preferred mainly for the management of musculoskeletal disorders (35%), followed by GIT disorders (19%) and their related disorders. Conclusion: The awareness level regarding Unani medicine is good rather utilization of is relatively lower as compared to modern system of medicine. There is a need and scope for promotion of health education as well as improvement in the people's attitude towards Unani system of medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Several phases of zinc vanadates having different morphologies have been investigated recently for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), where they suffer from poor electronic conductivity and low mechanical stability resulting in short cycle life, low specific capacity and unsatisfactory rate performance. The issues are resolved here, by directly growing Zn3V2O8 sheets on two dimensional (2D) holey graphene oxide (hGO) nanosheets making an open framework of Zn3V2O8 that allows suitable spacing for Li+‐ions for (de) intercalation and the holey graphene provides the necessary mechanical strength, permeability and electronic conductivity across the Zn3V2O8 sheets. Consequently, the sheet on sheet morphology has resulted in an impressive rate capability of 851.2 mAh g−1 at 5000 mA g−1 with 67% retention after a 10‐fold increase in the current rate, high specific capacity (1465.9 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1) and long‐term stability (88% retention after 200 cycles). This is due to the crystalline structure of Zn3V2O8/hGO, with a large surface area that can provide more reaction sites and facilitate the fast Li+‐ion transport as verified by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. The ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer reveals the involvement of multiple reaction mechanisms (conversion, (de) insertion and (de) alloying) showing Zn2+/Zn0 and V4+/V3+/V2+ redox couples during the electrochemical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally. COVID-19 presents varied clinical features. The present study focuses on number of patients turning COVID-19 positive, change in Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ) and WHO quality of life- Bref (WHO Qol – BREF) scales after taking intervention. This open labelled, double arm, controlled, interventional, clinical trial was conducted on high-risk individuals i.e., those residing with a COVID-19 positive member in the identified quarantine area. This twin armed study was conducted on asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID -19. The test group were prescribed Unani poly-herbal decoction together with Unani formulations Khamira Marwareed and Tiryaq e Arba whereas the control group was not on any intervention. The duration of intervention was 20 days; follow ups were planned on day 10 and day 20. Of the 81 participants enrolled, none of the patients turned COVID-19 positive. However, 13.58% (n=11) developed COVID like symptoms and 70 patients completed the study. The mean age of the participants was 41.42±16.9 years; however, majority of the participants were 18-28 years male with Damvi (Sanguine) temperament. The quality of life of the intervention group improved significantly however, the immune status in both the groups increased with P <0.001. The Unani prophylactic regimen provides a 62% (relative risk reduction) protection against COVID -19. This pilot study paves for a study on a larger population. No adverse effects were observed during the study. Absence of biochemical investigations were limitations to the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolvulus alsinoides L. (Sankhaholi) has been traditionally used in Unani (Greco-Arabic) medicine to treat diverse cardiovascular disorders. Notably, preclinical and clinical investigations have substantiated its remarkable potential as an antihypertensive agent. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of hydroalcoholic extract of Evolvulus alsinoides L. and ramipril in treating hypertension using a higher dose of the test drug within the recommended limit. In this open-label randomized controlled trial, 57 participants (29 in the test group, 28 in the control group) completed the 42-day study. The test group received 630 mg of dried hydro-alcoholic extract of Evolvulus alsinoides L. in capsule form orally once daily, while the control group received 5 mg of Ramipril orally once daily. Participants in both groups were advised to adhere to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan in terms of diet and lifestyle adjustments recommended by JNC-8. The primary outcome measures were changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as changes in plasma levels of hsCRP and IL6. Secondary outcome measures included changes in symptoms such as palpitations, giddiness, headaches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Headaches, palpitations, and giddiness were assessed using a customized Visual Analog Scale (VAS) graded as "none," "mild," "moderate," and "severe". Fatigue was assessed on a binary scale as either absent or present, and dyspnea was assessed using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale for breathlessness. Both primary and secondary outcomes were assessed at baseline and each follow-up visit (2nd week, 4th week, and 6th week) until the completion of the trial. At the end of the trial, the mean differences for the primary outcomes were as follows:SBP: − 1.88 95 % C I : − 4.82 , 1.05 , p = 0.203 , d = 0.33 , DBP: − 2.83 95 % C I : − 4.67 , − 0.10 , p = 0.003 , d = 0.8 , hsCRP: − 1.40 95 % C I : − 2.80 , − 0.003 , p = 0.49 , d = 0.53 , and IL6: − 88.67 95 % C I : − 148.90 , − 28.43 , p = 0.005 , d = 0.78 . No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups for any of the secondary outcomes. Based on the preliminary results, it can be inferred that the hydro-alcoholic extract of Evolvulus alsinoides L. exhibits significant antihypertensive potential, comparable to that of ramipril. Furthermore, it appears that Evolvulus alsinoides L. may be more effective than ramipril in reducing the biochemical markers of inflammation associated with primary hypertension. However, additional research is required to validate these findings. [Display omitted] • Evolvulus alsinoides L. (Sankhaholi) is used in Unani medicine for treating various cardiovascular conditions. • The study evaluates Evolvulus alsinoides L. extract for primary hypertension, using a higher dose within recommended limits. • Test group received 630 mg of E. alsinoides extract, while control group took 5 mg of Ramipril, both once daily for 42 days. • Study concludes hydroalcoholic extract of E. alsinoides has significant antihypertensive potential, comparable to Ramipril. