Novel banana peel/graphene oxide derived biosorbent for water purification

More than 100 million tons of banana peels are produced annually, and about 40 million banana peels (40% of total weight) remain greatly unused. Hence, exploring banana peels’ ability to clean contaminated water would bring an additional value to the current “waste” product. One of the most common aspects of water pollution currently is heavy metal contamination, which is particularly dangerous for humans due to its high toxicity. Banana peels contain a high concentration of carbohydrates, the two most abundant being cellulose and starch, which has multiple hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups. Banana peels are an easily available and cost-effective adsorbent that can adsorb different kinds of heavy metal ions. This research primarily focuses on improving the current efficiency of this technique through the development of a banana peel/graphene oxide hybrid adsorbent. The cross-linking graphene oxide possess numerous hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, and epoxide functional groups that can be used to induce chemical reactions with banana peel carbohydrates, providing the graphene oxide with additional functional groups. This modification can potentially increase the adsorption capacity of banana peel derived adsorbents. It is evident through FTIR analysis that banana peel powder and graphene oxide have many functional groups of similar types. Thus, reactions can readily occur to combine the two substances. The TGA analysis of both compounds, however, indicates different patterns of thermal decomposition. Further thermal analysis is required for the hybrid adsorbent. After the development and characterization of this hybrid adsorbent, the next step is to complete a water purification analysis. In the future, banana peel/graphene oxide derived adsorbent may serve as a sustainable and efficient solution for water purification

Ethnomedicinal Importance of Family Lamiaceae and Family Rosaceae Among Local Communities of Dir Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The present study was conducted to document the medicinal uses of Family Lamiaceae and Rosaceae in Dir Kohistan during the summer of 2016. Field visits were arranged to different resource-based areas of Dir Kohistan and plants were identified according to their phytogeographic locations. The study revealed that nine species of the family Lamiaceae and seven species of the family Rosaceae are used by the local community for the treatment of human ailments. They utilized these plants through personal experiences and ancestral prescriptions. The plants were used for different health disorders like kidney pain, lung infections, jaundice, as carminative, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiseptic, laxative, febrifuge, sedative and astringent agent. The study revealed that the medicinal flora of the area is under high pressure and was threatened locally due to population growth, habitat degradation, tourism, marketing pressure, over exploitation and unscientific methods of collection from their natural habitat

Bilateral Implantation of Scleral-Fixated Cionni Endocapsular Rings and Toric Intraocular Lenses in a Pediatric Patient with Marfan's Syndrome

The management of ectopia lentis in Marfan's syndrome is challenging. Multiple disease-associated factors conspire to deprive these patients of adequate vision. While optical correction with glasses and contact lenses is usually advocated early on, the irregular astigmatism and even partial aphakia that accompanies advanced cases generally warrant surgical intervention. Several surgical strategies have been devised to manage these challenging cases, including the combination of endocapsular or pars plana lensectomy and iris or scleral fixation of the intraocular lens (IOL) or IOL-bag complex. All of the reported cases have been implanted with IOLs that correct for myopia only. With toric lenses, it is now possible to correct for corneal astigmatism in these patients as well, provided that the capsular bag is maintained and can be properly centered. We report the combination of scleral-fixated Cionni endocapsular rings and toric IOLs in a pediatric patient with bilateral ectopia lentis secondary to Marfan's syndrome

EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS GROWTH REGULATORS APPLICATION ON JUNE FRUIT DROP AND FRUIT QUALITY IN CITRUS SINENSIS CV. BLOOD RED

Two plant growth regulators gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) and 2,4-D were exogenously applied in different concentrations alone and their combinations on Blood Red sweet orange trees two months after fruit set. June fruit drop and different fruit quality parameters were studied to evaluate the optimum concentration of the growth regulators. Fruit drop was non significant among treatments with a range of 10.87 % to 33.82 %. Fruit diameter and seed health was not affected by any of the treatments. Fruit weight was decreased by most of the growth regulator treatments compared with control. Juice quantity, TSS, total sugars and reducing sugars were improved by most of the treatments compared with control but in case of acidity and vit. C, there was not any clear cut trend of treatment effect

