54 Physiochemical Analysis of Fresh Water Sources in District Bhimber, Azad Jammu Kashmir

The present study investigates the physiochemical parameters of drinking water quality in district Bhimber of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The drinking water supplies in the area come from four main sources, streams, springs, hand pumps and boreholes. A total of seventy one (71) samples from all four water sources were taken for determination of physiochemical parameters. The results show considerable variation in water quality parameters of different water sources. However, the data analyses indicate that physiochemical parameters of water samples are well within the permissible limits of drinking water quality. Stream water samples show slightly higher pH values, while two samples from hand-pump have shown marginally higher content of TDS. The mean values of dissolved oxygen in borehole and hand-pump water samples are also slightly below the water quality standard limits. The correlation studies show that pH has a strong negative correlation with calcium and positive relation with sodium in water samples of all four sources. Similarly, the dissolved oxygen has shown negative relationship with temperature and a weak to moderate positive relationship with pH of water. No evidence of pollution and industrial contamination of water was found. The study found that water from all four sources is safe for drinking purpose

Review Paper on IoT Based Smart Applications, Home Automation

This paper discusses internet of things and their applications in various domains such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail, transportation, etc. It highlights the importance of IoT technology in enabling devices and sensors to communicate and exchange data, leading to more efficient and connected systems. The paper explores different applications of IoT, including smart agriculture, smart cities, smart energy, and smart traffic monitoring systems, smart environment, and smart home automation. It also addresses the challenges and problems associated with IoT, such as privacy and security issues, handling big data, connectivity, data transmission, and compatibility. The literature review section examines the development of IoT in smart homes, identifies challenges and hindrances to widespread adoption, and discusses intelligent home automation systems. The survey analysis focuses on the gaps in IoT implementation, including security, interoperability, scalability, data management, ethical concerns, edge computing, and legal/regulatory frameworks. Overall, the paper provides an overview of IoT-based smart applications, their benefits, challenges, and future prospects

Impact Of After Sale Service Characteristics on Customer Satisfaction

Researcher examines the impact of after sale service characteristics on customer satisfaction in home appliance industry of Pakistan. To what extent does characteristics like delivery time, installation of product, warranty time of product, feedback implementations and quality of service provided satisfies customers? In this globalized market, organizations try to differentiate themselves, so they tend to provide value added services to its customers; according their needs and wants. After detail and extensive review of literature researcher found that after sale service is essential in retaining and satisfying customers. Due to limited time, quantitative study is not possible. Practically our study benefitted for the manager of the organization that are mostly related to home appliances, so that they can check the customers trend towards after sale services characteristics i.e. delivery, installation, warranty, service quality and feedback

A Case of Esophageal Squamous Papilloma, an Unusual Cause of Dysphagia and Hematemesis in a Patient with Concurrent Malignancies

Introduction: The oesophageal squamous papilloma (ESP) is a rare cause of dysphagia and hematemesis. The malignant potential of this lesion is uncertain; however, the malignant transformation and concurrent malignancies have been reported in the literature. Case description: We report a case of oesophageal squamous papilloma in a 43-year-old female who had a background diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer and liposarcoma of the left knee. She presented with dysphagia. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy showed a polypoid growth, and its biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Meanwhile, she presented again with hematemesis. A repeat endoscopy showed that the previously seen lesion had likely broken off, leaving behind a residual stalk. This was snared and removed. The patient remained asymptomatic, and a follow-up upper GI endoscopy at six months did not show any recurrence. Practical implications: To our knowledge, this is the first case of ESP in a patient with two concurrent malignancies. Moreover, the diagnosis of ESP should also be considered when presenting with dysphagia or hematemesis

Biosafety risk assessment approaches for insect-resistant genetically modified crops