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of plant leaf diseases is crucial as it affects the quality and production of plant species with an effect on the economy of any country. Automated identification and classification of plant leaf diseases is, therefore, essential for the reduction of economic losses and the conservation of specific species. Various Machine Learning (ML) models have previously been proposed to detect and identify plant leaf disease; however, they lack usability due to hardware sophistication, limited scalability and realistic use inefficiency. By implementing automatic detection and classification of leaf diseases in fruit trees (apple, grape, peach and strawberry) and vegetable plants (potato and tomato) through scalable transfer learning on Amazon Web Services (AWS) SageMaker and importing it into AWS DeepLens for real-time functional usability, our proposed DeepLens Classification and Detection Model (DCDM) addresses such limitations. Scalability and ubiquitous access to our approach is provided by cloud integration. Our experiments on an extensive image data set of healthy and unhealthy fruit trees and vegetable plant leaves showed 98.78% accuracy with a real-time diagnosis of diseases of plant leaves. To train DCDM deep learning model, we used forty thousand images and then evaluated it on ten thousand images. It takes an average of 0.349s to test an image for disease diagnosis and classification using AWS DeepLens, providing the consumer with disease information in less than a second. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the strategic plan for the National Library of Pakistan (NLP) for the years 2019-2024. The vision, mission, users, financial resources, library staff and consultation about the national library has been discussed. A five years strategic plan has been formulated with five strategic priorities 1) access, 2) expertise, 3) collaboration, 4) sustainability and 5) forward thinking. Each strategic priority has planning points e.g. performance indicators, evaluative points, outcomes and targets related to strategic plan has also been discussed in this paper. The output of strategic plan has been represented via diagram which resulted, 'Access to information for all'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis showed moderate pericardial and left-sided pleural effusions, an anterior mediastinal lesion (Fig. Acetylcholine receptor antibodies were positive but the patient had no symptoms of myasthenia gravis. Chest radiograph demonstrated bilateral pleural effusions and left lower zone consolidation consistent with pneumonia. However, anti-cytokine antibodies were not performed prior to the patient commencing IVIg. [Extracted from the article]

Libraries are recognized and documented as an integral and essential part of education, research and society. It is imperative that the development of the library and its services must be evaluated from time to time in order to bring continuous improvement and qualitative change in the overall functioning of the libraries. The region of Southern Punjab, Pakistan has always been ignored in terms of education, development and progress In this age of rapid development, the importance of special libraries in intellectual, social and political sphere of life cannot be denied. The establishment/development of special libraries is necessary due to the knowledge expansion. No progress can be made in any field especially science and technology without special libraries holding latest material to boost the innovative thoughts and ideas. This study was conducted to reveal the current status of special academic libraries, their infrastructure and services in the area of Southern Punjab Pakistan. The total number of populations of the study was 180 of all professional staff and para-professional staff, working in special academic public institutional libraries i.e., agricultural, engineering, medical, vocational, and technical libraries of Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions. The 60 librarians were selected as a sample. A self-structured questionnaire was used for the descriptive survey to collect the data from library in-charges (Heads). The analysis revealed that libraries did not hold up to date reading material. Adequate furniture, electricity, space, computers and internet facility were not available in the libraries. Findings of the study can be useful for understanding the problems faced by the special academic libraries of remote/ less-developed areas of Pakistan that can, subsequently, lead towards the solution of the problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungiform papillae are raised lingual structures which contain taste buds and thus play an important role in taste perception. These structures vary in number due to their relative sensitivity to a range of systemic and local factors which affect the dorsum of the tongue. Taste sensation can be measured using both chemical and electrical methods; however, the number of fungiform papillae has a direct effect on chemogustometric and electrogustometric values during evaluation. This review provides a general overview of fungiform papillae, their quantification methods and the various factors which may affect these structures. In addition, numerous methods of recording taste sensation and their clinical applications are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was directed in district Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This study evaluated technical efficiency of tomato farms and to catch factors if any causing technical inefficiency in tomato production. 90 farmers were selected through multi-stage proportional allocation sampling techniques. Data was collected by using a well-structured interview schedule. Cobb-Douglas production function was employed to assess technical efficiency. Maximum likelihood estimation techniques were employed for estimation. Results showed that all explanatory variables except pesticides have significant effect on tomato production. The results showed that a 1% increase in seed rate, labor, tractor hours, urea, DAP and irrigation increases output by 0.81, 0.02, 0.28, 0.14, 0.25 and 0.02 percent, respectively. Mean technical efficiency score was found 95% ranges from 86% to 99%. This means an average farmer can increase tomato output by 4% with available resources and technology. Results of inefficiency effect model indicated that farmers' experience has negative and significant relationship with technical inefficiency. Efforts should be made to keep experience farmers in tomato farming. Government also needs to allocate more funds for extension services to provide formal and informal education to tomato growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was premeditated to estimate the impact of climate change on maize productivity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Chitral, Swat, Mansehra, Peshawar, and D.I. Khan Districts were selected from