O efeito moderador da pressão do tempo sobre os elementos de embalagem e o comportamento de compra do consumidor: um caso da Nestlé Paquistão

The purpose of this study to measure whether three product packaging Elements Wrapper Design, Packaging Material and Printed Information Influences Consumer Buying Behavior or does Time Pressure shows a moderating relationship. This study determines the importance of these elements when they purchase Nestle products during short time period. In this research highlighted that companies cannot afford to ignore the importance of time constraints and packaging elements of the products on consumer Buying Behavior. The study was conduct in District Vehari, Punjab Pakistan. Data was collecting to the students of Higher Educational Institution in District Vehari. Structured Questionnaire was used that consist on five point Likert Scale. Multiple Regression Analysis, ANOVA, coefficient was used to test the variables.El propósito de este estudio es medir si el diseño de envoltorio de tres elementos, el material de empaque y la información impresa influyen en el comportamiento de compra del consumidor o si la presión del tiempo muestra una relación moderada. Este estudio determina la importancia de estos elementos cuando compran productos Nestle durante un período de tiempo corto. En esta investigación, se destacó que las empresas no pueden permitirse ignorar la importancia de las limitaciones de tiempo y los elementos de empaquetado de los productos en el comportamiento de compra del consumidor. El estudio fue realizado en el Distrito Vehari, Punjab Pakistán. Los datos fueron recolectados a los estudiantes de la Institución de Educación Superior en el Distrito Vehari. Se utilizó un cuestionario estructurado que consta de una escala Likert de cinco puntos. El análisis de regresión múltiple, ANOVA, coeficiente se utilizó para probar las variables.O objetivo deste estudo é medir se três elementos de embalagem, design de invólucro, material de embalagem e informações impressas influenciam o comportamento de compra do consumidor ou se a pressão no tempo apresenta uma relação de moderação. Este estudo determina a importância desses elementos quando eles compram produtos da Nestlé durante um curto período de tempo. Nesta pesquisa destacou que as empresas não podem ignorar a importância das restrições de tempo e elementos de embalagem dos produtos no comportamento de compra do consumidor. O estudo foi realizado no Distrito Vehari, Punjab Paquistão. Data estava coletando para os estudantes da Instituição de Ensino Superior no Distrito Vehari. Utilizou-se Questionário Estruturado que consiste na Escala Likert de cinco pontos. Utilizou-se o coeficiente de Análise de Regressão Múltipla, ANOVA, para testar as variáveis

Necrotizing Keratitis after Laser Refractive Surgery in Patients with Inactive Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Two cases of necrotizing keratitis following laser refractive corneal surgery, with stable and controlled Crohn's disease are described. A 40-year-old woman developed bilateral stromal inflammation and inferior thinning in the right eye along the flap edge within 1 day of uneventful bilateral IntraLase laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. The other case is a 30-year-old man who also developed bilateral inferior stromal infiltrates 2 days following photorefractive keratectomy. Both cases were aggressively treated with systemic and topical corticosteroids. The infiltrates in both patients gradually resolved, with one relapse during the 7 months period of follow-up in the first case. These cases highlight the importance of taking precautions considering this and similar autoimmune conditions as a relative contraindication to refractive surgery

Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Strawberry (Frageria ananasa Dutch) under Different Phosphorus Levels

Strawberry fruit takes less time for production and is easily multiplied. Fruiting is an exhaustive process and depletes nutrients especially phosphorus as it is highly immobile in the soil. An experiment was conducted in The University of Peshawar, Pakistan to evaluate different level of Phosphorous on growth, yield and fruit quality of Strawberry Cv Chandler. Results show that Phosphorus at 90 kg ha-1 significantly influenced the days to flowering (102.66) of strawberry plants while, at 80 kg ha-1 significantly affected days to fruit set (2.98), days to fruit maturity (20.05), Number of fruits (7.50) and Total fruit yield tons ha-1(3.61). Fruit size (6.42 cm3) was significantly affected at 70 kg ha-1. Similarly, Ascorbic acid (62.61), percent acidity (0.64) and Total soluble solids (7.83) were significantly affected by phosphorus at 60 kg ha-