Background: Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is imperative for commercial release of insect resistant, genetically modified crops (IR-GMCs).An insect specific, spider venom peptideω-HXTX-Hv1a (Hvt) was successfully expressed in cotton plants. The cotton plants producing Hvt protein have demonstrated resistance against economically important insect pest species. The study was performed to assess the effects of Hvt producing cotton plants on Honey bees (Apis mellifera).Methods: Three approaches were used to evaluate the effects of Hvt protein on adults of honeybees; whole plant assays in flight cages, in vitro assays with pollen of Hvt-cotton, and assays with elevated levels of purified Hvt protein. Pollens of Bt cotton or purified Bt proteins were used as control.Results: The field experiments did not yield any meaningful data due to high rate of mortality in all treatments including the control. However, the laboratory experiments provided conclusive results in which Hvt, purified or in pollens, did not affect the survival or longevity of the bees compared to the control. During the course of study we were able to compare the quality, effectiveness and economics of different experiments. Conclusions: We conclude that Hvt either purified or produced in cotton plants do not affect the survival or longevity of honey bees. We are also of the view that starting at laboratory level assays not only gives meaningful data but also saves a lot of time and money that can be spent on other important questions regarding safety of a particular transgenic crop. Hence, a purpose-based, tiered approach could be the best choice for pre-release ERA of IR-GMCs.

Transport infrastructure environmental performance: the role of stakeholders, technological integration, government policies and lean supply chain management

The recent past is characterized by heightened environmental awareness, enhancing the environmental performance of transportation infrastructure was of utmost importance. The central purpose of this study was to delve into and comprehend methods for improving the environmental performance of transportation infrastructure. It aimed to investigate three pivotal factors: engagement of stakeholders, integration of technology and formulation of government policies. Furthermore, the study emphasized exploring how Lean Supply Chain Management could act as a facilitator in accomplishing these enhancements. The study’s approach involved a mediation analysis, utilizing quantitative methods to collect data from 89 construction firms operating in Pakistan. The customized questionnaire was employed to gather the necessary data, and employed random sampling techniques to select participants. The hypotheses were tested through partial least squares (PLS 4) analysis. The findings of this study highlighted that stakeholder, including government entities, private enterprises, and local communities, significantly shape the environmental outcomes of transport projects. It explored how technological integration influences environmental performance and assesses the effectiveness of current government policies in promoting sustainability. The study also examined the role of lean supply chain management practices. Implications stressed the importance of stakeholder collaboration, the integration of innovative technologies and policies, refining regulations for sustainability goals and adopting a holistic approach for enhancing overall environmental performance in the transport sector

Rational Use of Antibiotics and Requisition of Pharmacist

ABSTRACT Background: Direct consequence of microbes developing resistance against antibiotics is prolonged hospitalization, increased treatment cost and duration. Increased duration of hospitalization causes prolonged use antibiotics which results towards side effects. Primary Study Objective: The purpose of antibiotics use is either to kill the microbes (bactericidal) or slows down their growth (bacteriostatic). Irrational use of antibiotics makes them do their exact opposite. Instead of killing microbes or slowing down their growth, it allows microbes to develop resistance against antibiotics. Methods/Design: An observational concurrent study was performed in which data was collected. Individuals were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Percentage of rationality and irrationality of antibiotics use was observed. Additionally percentage of prescribed class of antibiotics was also observed in patients. Setting: Health care system includes: Quaid e Azam International Hospital Islamabad, Benazir Hospital Rawalpindi, CMH Rawalakot AJK, Amna Hospital Rawalakot AJK, DHQ Kotli AJK Pakistan. Participants: This study was conducted on 100 patients of different health care systems, to whom antibiotics were prescribed. Most patients interviewed were female with UTI aged above 30 and adults male with RTI or chest infection. Intervention: Different patients were interviewed in different hospital settings to evaluate the rational use of antibiotics Primary Outcome Measures: Rational use of antibiotics is using antibiotics according to the guidelines provided by WHO. Major guidelines include:  patient receives medication according to their clinical needs, dosage appropriate to the individual requirements and for specific duration of time with low cost. Results: 47 percent of these patients were using antibiotics rationally and 53 percent were taking antibiotics medication irrationally. The most prevalent form of irrational use was patients without counseling about the antibiotics use. Patients with poor knowledge about the use of antibiotics were 84 among the 100. Irrational use of antibiotics in the form of pre-mature discontinuation was reported 56 patients among the 100. Patient who irrationally use antibiotics as OTC or Self medications were 38 among the 100. Conclusion: Major form of irrationality found in the study was no proper counseling provided to the patients by specialist physician or Pharmacists. The reason we critically observed for this is the burden of patients on physicians due to which they are not able to properly guide patients. The community on which this study was conducted has a major absence of pharmacist. Dispensers and pharmacy technicians are performing pharmacist’s tasks. Absence of pharmacist leads to dosage dispensing errors, lack of professional medical counseling, and no drug utilization revie

