WHAT DIABETICS KNOW ABOUT DIABETES?

Patient’s lack of understanding of disease hinders in proper control of disease thus increasing the morbidity and mortality. Review of the studies done in this region, dose not provide a detail account of patients understanding about the disease. Majority of patients when interviewed in clinics do not know the right answer to cause, level of desired sugar, possible complication. Material and methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional KAP study was conducted on diabetic patients visiting the diabetic clinic in two tertiary care Hospitals and a diabetic poly clinic in different areas of Karachi during the month of September 2012. Results: The mean age was 56 years, with 122 male and 118 female, 40.4 % patients were uneducated, 22.9% metric, 12.9% intermediate and 22.9% were graduate. Considering the knowledge, as to what is diabetes? only 46% answered correctly. What could cause the disease? 35% thought there was no reason for sugar. Regarding most frequent symptom, 27% thought there were no specific symptoms, 24.2% weight loss and 23.8% excessive urine and 21.7% thought not healing of wound was first indicator and 2.1 % thought that increase appetite is the cause. The desired levels of random sugar only 24.2% thought it be around 180 mg /dl while 32.5% had no idea about the value. Desired fasting sugar was correctly known by 34.6% as less than 100 mg/dl and 22.9% as less than 120 mg/dl. , Duration of treatment was believed to be life long treatment by 85%.Oral hypoglycemic were consumed by 68%, 24% were on insulin. And 6% were using both. 75% patients did not do exercise regularly. Regarding the harms created by diabetes, 51.3 % knew that heart or kidneys may get damaged. Regular doctor visits were done by 80% , and 85 % were satisfied with the level of care. The average sugar check cost was less than 100 rupees for 62.1 % . Conclusion: Lack of proper concepts regarding the disease, desired level of sugars, possible complications could be a big hinder in achieving good diabetic control. Thus by addressing the specific deficiencies in the knowledge and practices of patients, a better outcome may be achievable

Design of novel fractional order FPGA based reactor protection and safety controllers for ACP1000 nuclear power plant in LabVIEW

In this research work, an advanced most modern ACP1000 Nuclear Power Plant is addressed. An enhanced fractional order model of ACP1000 nuclear power plant is adopted with an addition of protection and safety systems. The whole plant model is developed by using innovative hybrid technology of Visual Basic, LabVIEW, Fractional Order and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). A reactor trip system is designed and modeled using FPGA technology in LabVIEW. Plant parameters are systematically modeled and panels are designed in LabVIEW for reactor protection controllers. Twenty one reactor trip controllers are designed and modeled based on complex digital logics using FPGA programming in LabVIEW. Two fractional order trip controllers are designed for over temperature protection and over power protection in LabVIEW. FPGA based safety controllers are designed for Engineered Safety Features (ESF) in LabVIEW. For enhanced model of ACP1000 nuclear power plant, 374 systems are modeled in modular form in Visual Basic Environment. Nine process controllers are configured in ANFIS framework in LabVIEW. In this research work, process controllers are used in conjunction with protection and safety controllers using FPGA. The parametric display of simulations is carried out in Visual Basic. The closed loop performance of proposed protection controllers is evaluated under reactor trip and turbine trip while that of safety controllers are evaluated under inadvertent opening of safety valves of pressurizer. Various parameters are simulated for severe transient conditions and the results are evaluated and validated against reference design data and Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) of ACP1000 nuclear power plant. All the results are well within the trip and safety systems design bounds under abnormal and severe operating conditions

Synthesis of biodiesel via pre-blending of feedstocks: an optimization by the polynomial curve fitting method

Use of abundant indigenous energy crops for biofuel production contributes to enhance the economy and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. This article aims to shed light on two energy crops available in Pakistan; castor (Ricinus communis L.) and cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Although castor has excellent oil content (54%), its high viscosity is not acceptable. Therefore, pre-blending with cottonseed oil was proposed. Physical and chemical properties of crude oils, pure biodiesels and binary blends besides fatty acid composition and degree of unsaturation were analyzed. Biodiesels were checked for quality parameters within limits of American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and European Standards. Improvement in kinematic viscosity and density of castor biodiesel were noticed following this concept. Moreover, the developed empirical formula indicated that an optimized blending ratio of 93.86% cottonseed oil and 6.14% castor oil accomplished biodiesel yield of 91.12%, kinematic viscosity of 6 mm(2)/s and cetane number of 48.79, respectively, which all satisfy ASTM D6751. This technique also indicated that pre-blending can raise the ester content of castor biodiesel. In conclusion, it is recommended to adopt the concept of pre-blending to improve the quality of biodiesel and thus the engine and emission performance in compression ignition engines

