Frequency Of Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals In A Tertiary Care Hospital, After The COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: In this study, we plan to estimate the frequency of burnout among healthcare providers in a specialized teaching Hospital. Methods: A questionnaire based on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) including personal, work and client subscale was administered to various healthcare workers including staff nurses, residents and consultants. Results: When the demographic data of 100 participants was analyzed it showed that there were 39 (39 %) males and 61(61 %) females. The mean age of participants was 32.2 years. Professional categories enrolled were 40 nurses, 32 consultants and 28 postgraduate trainees. The mean level of personal burnout was 47.15±15.73, 38.53 ± 17.64 and 41.06 ± 15.78 among nurses, postgraduate trainees and consultants respectively. The level of work-related burnout was 45.95 ± 19.01, 36.60 ± 14.93 and 36.75 ± 14.99 among nurses, postgraduate trainees and consultants respectively. Whereas client-related burnout was found to be 42.62 ± 16.63, 27.67 ± 12.22 and 30.71 ± 18.04 among nurses, postgraduate trainees and consultants respectively. Burnout severity was higher among nurses, and also more commonly seen among females as compared to males. Lastly, younger respondents were more burned out compared to older respondents. Conclusion: In conclusion, addressing burnout among healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, is crucial for the well-being of the healthcare force and the safety and quality of patient care. The study’s recommendation for personal and institutional interventions is an essential step in mitigating this issue and ensuring a healthier, more effective healthcare system.

Analysis of morphological traits in different host plants associated with resistance to Phenacoccus solenopsis- an invasive pest in Pakistan

Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera) is a sucking insect pest and is polyphagous in nature. Twenty five (25) different host plants were screened against P. solenopsis and their  physicomorphic traits were determined to correlate their role against pest population. Among the tested plant species, most favorable host plants of mealy bug on the basis of population were Gossypium hirsutum (69.74±10.5), Solamum melongena (62.41±10.0), Helianthus annuus (61.83±10.0), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (61.1±10.0) and Lantana camara (55.83±9.75), but the least preferred plants were tandla Digera arvensis (1.57±1.00) and Conyza bonariensis (3.83±1.75). Significant variations were observed in all the morphological plant characters recorded from different plant species. The maximum leaf thickness per plant was 2.04±0.23 ìm in plant species S. melongena while minimum thickness of leaf was recorded from lehli (0.25±0.02 ìm). Maximum trichome density per plant was 444±72.4 in sunflower followed by 411.6±19.6, 399±52, 391.6±22.0, in C. bonariensis, Abelmoschus esculentus and Withania somnifera respectively but minimum were 2.33±1.45 in Chinopodium morale, followed by 2.66±1.4, and 3±2.08 in Portulaca oleracea and Trianthema portulacastrum respectively. The maximum hair length per plant (2.62±0.07 mm) was of sunflower followed by 2.55±0.03 mm in okra, 2.53±0.06 mm in both S. melongena and G. hirsutum. It was concluded that plant characters including trichome density and hair length favor mealy bug population showing r-values of 0.357* and 0.190 respectively but leaf size and leaf width (leaf area and leaf thickness) exerted negative effect on pest population showing r-values of -0.172 and -0.285 respectively.Key words: Phenacoccus solenopsis, invasive species, physicomorphic traits, resistance

A review of piezoelectric material-based structural control and health monitoring techniques for engineering structures: challenges and opportunities

With the breadth of applications and analysis performed over the last few decades, it would not be an exaggeration to call piezoelectric materials “the top of the crop” of smart materials. Piezoelectric materials have emerged as the most researched materials for practical applications among the numerous smart materials. They owe it to a few main reasons, including low cost, high bandwidth of service, availability in a variety of formats, and ease of handling and execution. Several authors have used piezoelectric materials as sensors and actuators to effectively control structural vibrations, noise, and active control, as well as for structural health monitoring, over the last three decades. These studies cover a wide range of engineering disciplines, from vast space systems to aerospace, automotive, civil, and biomedical engineering. Therefore, in this review, a study has been reported on piezoelectric materials and their advantages in engineering fields with fundamental modeling and applications. Next, the new approaches and hypotheses suggested by different scholars are also explored for control/repair methods and the structural health monitoring of engineering structures. Lastly, the challenges and opportunities has been discussed based on the exhaustive literature studies for future work. As a result, this review can serve as a guideline for the researchers who want to use piezoelectric materials for engineering structures