Student counseling: adding value to educational institution

Quality of education has always remained an issue for the educational researchers. It is widely believed that quality of education in Sub-Continent is below the international standards. To find out how educational institutions are adding value towards the knowledge, skills, market value and moral upbringing of students and how much students are satisfied with the environment of educational system and the quality of education they receive.Using this information, how a student counseler can benefit the student as well the organization to add value in the education process. This is a case study where a Govt. Intermediate College was selected for interviews and document analysis purpose. Findings based on general perception of the respondents, All the respondents have matriculated from Public School. The findings showed that students were really concerned about the poor discipline of their schools and generally they were not satisfied with the commitment and capability of their teachers. However, they admitted that school contributed towards their grooming and personality building

Ultra-compact reconfigurable band reject uwb MIMO antenna with four radiators

A compact reconfigurable UWB MIMO antenna with four radiators that accomplish on-demand band rejection from 4.9 to 6.3 GHz is presented. An LC stub is connected to the ground plane by activating the PIN diode for each radiator. Two radiators are placed perpendicular to each other to exploit the polarization diversity on a compact 25 × 50 mm 2 FR4 laminate. Two additional radiators are then fixed obliquely on the same laminate (without increasing size) in angular configuration at ±45° perpendicular to the first two planar radiators still exploiting polarization diversity. The design is validated by prototyping and comparing the results with the simulated ones. On demand band rejection through the use of PIN diodes, wide impedance matching (2–12 GHz), high isolation amongst the radiators, compactness achieved by angular placement of the radiators, low gain variation over the entire bandwidth, band rejection control achieved by adjusting the gap between stub and ground plane, and low TARC values makes the proposed design very suitable for commercial handheld devices (i.e., Huawei E5785 and Netgear 815S housings). The proposed configuration of the UWB MIMO radiators has been investigated first time as per authors’ knowledge. ©2020 keywords: band rejected; envelope correlation co-efficient; four element MIMO; polarization diversity; ultra-wideband multiple input multiple outputEU H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship ViSionRF (grant no. 840854)COMSATS Research Grant Program (project no. 16-63/CGRP/CUI/ISB/18/847

THYROIDISM EFFECT ON ALOPECIA PATIENTS IN PAKISTAN

TSH is a hormone that is secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and stimulates the secretions of the thyroid gland. Its secretions are controlled by the TSH-R on the epithelial cells of the thyroid gland. It controls the production of the thyroxin hormone from the thyroid gland that is involved in the production of heat and energy. But the excessive amount of this hormone leads to the hair fall in some of the peoples. Hyperthyroidism correlates with the human skin and hair structure and its function. In the case of hyperthyroidism hair bulb cell proliferation increases and hence hair fall rate also increases. While in the case of hypothyroidism the bulb cell proliferation reduces and so, hair fall increases. Samples from different regions of the south Punjab were taken that were analyzed by the special chemistry analyzer (minividas). The concentrations of the T4, T3, and TSH were measured. Some of the alopecia patients were recorded high-level TSH. The patients were treated with thyroxin tablets that reduce TSH level. After that, the patients are also treated with hair fin tab, folli one shampoo, wistin tab, and multivitamins. Now the patients were observed with a microscope. The growth of hair follicles and hairs was recorded. Hence, the thyroxin tab uses to decrease the TSH level in the body for 1 month. Hair fin tab, folli one shampoo, wistin tab, and multivitamins are the best treatment methods for the growth of hairs in alopecia patients