Evaluating the Effects of Textural Properties on the Strength Parameters of Marbles from North-Western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Marble is globally used as a natural stone for decorative and architectural purposes. Primary utilization of marble is as building and dimension stones. Mechanical properties and aesthetic aspects are major characteristics of marble and decisive factors for its selection and utilization. It is therefore imperative to evaluate the key strength properties i.e. Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and Uniaxial Tensile Strength (UTS) of marble before its utilization. These key strength parameters are dependent on textural features of marble. Present study investigates the effect of two key textural features i.e. grain size and grain shape on two key strength parameters i.e. UCS and UTS of marble samples taken from three different regions i.e. Buner, Chitral and Swat in the north western part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Correlation and regression analysis between these textural properties and strength parameters revealed that prominent textural features of grain size and shape can be used as a quick indicator for assessment of strength parameters and as guideline for appropriate utilization of marble

Study of anti-diabetic, beta-carotene-bleaching inhibiting and iron chelating properties of Carissa opaca root extracts

Degenerative diseases diabetes and oxidative stress constitute a major health concern worldwide. Medicinal plants are expected to provide effective and affordable remedies. The present research explored antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of extracts of Carissa opaca roots. Methanolic extract (ME) was prepared through maceration. Its fractions were obtained, sequentially, in hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. An aqueous decoction (AD) of the finely ground roots was obtained by boiling in distilled water. The leftover biomass with methanol was boiled in water to obtain biomass aqueous decoction (BAD). The extracts and fractions showed considerable porcine pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory activity with IC50 in the range of 5.38-7.12 mg/mL while acarbose had 0.31 mg/mL. The iron chelating activity in terms of EC50 was 0.2939, 0.3429, 0.1876, and 0.1099 mg/mL for AD, BAD, ME, and EDTA, respectively. The EC50 of beta-carotene bleaching activity for AD, BAD, ME, and standard BHA were 4.10, 4.71, 3.48, and 2.79 mg/mL, respectively. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of AD and BAD were also considerable. In general, ethyl acetate fraction proved to be the most potent. Thus, the C. opaca roots had excellent antioxidant activity while having moderate α-amylase inhibitory potential

A Commentary on Telerehabilitation Services in Pakistan: Current Trends and Future Possibilities

A 2014 World Health Organization (WHO) study reported that almost 27 million people with disability live in Pakistan with fewer than one allied rehabilitation professional per 10,000 people. The current study sought to determine the attitudes toward telerehabilitation via a survey administered to 329 Pakistani rehabilitation professionals. Study results indicate that rehabilitation professionals in Pakistan are knowledgeable about telerehabilitation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and are receptive to employing telerehabilitation programs and applications. Therefore, we can infer that the future of telerehabilitation can be bright in Pakistan but requires the attention of policy makers and non-government organizations to launch an appropriate program nationwide. The authors suggest that a range of telerehabilitation services (e.g., consultation, assessment, and therapy) could alleviate the shortage of rehabilitation personnel in Pakistan

The evaluation of coated granules to mask the bitter taste of dihydroartemisinin

The purpose of this study was to mask the bitter taste imparted by dihydroartemisinin (DHA) by the use of different coating materials. Trial-1 and trial-2 were conducted to prepare the DHA granules. The granules produced from trial-1 were irregular in shape and smaller in size while the trial-2 granules were more regular and larger in size. The granules obtained from both trials were then coated with two different coating methods, namely A and B, depending upon coating material. The trial-2 granules showed better flow properties than trial-1 granules. In vitro dissolution studies in phosphate buffer at pH 6.8 revealed that granules of trial-2B released only 34% ± 3 DHA in two minutes compared with trial-1A (57% ± 2), trial-1B (48% ± 2) and trial-2A (53% ± 7). The pleasant taste perception (PTP) test also confirmed the taste masking efficacy of trial-2B (P < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the more regular and smooth surface of trial-2B granules. In addition, the differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA) confirmed no interaction between the materials and pure DHA. DHA has shown its characteristic peaks in the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns which were also prominent in all the granules. In conclusion, the granules obtained from trial-2B displayed considerable decrease in the bitter taste of DHA thereby fulfilling the purpose of this study.O objetivo deste estudo foi o de mascarar o gosto amargo característico da diidroartemisinina (DHA) pelo uso de diferentes materiais de revestimento. Experimento-1 e experimento-2 foram realizados para preparar grânulos de DHA. Os grânulos produzidos pelo experimento-1 mostraram-se irregulares e menores se comparados aos obtidos pelo experimento-2, que foram mais regulares e maiores. Os grânulos obtidos em ambos os experimentos foram, então, revestidos por dois métodos distintos de revestimento, designados como A e B, dependendo do material de revestimento empregado. Os grânulos do experimento-2 mostraram melhor propriedade de fluxo que os obtidos no experimento-1. Estudos de dissolução in vitro em tampão fosfato pH 6,8 revelaram que grânulos do experimento-2B liberaram apenas 34% ± 3 da DHA em dois minutos se comparado com experimento-1A (57% ± 2), experimento-1B (48% ± 2) e experimento-2A (53% ± 7). A Análise Sensorial quanto ao sabor (Pleasant Taste Perception - PTP) também confirmou a eficácia do experimento-2B (

