Analytical Study of the Most Citied International Research Journals of Library and Information Science

The focus of this paper is on the research productivity and their relevant parameters of top twenty international journals of Library and Information Science from 2015 to 2019. The analysis of data revealed that Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JAIST) is the top cited journal followed by Scientometrics and Journal of Informetric during the mentioned period. The year 2015 was reported as the most productive year with 45% citations from the top twenty LIS journals. The average citation rate of Scholar Google is at the top followed by Scopus. “The sharing economy” was declared as the most cited research paper with 2391 citations followed by “The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus” with 688 citations

An Analytical Study of Library & Information Sciences Journals Published in Pakistan

This descriptive study was conducted in Pakistan in February 2021. The main objective was to identify and discuss the various aspects of the research journals of Library & Information Sciences (LIS) published form Pakistan till date. Documentary analysis was made for acquiring the basic and desired information about these journals. The scrutiny of the available record revealed that seven LIS journals are being published in Pakistan. Out of seven, three were Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized. Two LIS journals are charging publication fee from authors. Five journals were started publishing in last decade by LIS schools or organizations working for LIS professionals in Pakistan. Amazing is to note that none of the Journals has Impact Factor and the oldest journal Pakistan Library Information Science Journal (PLISJ) has been de recognized after journey of 52 years. The LIS community of Pakistan needs to improve the quality of research journals to meet the international standards in the field of Library & Information Studies

Novel MLR-RF-Based Geospatial Techniques: A Comparison with OK

Geostatistical estimation methods rely on experimental variograms that are mostly erratic, leading to subjective model fitting and assuming normal distribution during conditional simula-tions. In contrast, Machine Learning Algorithms (MLA) are (1) free of such limitations, (2) can in-corporate information from multiple sources and therefore emerge with increasing interest in real-time resource estimation and automation. However, MLAs need to be explored for robust learning of phenomena, better accuracy, and computational efficiency. This paper compares MLAs, i.e., Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Random Forest (RF), with Ordinary Kriging (OK). The techniques were applied to the publicly available Walkerlake dataset, while the exhaustive Walker Lake dataset was validated. The results of MLR were significant (p \u3c 10 × 10−5), with correlation coeffi-cients of 0.81 (R-square = 0.65) compared to 0.79 (R-square = 0.62) from the RF and OK methods. Additionally, MLR was automated (free from an intermediary step of variogram modelling as in OK), produced unbiased estimates, identified key samples representing different zones, and had higher computational efficiency

Selection of Web Services using Service Agent: An optimized way for the selection of Non-functional requirements

Web Services provide a promising results and solution according to the needs and requirements with fast & flexible manners for information sharing among different peoples and businesses. The major key issue in research in Web Services is the selection process which is most difficult & cumbersome because the increasing numbers of services that can not meet or fulfill all the non- functional requirements like performance, efficiency, reliability sensitivity etc. moreover for web services selection for Library System, the author suggests a model to select the searching material only related to books in hard copy form, softcopy form, read only and printable from. The Author suggests an agent for the selection of these books from the web. When any body else who wants to search a specific book from the web, then this service agent will show all the web sites where books will be available.  The agent generates a list of books with their all user's needs and Non-functional requirements. On the basis of these non-functional requirements the user can pick the book according to the document provided by service agent. Keywords: Service Agent, Non-functional requirement, Web service

Conceptual Paper on Halal and Haram: Systems Level Approach

Purpose: Islamic, as well as modern literature, on the issue of halal/haram (permissible and prohibited), primarily circulates around the product’s ingredient aspect, categorizing a particular object specifically into one of the mentioned dichotomist heads. On contrary to the usual individualistic consumer/product-centric approach, this paper discusses several macros, systems-level models, which follow the top-bottom approach. Methodology: A discourse, through conceptual framework analysis, this paper discusses the concept of halal and haram, to understand the nature and antecedents to the concepts as narrated in the revealed texts of Quran and Hadith.  Findings: It is proposed that although the terms of halal and haram are elaborated extensively in literature, there are several gaps in the understanding of the concept at the systems level. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive understanding through conceptual framework of halal/haram using the conceptual analysis method, which grounds into Islamic literature to trace the phenomenon’s major concepts and dimensions at various systems levels, such as society and environment. Conclusion: The research would enrich the understanding of how the Creator has created filters to provide the believers the best to consume and balances the cosmic systems through commandments to individuals, compliances to which supplement and support the Islamic lifestyle and Islamic social structure and sustained global development

EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS USING DIFFERENT MODELS IN SWISS ALBINO MICE BRAIN

The current research was aimed to estimate and compare the antioxidant effect of selected medicinal plants collected from different areas of Balochistan, Pakistan. The antioxidant activitywas determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picryl hydrazyl(DPPH) a radical scavenging assay, lipid peroxidation assay and total antioxidant assay. Plant extracts demonstratedhangups alongside thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) tempted by pro-oxidant 10uM ferroussulphate (FeSO4) or sodium nitroprusside in the brain region of mice. Plants extracts showed significantferric reducing and free radical scavenging activity and also showed the higher concntration of both flavonoids and phenols. It was observed that higher thetotal polyphenolicand falavonoidscontentsbetter the antioxidant effect. All the plant samples showed the order of their antioxidant activity as SolanumNigram>Momordicacharantia>SolanumVillosum>TinosporaCordifolia> Ginkgo Biloba>Cuscutareflexa. The data obtained in the present study shows that all selected plants have inhibitory effect and antioxidant activity. The antioxidant effect of the selected plants might be related to the higher concentration of phenolic. Contents,ferric reducing ability and free radical scavenging activity.In this study we tried to provide the scientific proof for the traditional use of the selectedmedicinal plants as antioxidants. Key Words: Antioxidant activity, Free radical, DPPH, Medicinal plants, Oxidative stress, Mice brain

