Impact of tire and traffic parameters on water pressure in pavement

It is generally believed that, irrespective of pavement type, the water on the pavement surface, water buildup in the internal voids, and water pressure through cracks due to traffic action play a significant role in the functional and structural failure of the pavement. Although extensive studies on water-related material degradation have been conducted in the last 50 years, research on measuring water pressure due to dynamic action of load and its impact on pavement performance is very limited. The influence of tire characteristics on asphalt surfaces is also very limited. This study attempts to address the impact of water and tire parameters in the pavement subjected to dynamic loading. The idealized pavement consists of a 100-mm concrete slab with a 2-mm continuous fissure. The concrete pavement was overlaid with a 20-mm semipermeable asphalt surface to evaluate the influence of asphalt surfaces on the water pressure. The slabs were submerged with 2- and 4-mm water and were subjected to 5- and 10-kN loads applied at 1, 5, 10, and 15 Hz. The loading plate was designed to simulate new and partly worn tires with a square and a square with a channel pattern with up to 8-mm thickness to represent tread characteristics. It was found that dynamic water pressure increases significantly when high-frequency loading is combined with a square type of tread, and water is trapped inside the groove, which generates pumping action. The water pressure also increases with thread thickness. Load magnitude and depth of surface water have a marginal impact on the water pressure in the pavement

Standardization of Anaesthesia Ready Time and reasons of delay in induction of anaesthesia

Objective: Anaesthesia-Ready Time (ART) is the time taken by the anaesthetist to provide sufficient anaesthetic depth for start of surgery. Our aim was to set benchmark timings for ART and compare it with our current practice.Methods: Benchmark ART time of 15 minutes was set for American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I and II patients, 30 minutes for ASA III and IV patients, 20 minutes for spinal and 30 minutes for epidural anaesthesia. An additional 15 minutes was added for each invasive procedure.Results: Three hundred elective cases were audited. Seventy eight percent of the cases were within benchmark timings. The main causes of delay included undergraduate students performing procedures (24.6%), teaching invasive lines to postgraduates (21.3%) and paediatric patients (16.4%).CONCLUSION: The introduction of benchmark timings and its regular auditing can help standardize operating room booking time and reducing patient cost

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio as a measure of systemic inflammation in prevalent chronic diseases in Asian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Preliminary evidence has suggested the role of inflammation in development and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Most of the prognostic studies failed to account for the effects of co-morbid conditions as these might have raised the systemic inflammation. We used neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a measure of systemic inflammation and investigated its association with prevalent chronic conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Present study is a cross sectional study conducted on population of Karachi, Pakistan. A detailed questionnaire about the demographic details of all subjects was filled and an informed consent obtained for blood sampling. Multinomial regression analyses were carried out to investigate the relationship between NLR and prevalent chronic conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>1070 apparently healthy individuals participated in the study. Proportion of individuals with hypertension was higher in middle and highest tertile of NLR as compared to the lowest tertile (18.2% & 16.1% compared to 11.8%). Individuals with hypertension were 43% (RRR = 1.43, 95% CI 0.94-2.20) and 66% (RRR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.09-2.54) more likely to be in the middle and highest tertile of NLR respectively compared to the baseline group. Similarly, individuals with diabetes mellitus were 53% (RRR = 1.53, 95% CI 0.93-2.51) and 65% (RRR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.01-2.71) more likely to be in the middle or highest tertile of NLR as compared to the baseline NLR group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Systemic inflammation measured by NLR has a significant association with prevalent chronic conditions. Future research is needed to investigate this relationship with longitudinal data to establish the temporal association between these variables.</p

Categorization of Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency on the Basis of Enzyme Activity and its Clinico Haematological Correlation

Objective: To categorize glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency based on enzyme activity and its clinical haematological correlation. Methodology: This Cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Haematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, from February 2022 to August 2022. Sampling was done using the nonprobability consecutive sampling technique. Test analysis included a complete blood picture, RBC morphology and reticulocyte count, G6PD quantitative test, and serum bilirubin. Thus, to categorize G6PDD based on its enzyme and clinic-haematological correlation, study included patients of both gender with an age ranging from 0-76 years. Descriptive statistics were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and categorical data were presented as frequency and percentage. Results: Out of 120 study participants, 30 (25%) were females and 90 (75%) were males. The mean age of study participants was 10.83±12.75. G6PD PCR was detected among participants having G6PD deficiency level &lt;1 U/g Hb and between 2-3 U/gm Hb. Hb levels below 8g/dL were found only in individuals with G6PD deficiency levels &lt;1 U/gm Hb. Conclusion: GDPD deficiency can be diagnosed by blood analysis comprising of complete blood count and RBC morphology aided by clinical correlation. The signs and symptoms increase in severity with a decline in GDPD enzyme function along with blood haemoglobin levels