different agro-ecological zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The climatic and non-climatic variables employed for the study were area under maize, maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation, respectively. For statistical analysis, panel data record for twenty years (1996-2015) across five districts of the province were scrape together from Development Statistic of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Bureau of Statistic and Pakistan Meteorological Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hausman test recommended fixed effect model (as opposed to random effect) as a fit model for given estimation. The major findings proclaim that maximum temperature has negative impact on the yield of maize. Impact of precipitation show a positive and significant contribution to maize yield. High temperature has deleterious impact on maize productivity. Therefore, policy exertions needs to be concentrated toward impact of climate change on maize productivity. Development of temperature resistant maize verities for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also a good option. Moreover, awareness among farmers on climate change is required regarding plantation of trees and afforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A layer of platinum was fabricated through electroplating on the surface of NiCoCrAl model alloy. Diffusion characteristics and oxidation behaviour of Pt-coated NiCoCrAl compared to uncoated was investigated at 1050 °C. The platinum inter-diffusion layer within the alloy was obtained through the heat treatment. For microstructural characterization results of scanning electron microscopy were combined with X-ray diffraction data. Due to different covalent bonding calculated by first principle calculation, the platinum presented different diffusion abilities in β-NiAl and γ′-Ni 3 Al phases during the heat treatment. The calculated elastic constant and elastic moduli revealed that Pt-doped β-NiAl and γ′-Ni 3 Al possess better elastic and mechanical properties than β-NiAl and γ′-Ni 3 Al. The platinum addition restrained the spallation of Ni-rich oxide on Pt-coated NiCoCrAl alloy compared to uncoated, hence the adhesion between the oxide layer and NiCoCrAl alloy was improved. Highlights • Pt obviously increases Al 2 O 3 scale adhesion at early stage of the oxidation. • Pt increases the elastic stability and mechanical strength of β-NiAl and γ′-Ni 3 Al. • Pt has different diffusion ability in β-NiAl/γ′-Ni 3 Al phases within the alloy. • Weak covalent bonding confirms easier Pt diffusion within β-NiAl than γ′-Ni 3 Al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effect of Maghz-e-Jamun (Eugenia jambolana) on blood sugar and insulin levels in prediabetic stage (Intermediate hyperglycemic state). It was randomized, single blind, placebo controlled study of 52 prediabetic patients (diagnosed according to ADA classification) randomly allocated in test and control group. Maghz-e-Jamun (Eugenia jambulana) powder 4.5g was filled in 6 capsules, 3 capsules was given orally twice a day for 12 weeks in test group. Whereas, in control group, placebo prepared with starch was given in the same form and dosage as in test group for the same duration. During the protocol therapy, patient in both the groups were asked to follow the prescribed diet as provided by dietician. Patients were also asked to take brisk walk in morning daily for 40 minutes. FBS, BSPP was assessed on baseline, 28th day and 84th day of therapy, while HbA1c, Serum insulin Fasting and HOMA-IR were assessed after 12 weeks. For the assessment of safety of the drug and placebo, complete haemogram, LFT, KFT and Urine R/M was done on baseline, 28th day and 84th day of the study. Significant reduction in FPG from (105.67 ±2.20) to (96.03 ±1.94) were noted after 28th day in prediabetics with p value 0.001**, the FPG further declined to (92.13±1.50) after 84th day of follow up in the test group in which powder of the seeds of Eugenia jambolana were given. BSPP declined from (130.33±3.44) to (118.83± 2.65) after 28 day and become (121.93±3.16) after 84 day with p value 0.012* and 0.071 respectively. Highly significant reduction in value of HbA1c was revealed from (5.82±0.09) to (5.55±0.08) with p value 0.001**. As far as level of serum insulin fasting is concerned, no changes in insulin level was found after 84 day of administration of Maghz-e-Jamun (Eugenia jambolana) in prediabetics. Slight reduction in value of HOMA-IR was found before and after the intervention i.e., (2.85±0.25) from (3.05±0.30). No significant changes are revealed after 28 days as well after 84 days of intervention in safety profiles laboratory investigations which are complete haemogram, LFT, KFT and Urine R/M. Maghz-e-Jamun (Eugenia jambolana) exhibited good glucose control in prediabetic condition. It can also revert the prediabetic condition into normoglycemia and prevent the conversion of prediabetic condition into Type 2 diabetes if supported with dietary intervention and exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Objective of this study is to assess the correlation between severity of ischemic stroke on NIHSS and calcium level in patients presented with acute ischemic stroke. Study Design: Descriptive case series and non-probability purposive sampling technique was used in this study. Setting: South Medical ward& East Medical Ward, Department of Medicine, Mayo hospital, Lahore. Period: One year from 5th January 2015 to 4th January 2016. Material & Methods: Informed consent was taken from all the patients. Patients of both genders between 35-70 years of age were included in this study. Demographic record (name, age, sex, contact) were also obtained. Then patients were admitted in ward and were followed up there. Meanwhile no calcium supplement was advised. Then after 72 hours of admission, blood sample were drawn by using 5cc BD syringe and were sent to the laboratory of the hospital to assess serum calcium level. NIHSS score after 72 hours of admission were assessed and noted. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to measure the correlation between calcium level and NIHSS score. P-value≤0.05 were considered as significant. Results: In this present study the mean age of the patients was noted as 51.47±9.653 years, the male patients were 76% whereas female patients were 24%. The mean serum calcium level after 72 hours of the patients was noted as 7.26±1.41 mg/dl, while the man NIHSS was noted as 23.01±10.38.There was negative and Significant correlation was found between the serum calcium level (mg/dl) after 72 hours and NIHSS after 72 hours of the patients i.e. r=-0.899 (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our study results showed the negative correlation between the serum calcium level and NIHSS of ischemic stroke patients which showed that more decrease in calcium level will lead to more severe condition of stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the service status of special academic libraries of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. It is imperative that the development of the library and its services must be evaluated from time to time in order to bring continuous improvement and qualitative change in the overall functioning of the libraries. The region of Southern Punjab, Pakistan has always been ignored in terms of education, development and progress. The data we recollected through questionnaire survey from library patrons of special academic libraries, for the purpose 160 questionnaires were distributed in the different institutes of Southern Punjab. The return response rate was 75%. The analysis revealed that library users are not satisfied with library services e.g. reading material, circulation, reference and e-services. The libraries of Southern Punjab are facing many problems due to remote/ less development. The recommendations have been formulated to the conclusions of the study like measures for better library services from the institutes, provision of e-library services, hiring of qualified and trained library staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian detection is a key problem in computer vision and is currently addressed with increasingly complex solutions involving compute-intensive features and classification schemes. In this scope, histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) in conjunction with linear support vector machine (SVM) classifier is considered to be the single most discriminative feature that has been adopted as a stand-alone detector as well as a key instrument in advance systems involving hybrid features and cascaded detectors. In this paper, we propose a pedestrian detection framework that is computationally less expensive as well as more accurate than HOG-linear SVM. The proposed scheme exploits the discriminating power of the locally significant gradients in building orientation histograms without involving complex floating point operations while computing the feature. The integer-only feature allows the use of powerful histogram inter-section kernel SVM classifier in a fast lookup-table-based implementation. Resultantly, the proposed framework achieves at least 3% more accurate detection results than HOG on standard data sets while being 1.8 and 2.6 times faster on conventional desktop PC and embedded ARM platforms, respectively, for a single scale pedestrian detection on VGA resolution video. In addition, hardware implementation on Altera Cyclone IV field-programmable gate array results in more than 40% savings in logic resources compared with its HOG-linear SVM competitor. Hence, the proposed feature and classification setup is shown to be a better candidate as the single most discriminative pedestrian detector than the currently accepted HOG-linear SVM. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Today the world is witnessing a rise in incidence of diseases and the demand for affordable health care has increased manifold. An effective and robust public health system is the need of the hour to improve the health and wellbeing of people across the globe. Unani Medicine is a holistic system of medicine, which offers indigenous and effective therapies, which are already helping millions of people across the globe in living a healthy life. Unani medicine gained momentum as an effective alternative to conventional medicine due to its systematic approach towards diagnosis and treatment of diseases, effective management of lifestyle disorders and primary focus on prevention of ailments. This system of medicine, which has its origin from Greece, today has a presence in many parts of the globe. Besides India, it is practiced in several countries like Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka etc. The Government of India facilitated the growth and development of Unani medicine by recognizing its utility and scope and integrated it into healthcare delivery system. With its wide network of quality educational institutions, comprehensive healthcare facilities, state of the art research institutions and quality drug manufacturing industries and on account of its utilization by a large number of people for their healthcare needs, India has emerged as the global leader in Unani medicine. Concerted efforts are being made to carry out high quality, evidence based research and to make the system more accessible and affordable. Unani medicine can contribute a wealth of knowledge and experience for the benefit of human kind and has the potential to be one of the major contributors in health care delivery in other parts of the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the service status of special academic libraries of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. It is imperative that the development of the library and its services must be evaluated from time to time in order to bring continuous improvement and qualitative change in the overall functioning of the libraries. The region of Southern Punjab, Pakistan has always been ignored in terms of education, development and progress. The data we recollected through questionnaire survey from library patrons of special academic libraries, for the purpose 160 questionnaires were distributed in the different institutes of Southern Punjab. The return response rate was 75%. The analysis revealed that library users are not satisfied with library services e.g. reading material, circulation, reference and e-services. The libraries of Southern Punjab arc facing many problems due to remote/less development. The recommendations have been formulated to the conclusions of the study like measures for better library services from the institutes, provision of e-library services, hiring of qualified and trained library staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the service status of special academic libraries of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. It is imperative that the development of the library and its services must be evaluated from time to time in order to bring continuous improvement and qualitative change in the overall functioning of the libraries. The region of Southern Punjab, Pakistan has always been ignored in terms of education, development and progress. The data we recollected through questionnaire survey from library patrons of special academic libraries, for the purpose 160 questionnaires were distributed in the different institutes of Southern Punjab. The return response rate was 75%. The analysis revealed that library users are not satisfied with library services e.g. reading material, circulation, reference and e-services. The libraries of Southern Punjab are facing many problems due to remote/ less development. The recommendations have been formulated to the conclusions of the study like measures for better library services from the institutes, provision of e-library services, hiring of qualified and trained library staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surprisingly simple, yet effective blending method for ionic liquids (ILs) and polysulfone (PSf) is presented in this paper. Not only is the IL properly immobilised in the polymer matrix, which is crucial in high-pressure gas separation applications, but this method also produces tunable porous surfaced membranes that can be useful in several other applications. The size and distribution of the pores are dependent on the type and amount of IL incorporated into the PSf. A membrane formation mechanism is proposed to explain the presence of such a regular surface pore structure. Several commercially available ILs were tested to examine their compatibility with the polymer, and the CO 2 /N 2 gas separation performance of the resulting membrane was screened. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, FTIR microscopy, and SEM imaging were also employed to shed light on the observed membrane structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the case of a 41-year-old Australian woman with a 3-day history of fevers and migratory polyarthritis. Three weeks prior she had been treated by her GP with phenoxymethylpenicillin for acute tonsillitis. Examination confirmed synovitis. Systemic assessment including cardiovascular, neurological and skin examination was unremarkable. Abnormal investigations included a leucocytosis with neutrophilia, C-reactive peptide of 116 mg/L, erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 103 mm/hour and acute transaminitis. The antistreptolysin O titre was 304 IU, which increased to 1,250 IU after 2 weeks. Troponin T, electrocardiogram and echocardiography were all normal. The patient was treated for acute rheumatic fever with corticosteroids and a 10-day course of cephalexin. After 8 weeks, she made a full recovery and had normalised inflammatory markers and liver biochemistry. She was then commenced on monthly prophylactic intramuscular benzathine penicillin. This case study aims to raise awareness of the presentation, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric membranes containing sulfonated and fluorinated poly (ether ether ketone) were prepared by solution casting method. The monomers were pre-sulfonated before the polymerization to avoid the side-effects of polymer post-sulfonation, like low degree of sulfonation and poor mechanical and thermal properties. The degree of sulfonation was varied from 20% to 40% to study its influence on the membrane performance. Pure and mixed gas permeation experiments were performed to evaluate the potential of this novel polymer in separation of CO 2 from mixtures containing CH 4 and N 2 . Increasing degree of sulfonation improved the CO 2 permeability and selectivity for both gas pairs. The incorporation of fluorinated groups further enhanced the performance of membranes by simultaneous increase in gas permeability and selectivity. Diffusion and solubility measurements were also performed in order to get further insight into the role of sulfonic and fluorinated groups in membrane performance. The comparison of results with literature revealed the promising characteristics of the polymer in industrially relevant gas separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which focuses on the documentation of the relation of hyperglycemia with in-hospital mortality in patients with septicemia. The study uses the Optium Xceed glucometer for the analysis of the recorded blood sugar value. Results show the prominent association of hyperglycemia in non-diabetics and female.

This study concerns wide angular sector (higher order) null synthesis in planar irregular sparse antenna arrays when aperture distributed sub-arrays are used to reduce the computational load. A hybrid optimisation tool has been used to find array element excitations to achieve as low as possible sector nulls for the desired sector width. Performance comparisons have been made for three sub-array configurations based on the obtained numerical results. Various interference jamming scenarios have been considered including single and dual sectors for single-dimensional (θ) (1D) and two-dimensional (θ, ϕ) (2D) nulls. The proposed optimisation scheme has shown to be successful for the synthesis of 1D and 2D sector nulls with depths as low as -100 dB for the given configuration with reduced computational time when compared with the full array. The comparison of achieved null depths for different sub-array sizes and convergence time has also been presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel ordered mesoporous COK-12 type silica particles were used as fillers in polyimide (Matrimid) based mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs). The highly ordered 2D hexagonal structured filler materials with short and straight pores were synthesized at room temperature under quasi-neutral pH. The gas permeation and SEM results of the MMMs confirmed a homogenous filler dispersion and defect free synthesis of membranes. The presence of large mesopores in the fillers leading to faster diffusion of penetrant gas resulted in higher gas permeabilities in comparison to pristine Matrimid membrane. The potential of the membrane under mixed-gas conditions and different operating temperatures was also evaluated. The membranes showed decreasing trend of activation energy of permeation with the addition of filler. The ease of synthesis, highly ordered structure with short and straight pore channels and improved gas permeation properties makes COK-12a promising filler for industrial gas separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally, existing lignocelluloses fibers showed outstanding potential in paper industry and other conventional applications. On the other hand, lignocellulose fibers are suitable candidate for high-tech applications under the scope of abundance, flexibility, light-weight and environment friendliness. In this study, paper sheets were prepared from lignocelluloses fibers extracted from self-growing plant, typha angustifolia. Lignocelluloses paper sheets were characterized for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), universal testing machine (UTM) and vector network analyzer (VNA). Flexible paper sheets displayed a tensile strength of 9.1 MPa and further used as a substrate in patch antenna to observe dielectric characteristics. The patch antenna is designed at 5.1 GHz which showed return loss less than −10 dB and dielectric constant 3.71. The use of lignocelluloses paper sheet as a substrate in patch antenna will provide the opportunity of miniaturization of size and weight in comparison of a jean substrate based antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nine-week pregnant 33-year-old female presented with sudden-onset right-sided hemiparesis, hemisensory loss, dysarthria and homonymous hemianopia. She was known to have eleven previous miscarriages and used recreational drugs. A CT-head was unremarkable. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with an acute thromboembolic infarct and chose alteplase after counselling. During thrombolysis an ultrasound identified a foetus with no concerning features. A post-thrombolysis CT revealed a left-sided posterior cerebral infarct. CT-venography, carotid Doppler, 72-hour Holter monitor, thrombophilia and an autoimmune screen were all normal. A transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated a mobile intra-atrial septum with a patent foramen ovale confirmed on bubble echocardiogram. Three days post-thrombolysis the patient requested a termination of pregnancy. A subsequent transvaginal ultrasound demonstrated a missed miscarriage for which the patient underwent evacuation of retained products of conception. Multidisciplinary care ensured that her sensorimotor deficit resolved grossly with only mild dysarthria and right-hand fine motor incoordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved method for mass production of good-quality tungsten disulfide (WS 2) nanosheets via ball milling of commercial powder of WS 2 with different ball sizes is reported in this paper. Bulk/Commercial WS 2 (W c) powder was milled in a high energy planetary ball milling machine using two different ball sizes with diameter 0.5 mm and 7 mm in two separate milling jars. The as-prepared WS 2 nanosheets (W 0.5 and W 7) corresponding to 0.5 mm and 7 mm ball size respectively, were investigated in detail using several characterization techniques, such as Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphological analysis, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) for crystal structure analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for functional group analysis and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) characterization for surface area and pore size/distribution analysis. Ultraviolet–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS) was performed for bandgap analysis, Time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) was done for exciton decay studies and Mott-Schottky (MSK) characterization for flat band positions. W 7 , as a photocatalyst showed enhanced performance of ∼95% in degrading both Methylene blue (MB) and Methyl orange (MO) dyes while as W 0.5 showed enhanced surface area. Highly efficient adsorbents were obtained in this whole process of wet ball milling optimized for the degradation of MB and MO dyes. So, the prepared material is potential candidate for wastewater treatment. • Mass production of WS 2 nanosheets from commercially available powder for wastewater treatment is reported. • Physical route of synthesis makes the whole process ecofriendly. • Electrochemical study has been done for flat band positions which shows both n-type and p-type. • Reusability of the photocatalyst has been studied up to five times. • Scavenger study has been done for degradation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixture electrolyte based on dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [BMP][NTf 2 ], with excellent reversibility of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been reported for Li–O 2 batteries. The effect of the mixture electrolyte on current density, oxygen solubility, diffusion coefficient and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism was investigated. The presence of [BMP][NTf 2 ] increases the solubility of oxygen and while DMSO improves the reversibility of ORR and OER by facilitating the solubility of Li 2 O x . Cyclic voltammetric studies showed that mixed electrolyte showed significantly enhanced current density and reversibility for ORR and OER compared to pure DMSO or [BMP][NTf 2 ]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Caucasian female previously diagnosed with anorexia nervosa was referred by psychiatric services to the general medical team. She presented with dehydration, vomiting, weakness, a body mass index of 13 kg/m² and was treated with intravenous and enteral supplementation. During admission her vomiting worsened and she developed visual hallucinations and confabulation. Neurological examination demonstrated cerebellar signs and bilateral papilloedema on fundoscopy. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a large fourth ventricular tumour causing obstructive hydrocephalus. The tumour was excised and histologically confirmed to be a choroid plexus papilloma. Postoperatively her neurological symptoms and negative feelings towards eating resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Reduced size dual band patch antenna is designed on pulp fibers-based substrate, obtained from a self-growing plant, Typha angustifolia. The proposed design is low cost and has <10 dB return loss at 2.4 and 5.7 GHz, with 6.9 dBi antenna gain and also has potential for conformal designs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2146-2148, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the Study: The aim of the following study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a compound Unani formulation in hyperlipidemia on clinical and biochemical parameters. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 patients with total cholesterol level of 220 mg/dl and above were included. In Group 'A' thirty patients with total cholesterol 243.5 ± 5.294 mg/dl received Unani formulation safoof-e-muhazzil (SM) in its classical powder form 5 g twice daily orally, in Group 'B' thirty patients with total cholesterol 234 ± 3.822 mg/dl received the SM but in compressed tablet form in the same dosage and in Group 'C' 30 patients with total cholesterol 242.7 ± 5.563 mg/dl received atorvastatin 10 mg as a standard control. Follow-up was carried out on second, fourth and 6th week and patients were evaluated on clinical as well as biochemical parameters. Results: Group A before treatment had mean total cholesterol of 243.5 ± 5.294 mg/dl which decreased significantly after treatment to 225.6 ± 5.953 mg/dl (P < 0.001) with a percentage change of 7.35%. Group B had mean total cholesterol of 234 ± 3.822 mg/dl which was significantly reduced to 212.67 ± 3.94 mg/dl (P < 0.001) post-treatment with a percentage change of 9.11%. Control Group C having mean total cholesterol of 242.7 ± 5.563 mg/dl before treatment was significantly decreased to 178.73 ± 4.669 mg/dl (P < 0.001) post-treatment with a percentage change of 26.3%. Group A had significant relief 20.72% (P < 0.001) in fatigue, 16.09% (P > 0.5) relief in palpitation and 26.17% (P < 0.001) relief in dyspnea post-treatment. Group B fatigue decreased significantly by 18.14% (P < 0.01), palpitation by 22.91% (P < 0.01) and dyspnea by 20.46% (P < 0.01). In Group C a non-significant increase of 2.2% was observed in fatigue post-treatment, palpitation decreased by 10.22% non-significantly and dyspnea decreased significantly by 17.64% (P < 0.001). Results indicate that the test drug safely and effectively ameliorates the clinical condition of patients with hyperlipidemia while decreasing cholesterol level as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparse antenna arrays with irregularly spaced elements are increasingly being used in large array applications such as radio astronomy and radar. These antenna arrays may consist of hundreds of elements and therefore optimisation of these arrays becomes computationally expensive. This study proposes a novel solution to the problem of null synthesis in such arrays, where nulls are formed in prescribed locations for two-dimensional irregular sparse antenna arrays. The technique is based on a subarray and hybrid synthesis solution, where each subarray spans the entire antenna aperture. Single and multiple null formations with array gain maximisation are considered. The technique's effectiveness is demonstrated using evolutionary optimisation algorithms; however, the basic technique can be used with other optimisation methods. The simulation results presented compare the null synthesis performance with and without subarraying and it has shown that the use of subarray results in improved convergence compared with a direct full array synthesis. Furthermore the technique is appropriate for ready application to parallel computer architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supportedionic liquid membranes (SILMs) are promising tools for the separationof carbon dioxide from other gases. In this paper, new imidazolium,pyrrolidinium, piperidinium, and morpholinium ionic liquids with atriethylene glycol side chain and tosylate anions, as well as theirsymmetrical dicationic analogues, have been synthesized and incorporatedinto SILMs. The selectivities for CO2/N2andCO2/CH4separations have been measured. Theselectivities exhibited by the dicationic ionic liquids are up totwo times higher than the values of the corresponding monocationicionic liquids. Quantum chemical calculations have been used to investigatethe difference in the interaction of carbon dioxide with monocationicand dicationic ionic liquids. The reason for the increased gas separationselectivity of the dicationic ionic liquids is two-fold: (1) a decreasein permeance of nitrogen and methane through the ionic liquid layer,presumably due to their less favorable interactions with the gases,while the permeance of carbon dioxide is reduced much less; (2) anincrease in the number of interaction sites for the interactions withthe quadrupolar carbon dioxide molecules in the dicationic ionic liquids,compared to the monocationic analogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ordered mesoporous silica spheres (MCM-41) were used as fillers in polyimide (Matrimid) based mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs). The filler particles were functionalized with sulfonic acid (–SO3H) groups to increase the separation performance of the membranes by increasing the CO2 solubility. The fast diffusion of gases through the mesoporous materials, accompanied by this increased interaction with CO2, resulted in the simultaneous increase of gas permeability and selectivity. The functionalized membranes showed up to 31% increase in CO2 permeability and 14% increase in CO2/CH4 selectivity. In order to study the stability of these newly developed MMMs, they were tested at different operating conditions (temperatures, mixed-gas feeds and CO2 feed concentration). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of cupping therapy at a clinical setting for knee osteoarthritis. A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted. Cupping was performed on 0-6th day; 9-11th day and 14th day, i.e., 11 sittings follow-up to determine longer term carryover of treatment effects utilizing both objective and subjective assessment. The assessment was performed before and after treatment spreading over a period of 15 days. The results of this study shows significant and better results in the overall management of knee osteoarthritis, particularly in relieving pain, edema, stiffness and disability. The efficacy of treatment with cupping therapy in relieving signs and symptoms of knee osteoarthritis is comparable to that of acetaminophen 650 mg thrice a day orally, in terms of analgesia, anti-inflammatory and resolution of edema with minimal and temporary side-effects like echymosis and blister formation while as control drug has greater side-effects particularly on upper gastrointestinal tract. It is recommended that further studies are conducted with a larger study samples and of longer duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a Unani formulation in hypertension. A total of 90 patients with total cholesterol level of more than 220 mg/dl with associated conditions were included in this study. A total of 30 patients having a mean systolic blood pressure (BP) of 133.86 mmHg comprising Group A received Unani formulation Safoof-e-Muhazzil (SM) in its classical powder form in the dose of 5 g twice a day orally. Group B comprising of 30 patients with a mean systolic BP of 133.13 mmHg received same drug, but in compressed tablet form in the same dosage, whereas, 30 patients comprising Group C with a mean systolic BP of 129.45 mmHg, received Atorvastatin 10 mg as a standard control. Patients were evaluated on each follow-up at 2nd, 4th and 6th week. The mean systolic BP in Group A and B before treatment was 133.86 ± 3.028 mmHg and 133.13 ± 2.852 mmHg, which significantly decreased to 119.33 ± 1.922 mmHg (P < 0.001) and 119 ± 1.760 mmHg (P < 0.001) respectively. In the control Group C before treatment BP was 129.45 ± 2.499 mmHg and after treatment it significantly decreased to 124.34 ± 1.794 mmHg (P < 0.01). The percentage change after treatment was 10.85%, 10.61% and 3.94% respectively in each group. Mean diastolic BP in Group A and B before treatment was 85.06 ± 2.11 mmHg and 84.56 ± 1.5 mmHg, which significantly decreased to 79.06 ± 1.56 mmHg (P < 0.001) and 79.96 ± 1.15 mmHg (P < 0.001) respectively, BP before treatment in Group C was 83.23 ± 1.588 mmHg, which was decreased to 124.34 ± 1.794 mmHg (P < 0.01). The study results indicate that the test drug was quite effective in reducing both systolic as well as diastolic BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban vegetation growth is vital for developing sustainable and liveable cities in the contemporary era since it directly helps people's health and well-being. Estimating vegetation cover and biomass is commonly done by calculating various vegetation indices for automated urban vegetation