Assessing the Impact of Suboptimal Donor Characteristics on Mortality After Liver Transplantation: A Time-dependent Analysis Comparing HCC With Non-HCC Patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients who receive a liver transplant for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often receive poorer-quality livers. Tumor recurrence also has a negative effect on posttransplant outcomes. We compared mortality of HCC and non-HCC recipients in different posttransplant time periods (epochs) to separate the impact of these different risk factors on short-term and longer-term posttransplant survival. METHODS: We identified a population-based cohort of first-time liver transplant recipients (aged ≥16 years) between 2008 and 2016 in the United Kingdom. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) comparing posttransplant mortality between HCC and non-HCC patients in 3 posttransplant epochs: 0 to 90 days, 90 days to 2 years, and 2 to 5 years, with adjustment first for recipient and later also for donor characteristics. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred seventy HCC and 3657 non-HCC transplant recipients were included. Five-year posttransplant survival was 74.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 71.2%-77.5%) in HCC patients and 84.6% (83.0%-86.1%) in non-HCC patients. With adjustment for recipient characteristics only, mortality of HCC patients was lower but not statistically significantly different in the first 90 days (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-1.09; P = 0.11), but significantly higher thereafter (90 days to 2 years: HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.48-2.66; P < 0.001; 2 to 5 years HR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.30-2.42; P < 0.001). Further adjustment for donor characteristics had little impact on these results. CONCLUSIONS: HCC recipients have poorer 5-year posttransplant survival than non-HCC recipients, most likely because of tumor recurrence. The more frequent use of poorer-quality donor organs for HCC does not explain this difference

A whole system approach to increasing children’s physical activity in a multi-ethnic UK city:a process evaluation protocol

BACKGROUND: Engaging in regular physical activity requires continued complex decision-making in varied and dynamic individual, social and structural contexts. Widespread shortfalls of physical activity interventions suggests the complex underlying mechanisms of change are not yet fully understood. More insightful process evaluations are needed to design and implement more effective approaches. This paper describes the protocol for a process evaluation of the JU:MP programme, a whole systems approach to increasing physical activity in children and young people aged 5–14 years in North Bradford, UK. METHODS: This process evaluation, underpinned by realist philosophy, aims to understand the development and implementation of the JU:MP programme and the mechanisms by which JU:MP influences physical activity in children and young people. It also aims to explore behaviour change across wider policy, strategy and neighbourhood systems. A mixed method data collection approach will include semi-structured interview, observation, documentary analysis, surveys, and participatory evaluation methods including reflections and ripple effect mapping. DISCUSSION: This protocol offers an innovative approach on the use of process evaluation feeding into an iterative programme intended to generate evidence-based practice and deliver practice-based evidence. This paper advances knowledge regarding the development of process evaluations for evaluating systems interventions, and emphasises the importance of process evaluation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12255-w

Conceptual paper on Halal and Haram: systems level approach

Purpose: Islamic, as well as modern literature, on the issue of halal/haram (permissible and prohibited), primarily circulates around the product’s ingredient aspect, categorizing a particular object specifically into one of the mentioned dichotomist heads. On contrary to the usual individualistic consumer/product-centric approach, this paper discusses several macros, systems-level models, which follow the top-bottom approach. Methodology: A discourse, through conceptual framework analysis, this paper discusses the concept of halal and haram, to understand the nature and antecedents to the concepts as narrated in the revealed texts of Quran and Hadith. Findings: It is proposed that although the terms of halal and haram are elaborated extensively in literature, there are several gaps in the understanding of the concept at the systems level. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive understanding through conceptual framework of halal/haram using the conceptual analysis method, which grounds into Islamic literature to trace the phenomenon’s major concepts and dimensions at various systems levels, such as society and environment. Conclusion: The research would enrich the understanding of how the Creator has created filters to provide the believers the best to consume and balances the cosmic systems through commandments to individuals, compliances to which supplement and support the Islamic lifestyle and Islamic social structure and sustained global development

A Quality of Service-Aware Secured Communication Scheme for Internet of Things-Based Networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that aims to enable the interconnection of a large number of smart devices and heterogeneous networks. Ad hoc networks play an important role in the designing of IoT-enabled platforms due to their efficient, flexible, low-cost and dynamic infrastructures. These networks utilize the available resources efficiently to maintain the Quality of Service (QoS) in a multi-hop communication. However, in a multi-hop communication, the relay nodes can be malicious, thus requiring a secured and reliable data transmission. In this paper, we propose a QoS-aware secured communication scheme for IoT-based networks (QoS-IoT). In QoS-IoT, a Sybil attack detection mechanism is used for the identification of Sybil nodes and their forged identities in multi-hop communication. After Sybil nodes detection, an optimal contention window (CW) is selected for QoS provisioning, that is, to achieve per-flow fairness and efficient utilization of the available bandwidth. In a multi-hop communication, the medium access control (MAC) layer protocols do not perform well in terms of fairness and throughput, especially when the nodes generate a large amount of data. It is because the MAC layer has no capability of providing QoS to prioritized or forwarding flows. We evaluate the performance of QoS-IoT in terms of Sybil attack detection, fairness, throughput and buffer utilization. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing schemes and significantly enhances the performance of the network with a large volume of data. Moreover, the proposed scheme is resilient against Sybil attack