Synthesis of Biodiesel via Pre-blending of feedstocks: An Optimization through Polynomial Curve Fitting Method

Use of abundant indigenous energy crops for biofuel production contributes to enhance the economy and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. This article aims to shed light on two energy crops available in Pakistan; castor (Ricinus communis L.) and cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Although castor has excellent oil content (54%), its high viscosity is not acceptable. Therefore, preblending with cottonseed oil was proposed. Physical and chemical properties of crude oils, pure biodiesels and binary blends besides fatty acid composition and degree of unsaturation were analyzed. Biodiesels were checked for quality parameters within limits of American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and European Standards. Improvement in kinematic viscosity and density of castor biodiesel were noticed following this concept. Moreover, the developed empirical formula indicated that an optimized blending ratio of 93.86% cottonseed oil and 6.14% castor oil accomplished biodiesel yield of 91.12%, kinematic viscosity of 6mm2/s and cetane number of 48.79, respectively, which all satisfy ASTM D6751. This technique also indicated that pre-blending can raise the ester content of castor biodiesel. In conclusion, it is recommended to adopt the concept of pre-blending to improve the quality of biodiesel and thus the engine and emission performance in compression ignition engines</p

Recent advances in Bio-mass by electrochemically strategies generated hydrogen gas production: Environmentally sustainable technologies innovation

The potential of green hydrogen as in transitioning to a free pollution energy infrastructure. Green hydrogen gas is produced using renewable energy sources, typically through the process of electrolysis, and is considered environment friendly because it does not emit carbon dioxide when produced. While solar water redox reaction using photochemical and electrochemical methods is an elegant way to harvest green hydrogen production, it can be challenging to make this process economically competitive, especially for low-cost products like hydrogen. To address this challenge, the proposes a solution, which is to produce hydrogen during the photoelectrochemical process. In this demonstration of the (photo)electrochemically generated hydrogen (H2) for the homogeneous and hydrogenation. The coupled process offers greater stability compared to direct electrochemical hydrogenation and it provides more flexibility in controlling the chemical reactions involved. Overpotential refers to the extra energy required to drive a reaction and coupling the processes can help minimize this overpotential. An overall ∼58 conversion of the produced hydrogen is confirmed for this process, indicating the efficiency of the approach. Additionally, a techno-economic assessment of the proa strategy to make green hydrogen production economically competitive by co-producing value-added chemicals, using ascorbic acid. This approach enhances the economic feasibility of green hydrogen production but also adds value to the process by producing valuable chemical products. © 2023 Elsevier Lt

PdO@CoSe2 composites: efficient electrocatalysts for water oxidation in alkaline media

In this study, we have prepared cobalt selenide (CoSe2) due to its useful aspects from a catalysis point of view such as abundant active sites from Se edges, and significant stability in alkaline conditions. CoSe2, however, has yet to prove its functionality, so we doped palladium oxide (PdO) onto CoSe2 nanostructures using ultraviolet (UV) light, resulting in an efficient and stable water oxidation composite. The crystal arrays, morphology, and chemical composition of the surface were studied using a variety of characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. It was also demonstrated that the composite systems were heterogeneous in their morphology, undergoing a shift in their diffraction patterns, suffering from a variety of metal oxidation states and surface defects. The water oxidation was verified by a low overpotential of 260 mV at a current density of 20 mA cm(-2) with a Tafel Slope value of 57 mV dec(-1). The presence of multi metal oxidation states, rich surface edges of Se and favorable charge transport played a leading role towards water oxidation with a low energy demand. Furthermore, 48 h of durability is associated with the composite system. With the use of PdO and CoSe2, new, low efficiency, simple electrocatalysts for water catalysis have been developed, enabling the development of practical energy conversion and storage systems. This is an excellent alternative approach for fostering growth in the field.Funding Agencies|Ajman University [2022-IRG-HBS-5]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [NSFC 51402065, 51603053]</p