A new simplified and robust Surface Reflectance Estimation Method (SREM) for use over diverse land surfaces using multi-sensor data

Surface reflectance (SR) estimation is the most critical pre-processing step for deriving geophysical parameters in multi-sensor remote sensing. Most state-of-the-art SR estimation methods, such as the vector version of the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6SV) Radiative Transfer (RT) model, depend on accurate information on aerosol and atmospheric gases. In this study, a Simplified and Robust Surface Reflectance Estimation Method (SREM) based on the equations from 6SV RT model, without integrating information of aerosol particles and atmospheric gasses, is proposed and tested using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data from 2000 to 2018. For evaluation purposes, (i) the SREM SR retrievals are validated against in-situ SR measurements collected by Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) for the South Dakota State University (SDSU) site, USA (ii) cross-comparison between the SREM and Landsat spectral SR products, i.e., Landsat Ecosystem Disturbance Adaptive Processing System (LEDAPS) and Landsat 8 Surface Reflectance Code (LaSRC), are conducted over 11 urban (2013-2018), 13 vegetated (2013-2018), and 11 desert/arid (2000 to 2018) sites located over different climatic zones at global scale, (iii) the performance of the SREM spectral SR retrievals for low to high aerosol loadings is evaluated, (iv) spatio-temporal cross-comparison is conducted for six Landsat paths/rows located in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the USA from 2013 to 2018 to consider a large variety of land surfaces and atmospheric conditions, (v) cross-comparison is also performed for the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) calculated from both the SREM and Landsat SR data, (vi) the SREM is also applied to the Sentinel-2A and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data to explore its applicability, and (vii) errors in the SR retrievals are reported using the Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Squared Deviation (RMSD) and Mean Systematic Error (MSE). Results depict significant and strong positive Pearson’s correlation (r), small MBE, RMSD, and MSE for each spectral band against in-situ ASD data and Landsat (LEDAPS and LaSRC) SR products. Consistency in SREM performance against Sentinel-2A (r = 0.994, MBE = - 0.009, and RMSD = 0.014) and MODIS (r = 0.925, MBE = 0.007, and RMSD = 0.014) data suggests that SREM can be applied to other multispectral satellites data. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential and promise of SREM for use over diverse surfaces and under varying atmospheric conditions using multi-sensor data on a global scale

Spatio-temporal characteristics of PM\u3csub\u3e2.5\u3c/sub\u3e, PM\u3csub\u3e10\u3c/sub\u3e, and AOD over the central line project of China’s South-NorthWater diversion in Henan Province (China)

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The spatio-temporal characteristics of particulate matter with a particle size less than or equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5), particulate matter with a particle size less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10), meteorological parameters from September 2018 to September 2019, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) aerosol optical depth (AOD) from 2007 to 2019 were investigated over the Central Line Project of China’s South-North Water Diversion (CSNWD) in Henan Province. To better understand the characteristics of the atmospheric environment over the CSNWD, air quality monitoring stations were installed in Nanyang (in the upper reaches), Zhengzhou (in the middle reaches), and Anyang (in the lower reaches). In this study, daily, monthly, and seasonal statistical analyses of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were performed and their relationship with meteorological parameters was investigated. The results show extremely poor air quality conditions over the Zhengzhou Station compared with the Nanyang and Anyang Stations. The annual average PM2.5 concentration did not meet China’s ambient air secondary standard (35 µg/m3 annual mean) over all the stations, while the annual average PM10 concentration satisfied China’s ambient air secondary standard (100 µg/m3 annual mean) over the Anyang and Nanyang Stations, except for the Zhengzhou Station. The highest PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were observed during winter compared with the other seasons. The results show that PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were negatively correlated with wind speed and temperature at the Nanyang and Zhengzhou Stations, but positively correlated with relative humidity. However, no significant negative or positive correlation was observed at Anyang Station. There is a strong linear positive correlation between PM2.5 and PM10 (R = 0.99), which indicates that the particulate matter at the three stations was mainly caused by local emissions. Additionally, the AOD values at the three stations were the highest in summer, which may be related to the residues of crops burned in Henan Province in summer