Reducing the Risk of Pesticide Residues in the Groundwater: A Case Study of Punjab

The objective of this study was to reduce the risks of pesticide residues in groundwater, through the use of Good Agriculture Practices (Gaps) the data (primary) were collected with the help of two pretested questionnaires. SQC (Statistical Quality Control) tools and Hazard Identification Based System were used on data, for the determination of the risk from different activities, related to pesticide usage. It was observed that induction of risk assessment and the principle of quality management at an early stage of the food supply chain which would increase the efficiency of farming and also decreased the different types of hazards, related to the agricultural activit

Reducing the Risk of Pesticide Residues in the Groundwater: A Case Study of Punjab

The objective of this study was to reduce the risks of pesticide residues in groundwater, through the use of Good Agriculture Practices (Gaps) the data (primary) were collected with the help of two pretested questionnaires. SQC (Statistical Quality Control) tools and Hazard Identification Based System were used on data, for the determination of the risk from different activities, related to pesticide usage. It was observed that induction of risk assessment and the principle of quality management at an early stage of the food supply chain which would increase the efficiency of farming and also decreased the different types of hazards, related to the agricultural activit

Laplace Transform of Products of Bessel Functions: A Visitation of Earlier Formulas

This note deals with the Laplace transforms of integrands of the form ${x^\lambda }{J_\alpha }\left( {ax} \right){J_\beta }\left( {bx} \right)$, which are found in numerous fields of application. Specifically, we provide herein both a correction and a supplement to the list of integrals given in 1997 by Hanson and Puja, who in turn extended the formulas of Eason, Noble and Sneddon of 1956. The paper concludes with an extensive tabulation for particular cases and range of parameters

Etiology, clinical, radiological, and microbiological profile of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis at a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan

Objectives: To identify the etiology of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB), to assess the clinical presentation, radiological findings, and microbiological profile of patients presenting with a diagnosis of bronchiectasis in a tertiary care center of Pakistan.Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study where patients with a diagnosis of bronchiectasis proven by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) were evaluated for etiology, clinical characteristics, microbiology, radiology, spirometric profile, and in-hospital outcomes.Results: During the study period, 196 patients were diagnosed with NCFB. The majority of the patients were men 76.5% (n = 150) and 83.6% (n = 163) of the total patients were younger than 60 years of age. The majority of these patients (58.7%, n = 111) had a duration of symptoms between 5-10 years. The etiology of bronchiectasis was identified in 92.9% of cases. Post-infectious bronchiectasis was the most common cause (67.8%, n = 133), followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (9.2%, n = 18), and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) (7.1%, n = 14). Among the post infectious causes, a history of TB was present in 85% (n = 114/133) of patients. Obstructive impairment was the most common spirometric pattern, observed in 68.9% (n = 135) of patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most commonly isolated organism (36.2%, n = 71). Hemoptysis was the most frequent complication found in 20.9% of patients (n = 41). Out of these 196 patients, 94.4% (n = 185) received medical management and were discharged from the hospital. Respiratory failure was significantly associated with the Pseudomonas group as compared to non-pseudomonas group [(n = 21 (29%) vs n = 18 (14.4%) p = 0.01]. During hospitalization seven patients (3.6%) were died because of respiratory failure.Conclusions: Post TB bronchiectasis was the leading cause of non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis in this cohort, with Pseudomonas was the commonest pathogen isolated from the respiratory specimen, which was significantly associated with respiratory failure. On spirometry, obstructive impairment was found in the majority of patients and hemoptysis was the most frequent complication

Can Pakistan Raise More External Debt? A Fiscal Reaction Approach

This study has assessed the role of existing policies in determining the state of debt sus-tainability for the Pakistan economy (1980- June 2019) through fiscal reaction function. This study adds to the literature in two aspects. First, a policy index has been constructed to formu-late a debt-policy interactive term that implies whether or not existing macroeconomic policies contribute in making external debt sustainable in Pakistan. Second, this study has gauged the potential sustainable external debt through in-sample forecast method. The estimated results obtained by the ARDL method show that Pakistan has just entered into a phase of unsustainable debt burden in the long run as fiscal reaction analysis exhibits the weak significant negative relationship between primary balance and external debt to GDP ratio. Moreover, existing mac-roeconomic policies also show a negative association with the primary balance that implies the ineffectiveness of policies in making external debt sustainable for Pakistan. This study suggests that an increase in foreign inflows through remittances or export earnings may improve the debt sustainability state in Pakista

Glycosylate Derivatives of Mithramycin, Method of Preparation and Uses Thereof

The present invention provides compounds characterized by the formula (I), where each of the substituent radicals is described in the specification. The invention also describes the use of said compounds in the treatment of various diseases, including: cancer or tumoral processes in general, Paget\u27s disease, hypercalcaemia, hypercalciuria and neurological diseases (inter alia, Parkinson\u27s, Alzheimer\u27s, Huntington\u27s)

Chronology of Early to Mid-Pleistocene sediments in the northern North Sea: New evidence from amino acid and strontium isotope analyses