Brand Consciousness, Brand Loyalty, Consumer Satisfaction and Buying Behavior of Teenagers for Apparel and Clothing

This research has been designed with the goal of examining relationship among brand consciousness, brand loyalty, buying behavior and consumer satisfaction of teenagers towards clothing and apparel. This is hypothesized that brand consciousness, brand loyalty, buying behavior are likely to be significant predictors of consumer satisfaction. The sample comprised of n-200 young students enrolled in different public and private sector colleges of Lahore and Sahiwal. The measures comprised of Brand Consciousness Questionnaire, Brand Loyalty Questionnaire, Buying Behavior Scale, and Consumer Satisfaction Scale. The data was analyzed through SPSS version 21.00. The findings revealed that brand loyalty is positively and significantly correlated with brand consciousness, purchasing conduct and customer fulfillment. Brand cognizance and purchasing conduct are strong and positive predictors of brand loyalty resulting in increased consumer satisfaction. Both the genders are equally affected by brand consciousness, brand loyalty except for buying behavior. Keywords: Brand consciousness, Brand loyalty, Buying behavior, Consumer satisfactio

Measuring socio-economic status of an urban squatter settlement in Pakistan using WAMI index

Objective: To determine the socio-economic status of a peri-urban community.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Deh Chuhar village, Gaddap Town, Karachi from December 2015 to February 2016. The Water/Sanitation, Assets, Maternal Education and Income Index was used. All variables were given a score on the scale of 0-8. The resulting index was illustrated in the form of quintiles.Results: : A total of 254 households were surveyed. Total population was 2117 with mean number of household members being 8±4. Mean index score was 0.39±0.14 and the median score was 0.375. Percentile distribution of the score indicated that 152(60%) households scored below 0.40 whereas, 51 (20%) were in the highest quintile with a score above 0.50.Conclusions: Water/Sanitation, Assets, Maternal Education and Income index suggested poor socio-economic status of the community studied

Advice from the Scientific Advisory Board of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on riot control agents in connection to the Chemical Weapons Convention

Compounds that cause powerful sensory irritation to humans were reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in response to requests in 2014 and 2017 by the OPCW Director-General to advise which riot control agents (RCAs) might be subject to declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention (the Convention). The chemical and toxicological properties of 60 chemicals identified from a survey by the OPCW of RCAs that had been researched or were available for purchase, and additional chemicals recognised by the SAB as having potential RCA applications, were considered. Only 17 of the 60 chemicals met the definition of a RCA under the Convention. These findings were provided to the States Parties of the Convention to inform the implementation of obligations pertaining to RCAs under this international chemical disarmament and non-proliferation treaty.Peer reviewe

A comparative absorption study of sucrosomial® orodispersible vitamin D3 supplementation vs. a reference chewable tablet and soft gel capsule vitamin D3 in improving circulatory 25(OH)D levels in healthy adults with vitamin D deficiency—Results from a prospective randomized clinical trial

BackgroundVitamin D (Vit D) deficiency (VDD), associated with diverse health conditions, is commonly treated with Vit D3 supplements. However, the gastrointestinal (GI) absorption of Vit D3 in different formulations has not been well studied.ObjectiveWe aimed to compare the absorption of an innovative phospholipids-sucrester matrix biodelivery vehicle-based (sucrosomial®) orodispersible Vit D3 preparation against a reference chewable tablet and soft gel capsule (SGC) Vit D3 formulations in Vit D-deficient healthy adults.MethodsIn study 1, 25 subjects were randomized to receive a weekly single dose of 200,000 IU of sucrosomial® Vit D3 (n = 12) or chewable tablet Vit D3 (n = 13) for 3 weeks. In study 2, 20 subjects were randomized to receive a single dose of 200,000 IU every other week of sucrosomial® Vit D3 (n = 10) or SGC Vit D3 (n = 10) for 6 weeks. Circulatory 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels were reassessed after 2, 3, and 6 weeks in study 1 and after 4 and 6 weeks in study 2.ResultsIn study 1, after 2 weeks, circulatory 25(OH)D levels increased significantly in both Vit D3 treatment groups (p &lt; 0.0001) but improved markedly in the sucrosomial® Vit D3 group, with no further considerable change after 3 and 6 weeks in both groups. Overall, at all three follow-ups, sucrosomial® Vit D3 treatment achieved significantly higher and sustained 25(OH)D levels (p &lt; 0.001). In study 2, after 4 weeks, both Vit D3 treatment groups showed significant improvement in circulatory 25(OH)D levels (p &lt; 0.0001) but substantially higher in the sucrosomial® group with statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups (p = 0.02). At the 6-week follow-up, only subjects in the sucrosomial® Vit D3 group showed a further increase in circulatory 25(OH)D levels (p = 0.049), but no further significant changes in the levels of the SGC Vit D3 group (p = 0.062), showing a statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups (p = 0.002). The Vit D3 treatment was well tolerated by all participants, and no treatment-emergent effects or serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionOur results suggest that the sucrosomial® Vit D3 preparation absorbs efficiently in the GI system, achieving adequately higher and sustained circulatory Vit D levels in VDD, and thus can effectively contribute to the body protection against VDD-associated health conditions.Clinical trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT05706259

