Appraisal of Geotechnical Characteristics of Ormara Soil, Baluchistan, Pakistan

Ormara is located 240 km west of Karachi which is a coastal and port city (25° 16' 29N, 64° 35' 10E) ofPakistan. Present study evaluates engineering properties of soils of Ormara for future construction plans and possibleexpansions in the area. Fifty bore holes were done in study area at depths of 20m, 40m and some (10 bore holes) were60m deep. The study area was divided into three major zones i.e. Foot hills, on-shore and off-shore. Groundwater wasencountered at depths of 2.75m on onshore and offshore zones and at 3.65m depth in foothill zone. Laboratory testingi.e. moisture content (12 to 38 %), liquid limit (from 26 to 34), plasticity index (10 to 18) of soil samples indicate thatsoils are low plastic to moderate plastic in nature. Soil samples of granular soils indicate angles of internal friction (ø)varying from 260- 36ºin upper sand layers while 260 to 30º in lower silt layers (encountered after the clay layer) andCohesion ranges 0 to 0.04kg/cm2 in all three zones. Further, unconsolidated undrained triaxial compression tests on aclayey soil sample indicated an undrained cohesion value of 28 kPa. Density values ranges from 1.6 to 2.05gm/cm3.Consolidation (Cv = 0.20 to 0.40 cm2/minute, Cc = 0.149 to 0.17) has been calculated for clay layer. Chemical testscarried out on soil samples indicated that soil and water both are reactive aggressively and may cause corrosion to steeland concrete disintegration

Environmental Pollution a Negative Externality from China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Policy implications for Pakistan

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) isconsidered as the ‘flagship’ project of China’s Belt andRoad Initiative (BRI) and has been widely acclaimedby both Chinese and Pakistani officials often terming itas ‘game-changer’ to overcome Pakistan’s lingeringissues of energy and economic crisis. Within theframework of CPEC, China is investing more than 56billion US dollars as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)in various energy and infrastructure projects includinga vast network of railways, highways, economic zonesand gas pipelines. While much has been debated andwritten about various projects under CPEC in theexisting academic discourses, vis-à-vis threats to thebiodiversity (Nabi et al., 2017), its potentialimplications to environmental hazards (Ali, 2018) andto overcome energy shortfall of Pakistan (Kugelman,2017). However, scientific study to reinforce the issuesof environmental pollution, particularly related toCEPEC coal-based energy projects have been stilllacking.The pertained literature on CPEC consisted qualitativestudies to inspect and judge different aspects such asimportance of CPEC for both countries and its effectson geo political of South Asia. Challenges for CPEC inPakistan, South Asia and foreign policy betweenChina-Pakistan), as Nan, (2015) explained that thisproject is not only valuable for Pakistan and China, butit is also beneficial for the global economy byincluding several other countries. Furthermore, Li andSun, (2015) and Irshad, etal, (2015) reported theimportance of CPEC and it long and short-termbenefits for both countries. Further, Hussain and Khan(2017) also stated that it will enhance the cooperationbetween two countries and advantageous for Chinese,Middle Eastern and South Asian people (Ali, 2016).Further, Wolf, (2017) explained the insights, potentialsand challenges concerning CPEC and domestic levelcooperation between China and Pakistan.In addition, quantitative studies focused to shed a lighton the impact of China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) (Such as, impact on gdp, socio-economy,trade, stock market, energy sector and infrastructure).CPEC will build rails and roads infrastructure andinfrastructure development may decrease the povertyand increases the agriculture development in Pakistan(Ahmed & Mustafa, 2016). Most recent articleexamined the impact of CPEC impact on energy(energy consumption and energy saving potential) inthe prospect of Pakistan (Mirza, Fatima, Ullah, 2019).A latest study surveyed in Pakistan and their researchresults shows that entrepreneur’s attitude andintentions to China and Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) development is positive, it means CPECproject also designing an entrepreneurial environment(Kanwal et al., 2019).A large number of studies (Begum, etal., 2015; Ozturk,and Acaravci, 2010) have discussed various elementsand causes of CO2 emissions. Similarly, manyresearches (Khurshid, etal., 2018; Hadi, etal., 2018;Hussain, 2017; Hussain, 2015) on Pakistan-Chinarelations in the context of economy, society andgeopolitical point of view. Present study is aimed toinvestigate the CPEC development effects i.e. grossdomestic product (gdp), foreign direct investment (fdi),trade openness (top), energy consumption (enguse) onenvironmental pollution (CO2) in Pakistan usingFMOLS and DOLS methods

Scheduling and Sizing of Campus Microgrid Considering Demand Response and Economic Analysis

Current energy systems face multiple problems related to inflation in energy prices, reduction of fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions which are disturbing the comfort zone of energy consumers and the affordability of power for large commercial customers. These kinds of problems can be alleviated with the help of optimal planning of demand response policies and with distributed generators in the distribution system. The objective of this article is to give a strategic proposition of an energy management system for a campus microgrid (µG) to minimize the operating costs and to increase the self-consuming energy of the green distributed generators (DGs). To this end, a real-time based campus is considered that currently takes provision of its loads from the utility grid only. According to the proposed given scenario, it will contain solar panels and a wind turbine as non-dispatchable DGs while a diesel generator is considered as a dispatchable DG. It also incorporates an energy storage system with optimal sizing of BESS to tackle the multiple disturbances that arise from solar radiation. The resultant problem of linear mathematics was simulated and plotted in MATLAB with mixed-integer linear programming. Simulation results show that the proposed given model of energy management (EMS) minimizes the grid electricity costs by 668.8 CC/day ($) which is 36.6% of savings for the campus microgrid. The economic prognosis for the campus to give an optimum result for the UET Taxila, Campus was also analyzed. The general effect of a medium-sized solar PV installation on carbon emissions and energy consumption costs was also determined. The substantial environmental and economic benefits compared to the present situation have prompted the campus owners to invest in the DGs and to install large-scale energy storage