Sediments deposited during glacial-interglacial cycles through the Early to Mid-Pleistocene in the North Sea are chronologically poorly constrained. To contribute to the chronology of these units, amino acid racemization (AAR) and strontium (Sr) isotope analyses have been performed on samples from four shallow borings and one oil well along a transect in the northern North Sea. D/L Asp (aspartic acid) values obtained through reverse-phase liquid chromatography in the benthic foraminiferal species Elphidium excavatum is focused on because of consistent results and a good stratigraphic distribution of this benthic species. For the Early Pleistocene, an age model for the well 16/1–8, from the central part of the northern North Sea based on Sr ages allows for dating of the prograding wedges filling the pre-Quaternary central basin. A regional calibration curve for the racemization of Asp in Elphidium excavatum is developed using published ages of radiocarbon-dated samples and samples associated with the previously identified Bruhnes/Matuyama (B/M) paleomagnetic boundary and a Sr age from this study. Based on all the available geochronological evidence, samples were assigned to marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) with uncertainties on the order of 10–70 ka. Sr ages suggest a hiatus of <2 million years (Ma) possibly due to non-deposition or low sedimentation between the Utsira Formation (Pliocene) and the Early Pleistocene. An increase in sedimentation rates around 1.5 ± 0.07 Ma (∼MIS 51) may partly be due to sediment supply from rivers from the south-east and partly due to the extension of ice sheet around 1.36 ± 0.07 Ma from the Norwegian coast to the central North Sea. A possible basin-wide glaciation occurred around 1.1 Ma (∼ MIS 32) (upper regional unconformity/top of unit Q4 in this study), resulting in erosion and regional unconformity. Two interglacials in the Norwegian Channel have been dated: the Radøy Interglacial to 1.07 ± 0.01 Ma (possibly MIS 31, the ‘super interglacial’), and the Norwegian Trench Interglacial to 0.50 ± 0.02 Ma (possibly MIS 13). A massive till unit identified at the same stratigraphic level in all shallow borings may partly represent an extensive MIS 12 glaciation. This study shows that the combined use of amino acid racemization data and Sr isotope chronology can refine the chronological ambiguities of Quaternary North Sea sediments related partly to the impact of glacial processes.publishedVersio

Assessment of hospital pharmacists' clinical knowledge and practical skill levels for pharmaceutical care in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To evaluate hospital pharmacists’ clinical knowledge and practical skill levels for pharmaceutical care.Methods: A quasi-experimental prospective longitudinal study design was used to evaluate the level of clinical skills with problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. Pharmacists’ in three different government hospitals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia recorded their responses or assessments in their work manuals for preparing reports. Instructors encouraged interactive learning by presenting case studies, in which pharmacists had to interpret medical history and clinical assessments of various body systems. Course learning design also focused on drug use evaluation, monitoring plans, and reaching clinical evidencebased decision-making.Results: A total of two hundred and fifty-five (255) hospital pharmacists participated in the study. The study sample was comprised of 128 (50.9 %) males and 127 (49.1 %) females. A significant (p &lt; 0.01) difference was noticed between genders (male: 47.91 ± 7.15, female: 50.31 ± 4.88) for total mean scores of clinical skills. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for case data recitation was 0.91, while clinical assessment skills coefficient was 0.89. Overall, pharmacists reported that they “agree” (4.01 ± 0.67) that they acquired the ability to use case data recitation taught in the PBL; they also reported a positive evaluation (4.48 ± 0.58) of their ability to perform clinical data assessment.Conclusion: The findings indicate that pharmacist’s self-confidence to perform clinical assessment activities is low. Lack of confidence remains a critical education issue among pharmacists in the study setting.Keywords: Clinical pharmacy, Problem-based learning, Clinical skills, Pharmacist focus group, Therapeutics, Pharmaceutical car

Enhancement of aerodynamic performance of high speed train through nose profile design: A computational fluid dynamics approach

Aerodynamic drag of fast-moving train has significant impact on its fuel consumption and design safety. To improve aerodynamic performance, the drag forces on the train surfaces must be reduced. Train’s front-end nose design has boundless geometrical variations that can be applied for improved performance. Three geometric characteristics were used in present research: A-pillar roundness, nose length that controls its shrinking, and nose bluntness. Latin-Hypercube based random sampling method was used to determine appropriate values of these parameters for specific range. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a numerical approach was used to analyze train aerodynamic performance based on selected factors and operating conditions. Comparisons based on analysis of the base design and proposed design models were made and evaluated for enhanced performance. CFD analysis of the base design and iterative improvements in modified designs indicate drag reduction through change in A-pillar roundness and bluntness of nose to be 10% and 22%, respectively. The increase in nose length which controls nose shrinkage causes the drag to increase by 35%. Similarly, the boundary layer and pressure distribution on the front end of train were also considered and analyzed for performance improvement. It was concluded that the length controlling nose shrinkage of proposed train design is the key factor among the selected geometric parameters that has more influence on drag on high-speed train surface in comparison to other parameters considered. This research effort offers a modification, analysis and comparison of front-end nose geometry of high-speed train to improve aerodynamic performance and consequently fuel consumption