A systematic review of piezoelectric materials and energy harvesters for industrial applications

In the last three decades, smart materials have become popular. The piezoelectric materials have shown key characteristics for engineering applications, such as in sensors and actuators for industrial use. Because of their excellent mechanical-to-electrical and vice versa energy conversion properties, piezoelectric materials with high piezoelectric charge and voltage coefficient have been tested in renewable energy applications. The fundamental component of the energy harvester is the piezoelectric material, which, when subjected to mechanical vibrations or applied stress, induces the displaced ions in the material and results in a net electric charge due to the dipole moment of the unit cell. This phenomenon builds an electric potential across the material. In this review article, a detailed study focused on the piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH’s) is reported. In addition, the fundamental idea about piezoelectric materials, along with their modeling for various applications, are detailed systematically. Then a summary of previous studies based on PEH’s other applications is listed, considering the technical aspects and methodologies. A discussion has been provided as a critical review of current challenges in this field. As a result, this review can provide a guideline for the scholars who want to use PEH’s for their research

Genome-wide analysis of blood lipid metabolites in over 5000 South Asians reveals biological insights at cardiometabolic disease loci.

Funder: PfizerFunder: NovartisFunder: National Institute for Health ResearchFunder: MerckBackgroundGenetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors can lead to perturbations in circulating lipid levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, how changes in individual lipid species contribute to disease risk is often unclear. Moreover, little is known about the role of lipids on cardiovascular disease in Pakistan, a population historically underrepresented in cardiovascular studies.MethodsWe characterised the genetic architecture of the human blood lipidome in 5662 hospital controls from the Pakistan Risk of Myocardial Infarction Study (PROMIS) and 13,814 healthy British blood donors from the INTERVAL study. We applied a candidate causal gene prioritisation tool to link the genetic variants associated with each lipid to the most likely causal genes, and Gaussian Graphical Modelling network analysis to identify and illustrate relationships between lipids and genetic loci.ResultsWe identified 253 genetic associations with 181 lipids measured using direct infusion high-resolution mass spectrometry in PROMIS, and 502 genetic associations with 244 lipids in INTERVAL. Our analyses revealed new biological insights at genetic loci associated with cardiometabolic diseases, including novel lipid associations at the LPL, MBOAT7, LIPC, APOE-C1-C2-C4, SGPP1, and SPTLC3 loci.ConclusionsOur findings, generated using a distinctive lipidomics platform in an understudied South Asian population, strengthen and expand the knowledge base of the genetic determinants of lipids and their association with cardiometabolic disease-related loci

Genome-wide analysis of blood lipid metabolites in over 5000 South Asians reveals biological insights at cardiometabolic disease loci.

The authors would like to thank Michael Inouye for his helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Statistical Analysis of Adhesive Bond Parameters in a Single Lap Joint System

The design and sizing of adhesives used for bonding of two or more similar/dissimilar materials in aerospace and automobile structural engineering studies have always been important. A vast number of studies have reported via experimental, numerical, and analytical methods of lap joint system with adhesive bonding. Optimization studies of the adhesives used in joints are highly necessary which can be done either with numerical or experimental data in determining the suitable parameters for the specified solution through the design of experiments analysis. In this study, a single lap joint with different variables has been modelled and the resulting stress was measured in each case. A standard two-dimensional plane stress element was used for modelling of single lap joint stress elements. Furthermore, a statistical analysis method was used to optimize the selected parameters for the improvement of current solutions with suitable parameters. The results showed that the response values of stresses were influenced by input parametric variables which control the stresses and reduces the risk of damage to the adhesive bonds used in the joints. Moreover, based on the present optimization results it has been found that the thick adhesive bond will result in higher shear stress transfer with less width and suitable for the lower applied voltage