management and monitoring. However, most of these indices fail to capture robust estimation of vegetation cover due to their inherent focus on colour attributes with limited viewpoint and ignore seasonal changes. To solve this limitation, this article proposed a novel vegetation index called the Multiview Semantic Vegetation Index (MSVI), which is robust to color, viewpoint, and seasonal variations. Moreover, it can be applied directly to RGB images. This Multiview Semantic Vegetation Index (MSVI) is based on deep semantic segmentation and multiview field coverage and can be integrated into any vegetation management platform. This index has been tested on Google Street View (GSV) imagery of Wyndham City Council, Melbourne, Australia. The experiments and training achieved an overall pixel accuracy of 89.4% and 92.4% for FCN and U-Net, respectively. Thus, the MSVI can be a helpful instrument for analysing urban forestry and vegetation biomass since it provides an accurate and reliable objective method for assessing the plant cover at street level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Preparation of highly selective Betaine based Deep Eutectic Solvent. • Simultaneous CO 2 permeability and selectivity exhibited by DES based liquid membrane. • Membranes showed excellent thermal stability relevant to desired applications. This study demonstrates a new strategy in which deep eutectic solvents (DES), a new class of sustainable organic solvents, were impregnated into micro porous polymer support for separation of CO 2 from CH 4. Three different types of DESs were prepared by mixing and subsequent heating of betaine as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) in combination with either glycerol (G), ethylene glycol (EG) or urea (U) as hydrogen bond donors (HBD) in 1:3 stoichiometric mole ratio. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was performed to confirm the formation of DESs. The gas permeation results showed that permeability of CO 2 increased from 31.23 to 35.67 Barrer on substitution of HBD from glycerol to urea. The selectivity of CO 2 /CH 4 increased from 43.32 to 57.53 for the substitution of HBD from ethylene glycol to urea. These intriguing results are ascribed by the high interaction of CO 2 with DES in which solubility of CO 2 is directly influenced by the HBDs. The membranes were also tested under conditions relevant to industrial feed gas and the results were compared with the competing state of the art membranes. The impregnation of DESs into the porous polymer supports provides a pathway for future material design for the efficient separation of CO 2 from gases mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) can potentially improve the separation performance of traditional polymeric membranes while still maintaining their processing advantages and lower costs. In this work, MMMs composed of acrylate derivatized polysulfone and functionalized mesoporous MCM-41 were prepared by solution casting. The voids at the polymer-filler interface were removed by the introduction of covalent linkages between the modified polymer and the functionalized fillers. Gas permeation results and SEM images of the synthesized MMMs confirmed a good adhesion and dispersion of the fillers within the polymer matrix. In comparison to MMMs with unmodified MCM-41, covalently linked MCM-41 fillers rendered the MMMs significantly higher CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities due to the presence of a covalent link between the –NH2 group of the filler and the acrylate of the polymer. The highest ideal selectivities obtained here for CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 were 32.97 and 31.48 (CO2 permeability=9.13Barrer), respectively. Different operating temperatures were also studied and activation energies calculated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: This study provides an efficient method for lung cancer diagnosis from computed tomography images and employs deep learning-supported support vector machine. Experimental results indicates that the proposed approach yields a 94% accuracy and performs better than existing models. The diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer is challenging due to its asymptomatic nature, especially given the repeated radiation exposure and high cost of computed tomography(CT). Examining the lung CT images to detect pulmonary nodules, especially the cell lung cancer lesions, is also tedious and prone to errors even by a specialist. This study proposes a cancer diagnostic model based on a deep learning-enabled support vector machine (SVM). The proposed computer-aided design (CAD) model identifies the physiological and pathological changes in the soft tissues of the cross-section in lung cancer lesions. The model is first trained to recognize lung cancer by measuring and comparing the selected profile values in CT images obtained from patients and control patients at their diagnosis. Then, the model is tested and validated using the CT scans of both patients and control patients that are not shown in the training phase. The study investigates 888 annotated CT scans from the publicly available LIDC/IDRI database. The proposed deep learning-assisted SVM-based model yields 94% accuracy for pulmonary nodule detection representing early-stage lung cancer. It is found superior to other existing methods including complex deep learning, simple machine learning, and the hybrid techniques used on lung CT images for nodule detection. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can greatly assist radiologists in detecting early lung cancer and facilitating the timely management of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The miscibility and gas separation performance of Matrimid and sulfonated aromatic poly(ether ether ketone) (S-PEEK) blend membranes prepared by solution casting method were studied. A S-PEEK polymer with fixed degree of sulfonation was used for membrane synthesis. Both Matrimid and S-PEEK were physically miscible over the whole composition range, as confirmed by visual observation and DSC studies. The effect of variation in composition on gas permeability and selectivity of blend membranes was investigated. The gas permeability and selectivity values fall in between those of the individual polymers, varying systematically with variation of S-PEEK content in the blend. The effect of feed pressure on CO2 permeation was linked to CO2 plasticization of the membranes. The Matrimid component of the blend membrane was cross-linked with p-xylenediamine to improve the anti-plasticization properties of the blend. In order to further study the stability and potential industrial application of these membranes, they were tested at different conditions of feed pressure, temperature and CO2 feed concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]