Genetic Polymorphism of UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase

Genetic polymorphism is referred to the discontinuous interspecies genetic variability among individuals having distinct alleles on a particular locus. Genetic polymorphism of genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes constitutes individual’s susceptibility to drugs, affirmed by having discrete allelic frequencies by the individual, strengthening the concept of precision medicine. To combat with toxic consequences of drugs, the polymorphic genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism must be studied. Up to 70% xenobiotic elimination is believed to be dependent on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), an enzyme encoded by polymorphic UGT1A and UGT2B genes. Both bimodal and trimodal distribution patterns of UGT have been reported in various human populations studied. Genetic polymorphisms of UGT may even lead to truncated and shorter gene with grossly diminished enzymatic activity. The extent of phenotypic alteration inflicted by genetic polymorphisms depends on its nature and position on gene locus. The different isoforms of UGT superfamily differ from each other regarding substrate specificity and selectivity. The incidence of genetic polymorphisms and associated altered gene functions results in inter-individual variability in metabolic clearance and elimination of drugs. Hence, the critical interaction between genetics and biotransformation of drugs has recently been the focus of pharmacology research

Environmental Degradation, Quality of Institutions and Tourism: New Evidence from Pakistan

This study explores the effects of tourism, quality of institutions and FDI on environmental degradation inPakistan for the two time periods i.e. 1996-2017 and 2000-2017. Quality of institutions is included in the time period2000-2017 which is adopted from world governance indicators but due to lack of the data it has not been included insecond time (1999-2017). To find out the relationship among given variables, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressionwas carried out, moreover, Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation LM test, Heteroscedasticity Test and HistogramNormality test were also applied to diagnose the econometric issues in the given models. The findings of the studyrevealed that tourism is significant and influential factor of environmental degradation in Pakistan. Similarly, foreigndirect investment is also contributing in environmental degradation but its effect is insignificant for both time periods.On the other hand, an inverse relationship is observed between quality of institution and environmental degradation.The outcomes of the study suggest that environmental degradation can be overcome by increasing the quality of theinstitutions. Moreover, the government initiatives to attract foreign tourists by introducing new visa policy, whichincludes; electronic visa, on arrival visa and opening new avenues for tourists (e.g. Kartarpur Corridor and CPECinitiatives etc.) will have tremendous impact on the national economy. However, environmental degradation is theoutcome of tourism, therefore, policy maker’s needs to consider the negative effects of tourism in addition to itspositive effects on the economy

Hamltonian Connectedness and Toeplitz Graphs

A square matrix of order n is called Toeplitz matrix if it has constant elements along all diagonals parallel to the main diagonal and a graph is called Toeplitz graph if its adjacency matrix is Toeplitz. In this paper we proved that the Toeplitz graphs , for   and  are Hamiltonian  connected

A Novel Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Using The Mayfly Algorithm for Classification

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Prevalence, Symptomatology and Herbal Management of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is multi-organ syndrome that affects 6–25% of females during reproductive age. It disrupts normal hormone levels of females and affects adrenal hormone and sex hormones along with pituitary hormones including adrenocorticotropic, growth hormone and gonadotropins hormones. It results in several secondary characteristics in females such as infertility, hormonal imbalance, oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, obesity and hirsutism. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is associated with mental and reproductive disorder and almost 4–18% mature female students are affected by polycystic ovarian syndrome. Female affected by polycystic ovarian syndrome have increased risk of infertility, ovarian cancer, skin problems and psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and changes in sleep along with mood swings. This chapter discusses the Prevalence, Symptomatology and Management of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. For the management of PCOS, the role of some medicinal plants including Asparagus racemosus, Tinospora cordifolia, Foeniculum vulgare, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Actaea racemosa, and Lepidium meyenii have also been discussed in addition to other treatment modalities. The literature data was searched out and compiled using relevant original research articles and reviews published and indexed in Google Scholar, Scientific Information Database, Elsevier, PubMed and Science Direct

The Impact of Olive Oil and Mediterranean Diet on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

The Mediterranean diet has a lot of health benefits but especially because it lowers the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that food components, certain nutrients and the pattern of the diet lowers the risk of several diseases such as diabetes, certain cancers, obesity, respiratory disorders, mental health and cognitive decline, bone diseases (osteoarthritis), healthy aging and quality of life among more others. It has been concluded from studying the mechanism responsible for lowering these risks that food combinations, food nutrients, presence of non-nutritive substances, lifestyles habits and the cooking techniques all together make the Mediterranean dietary pattern into a tool that can not only prevent but can also be used as a way of treatment for these medical ailments. As part of the essential dietary fat, consumption of extra virgin olive oil is the main feature of Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is noted to have anti-bacterial characteristics, involved in improving the endothelial function in young females, and is hypothesized to have epigenetic effects interplay offering protection from cancers due to the presence of beneficial monounsaturated fats. The presence of antioxidants contributes to the inflammation protecting properties of the olive oil. Olive oil has high quantities of antioxidants and offers numerous benefits for cardiovascular health, such as protection of LDL from oxidation and lowering of the high blood pressure as well as offers protection from diabetes mellitus. The Mediterranean diet and the Olive oil consumption also have a fundamental impact in secondary prevention, such as in patients with atrial fibrillation that underwent catheter ablation