EVALUATION OF BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SOME GROUNDNUT VARIETIES GROWN IN ARID ZONE OF PAKISTAN

Abstract The biochemical composition and some phytochemicals in the seeds of 4 groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) varieties viz., Golden, Barri 2000, Mongphalla and Mongphalli 334 cultivated in arid zones of Pakistan, were determined. The biochemical analysis included ash, crude fat, total nitrogen, proteins and sugar contents. A statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was observed among the varieties regarding the ash, crude fat, water soluble proteins, salt soluble proteins and sugar contents. The four groundnut varieties were also found to be significantly different (p<0.05) on the basis of phytochemicals analysed including tannins (822±3.78 to 903±4.45 mg/100g), saponins (438±2.12 to 480±2.30 mg/100g), non-protein nitrogen (1.33±0.03 to 1.56±0.02 mg/100g), hydrogen cyanide (40.80±0.32 to 42.82±0.75 mg/100g), total phenolic acids (218±2.11 to 256±2.02 mg/100g), total phosphorus (700±3.62 to 889±3.84 mg/100g) and phytic acid (572±4.37 to 714±3.74 mg/100g). The results obtained from the present studies could be a source of valuable information and a guideline for the food scientists, researchers and even the nut consumers not only in Pakistan but all over the world

The role of facilities management in fighting COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from Malaysian public hospitals

The aim of this study is to provide a holistic review of the fight against COVID-19 in developing countries, particularly Malaysia. Specifically, the study aims to determine how facilities management delivery in public hospitals can be improved to ensure readiness in handling COVID-19 cases. We conducted a review of the literature and reliable media updates on COVID-19 and services management. A critical synthesis of COVID-19 information was conducted to scrutinise the technical aspects and highlight how facilities management can be improved to ensure hospital readiness in managing COVID-19 cases. The data and information used in the present study were collected up to the time of writing this paper, which leaves a room for further studies. Nonetheless, this study’s recommendations are useful for understanding the present and future pandemics. This study is a first attempt to summarise the data on facilities management in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Malaysian context. The study’s findings are suitable for the developing countries in managing healthcare management practices in the fight against COVID-19. This study aims to highlight current issues in order to provide a more objective assessment of facilities management to ensure hospital readiness in handling COVID-19 cases

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Node Localization Accuracy in IIoT-Based MI-UWSNs and Design of a TD Coil for Omnidirectional Communication

This study aims to realize Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e., SDG 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure and SDG 14: Life below Water, through the improvement of localization estimation accuracy in magneto-inductive underwater wireless sensor networks (MI-UWSNs). The accurate localization of sensor nodes in MI communication can effectively be utilized for industrial IoT applications, e.g., underwater gas and oil pipeline monitoring, and in other important underwater IoT applications, e.g., smart monitoring of sea animals, etc. The most-feasible technology for medium- and short-range communication in IIoT-based UWSNs is MI communication. To improve underwater communication, this paper presents a machine learning-based prediction of localization estimation accuracy of randomly deployed sensor Rx nodes through anchor Tx nodes in the MI-UWSNs. For the training of ML models, extensive simulations have been performed to create two separate datasets for the two configurations of excitation current provided to the Tri-directional (TD) coils, i.e., configuration1-case1_configuration2-case1 (c1c1_c2c1) and configuration1-case2_configuration2-case2 (c1c2_c2c2). Two ML models have been created for each case. The accuracies of both models lie between 95% and 97%. The prediction results have been validated by both the test dataset and verified simulation results. The other important contribution of this paper is the development of a novel assembling technique of a MI-TD coil to achieve an approximate omnidirectional magnetic flux around the communicating coils, which, in turn, will improve the localization accuracy of the Rx nodes in IIoT-based MI-UWSNs