Study to quantify the combined interaction of tyre and surface water on asphalt surface performance

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonPavement surface failure is a dynamic and complicated process. Irrespective of the pavement type, the water on the pavement surface, the water build-up in the internal voids or the water pressure through cracks due to traffic action plays a significant role in the functional and structural failure of the pavement. Although extensive studies on water related material degradation have been conducted in the last fifty years, research on measuring water pressure due to dynamic action of load and its impact on pavement performance is very limited and disjointed. The goal of this research was to investigate the formation of pavement surface damage in the laboratory environment, due to water pressure. A novel test method was developed to simulate dynamic loading-tyre-water-pavement interaction for the pore water pressure measurement. A custom build loading plate with different tyre characteristics was applied dynamically on submerged pavement surface with narrow pore. The compressed water under the tread pad generates a water pressure pulse in the pavement, and permits surface water to penetrate the pores in the asphalt slabs and creates a pores water pressure. The water pressure under the asphalt slabs was measured using a pressure sensor. It was found that dynamic water pressure increases significantly when high frequency loading combined with square type of tread, and water trapped inside the groove of the tread pad which generates pumping action. The water pressure also increases with thread thickness. Load magnitude and depth of surface water was found to have marginal impact on the water pressure in the pavement. The combination of load magnitude, frequency, tyre parameters that created the highest pore water pressure, was used continuously to create surface damage in order to quantify asphalt surface performance. The influence of asphalt surface type, aggregate size, weather conditions and loading frequency were investigated. The results showed that depending on the type of asphalt surfaces, the presence of water accelerates surface cracking, rutting and other distresses such as ravelling. The cracking propensity was severe in highly open graded mixtures than the gap graded ones. Compared to dry condition testing, the appearance of surface crack was approximately seven times faster in highly open graded mixtures tested in the wet condition. The open graded mixtures demonstrated good rutting resistance compared to gap graded mixtures. In the presence of water, the mixture gradations showed more influence on the load bearing capacity than the size of aggregates. Finally, for same mixture type, it appeared that aggregate size has more influence on the wet condition performance than air void contents in the mixture. The proposed test method showed good potential to be implemented as a screening test for different types of mixes. Finally, two prediction models were developed. The first model was based on Fuzzy Inference System (FIS), a widely employed soft computing technique and the second method was a deterministic technique employing multiple regression analysis. The FIS method provided a set of “if-then” rules. After developing the model, a cross validation technique was employed to evaluate the model accuracy across the dataset. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis to assess the influence of each parameter in asphalt performance was conducted. The FIS model showed promising results to be implemented as a routine prediction model to differentiate the performance of different asphalt surfaces subjected to dynamic loading while submerged in water. The regression model on the other hand showed variability in the prediction and is being suggested to be used as an indicative predictive tool only. Further research is proposed to improve regression model

Risk Factors Of Preterm Birth of Neonates Attended Al- Mukalla Maternity and Childhood Hospital ,Yemen

The preterm birth continues to be the leading cause of prenatal morbidity and mortality. Neonates born preterm are known to have a certain added risk of death, disease, and disability.The aim of the present study is to identify risk factors associated with preterm birthof neonatesinAl-Mukalla Maternity and Childhood Hospital (MCH).Retrospectivecase-control study at a ratio of 1 1 was conducted in the neonatal unit of Pediatric Ward from October 2012 to October 2013, cases and controls data were collected from medical records.A total of 104 cases and 104 controls were included in the study. The results showed severalrisk factorssignificantly associated with preterm birth of neonateswhich are:bad obstetric history (BOH) ,with p value 0 .014, present maternal diseases including hypertension, pre or/and - eclampsia, urinary tract infection and genital infection(p value= 0.003, 0.002, 0.045, 0.002 respectively) as well aspresentof twins and antipartum hemorrhage (p value= 0 .000, 0.028respectively).We Concluded that the most common risk factors of preterm birth of neonate were BOH, Maternal diseases in current pregnancy as well as present of twins and antipartum hemorrhage. It is necessary to improve prenatal care for pregnant women which may decrease the potential of preterm birth of neonates