Cytotoxicity against A549 Human Lung Cancer Cell Line via the Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Nuclear Condensation Effects of Nepeta paulsenii Briq., a Perennial Herb

The genus Nepeta belongs to the largest Lamiaceae family, with 300 species, which are distributed throughout the various regions of Africa, Asia, India, and America. Along with other plant families distinguished by their medicinal and therapeutic values, the Nepeta genus of Lameaceae remains relatively valuable. Hence, the phytochemicals of N. paulsenii Briq. were extracted using different plant parts, i.e., leaves, stem, roots, flowers, and the whole plant by using various solvents (ethanol, water, and ethyl acetate), obtaining 15 fractions. Each extract of dried plant material was analyzed by FT-IR and GC-MS to identify the chemical constituents. The cytotoxicity of each fraction was analyzed by MTT assay and mitochondrial membrane potential and nuclear condensation assays against lung cancer cells. Among the ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts, the flowers showed the best results, with IC50 values of 51.57 μg/mL and 50.58 μg/mL, respectively. In contrast, among the water extracts of the various plant segments, the stem showed the best results, with an IC50 value of 123.80 μg/mL. 5-flourouracil was used as the standard drug, providing an IC50 value of 83.62 μg/mL. The Hoechst 33342 stain results indicated apoptotic features, i.e., chromatin dissolution and broken down, fragmented, and crescent-shaped nuclei. The ethanolic extracts of the flowers showed more pronounced apoptotic effects on the cells. The mitochondrial membrane potential indicated that rhodamine 123 fluorescence signals suppressed mitochondrial potential due to the treatment with the extracts. Again, the apoptotic index of the ethanolic extract of the flowers remained the highest. Hence it can be concluded that the flower part of N. paulsenii Briq. was found to be the most active against the A459 human lung cancer cell line

Malnutrition and poor oral health status are major risks among primary school children at Lasbela, Balochistan, Pakistan

Background: This survey was focusing on health and oral hygiene status of primary school children at Lasbela district considering the comparatively less developed and socio demographically deprived part of the Country. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted to determine the health status of primary school children in seven tehseels of district Lasbela, Balochistan after applying proportionate sampling technique from March 2015 to July 2015. Field teams visited assigned schools to screen children and collect health related data on predesigned and pre coded proforma. Results: Out of 200 schools, 196 schools found opened, while 2% of schools (04) remained closed. A total of 6363 students were clinically screened. About 45% of the school children had normal body mass index (BMI) and rest were falling in different categories of malnutrition. More than 19% had ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems and around 19% presented with clinical anemia. Less than 50% of children had scar of BCG vaccination and 4% informed about use of gutka/supari chewing (smokeless tobacco use). Conclusion: In conclusion, we estimated high prevalence of malnutrition, poor oral health including smokeless tobacco use, and low BCG coverage among primary school children at Lasbela. Current scenario suggests immediate and contextually focused interventions to confine existing public health risks and avoid future burden of disease

Urdu Handwriting Dataset for Demographic Traits Classification

Urdu Handwriting Dataset for Demographic Traits Classification was developed in Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan as a part of the bachelor's degree final year thesis/project. This is a unique dataset which is the first of its kind. The dataset is composed of 1000 unique handwriting images each taken from unique individuals. It can be seen in the title, the handwriting samples are specifically in Urdu Language. Urdu Handwriting Dataset is made for the Classification of Demographic Traits problem due to which it consists of the demographic information of each individual. Following are the demographic traits that are covered in the dataset: Gender (Male, Female) Handedness (Left, Right) Age-Group (15-20,21-30,31-40,41-50,51-up) Province (Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, kpk, gilgit-baltistan, none) Occupation (Student, Employee, Both, None) Education (Primary(Below Matriculation), Matriculation, Intermediate, Bachelors, Masters, PHD, None

The Frequency Control in the islanded Micro Grid by using STATCOM Controllers

When the distribution system is disconnected from the transmission system, the islanded portion of the network comprising DG (Distributed Generation) units forms a MG (Micro Grid). It is essential either to shut down the DG units or ensure the stable and the controlled operation of the islanded MG. The frequency and the voltage of the islanded MG vary when it is isolated from the main transmission grid. The voltage and the frequency of the islanded MG can be controlled to the permissible limits by providing the required amount of the active and reactive power by the local available sources in the MG. The main focus of this paper is about the control of the network frequency in the islanded MG by employing PI controllers based STATCOM (Static Compensator) and BESS-STATCOM (Battery Energy Storage System Equipped) devices. The study is done by using DIgSILENT power factory software version 15.

Impact of Sloshing on Fossil Fuel Loss during Transport

This study attempts to uncover the most common issue of fuel shortage faced by the oil and transportation industry worldwide. In Pakistan, petroleum is transported to the northern areas from the south coast. Currently, this is done using road tankers as a pipeline is still under construction. However, even after the pipeline becomes operative, road tankers would still be used for intra-city transport. Findings from this study can be used to determine the inter-city transport losses faced by oil companies. This study determines the hydrocarbons lost to the environment during inter-city road transport of petroleum. It takes nearly 2–3 days to complete a one-way trip with the fully loaded tank. Much work has been reported worldwide on hydrocarbon emissions, but nearly all of it has been done either for storage tanks/vessels or fuel tanks in rails/cars. The aim of this study was to investigate the actual amount of fuel lost to the environment due to the sloshing of liquid. Also, the results were expected to help in determining the extent of hazardous emissions resulting from road transport of petroleum. Hence, measures could be taken by the concerned authorities to mitigate the emissions if they exceeded the acceptable range. The sloshing was not found to contribute much in terms of vapor loss. Valve location was found to be important as no loss was obtained from the third compartment because the valve is to the right in this chamber. A negligible amount of fuel was lost from the first and second compartments per application of the brakes. Over a whole trip of 2–3 days, if the tanker braked 500 times, a total of 9–10 L would be lost to the environment

Parametric Study and Optimization of End-Milling Operation of AISI 1522H Steel Using Definitive Screening Design and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach

End-milling operation of steel grade material is a challenging task as it is hard-to-cut material. Proper selection of cutting tools, cutting conditions, and cutting process parameters is important to improve productivity, surface quality, and tool life. Therefore, the present study investigated the end-milling operation of AISI 1522H steel grade under minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) conditions using a novel blend of vegetable oils, namely canola and olive oil. Cutting process parameters considered were spindle speed (s), feed rate (f), depth of cut (d), width of cut (w), and cutting conditions (c), while responses were average surface roughness (Ra), cutting forces (Fc), tool wear (TW), and material removal rate (MRR). Experimental runs were designed based on the definitive screening design (DSD) method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results show that feed rate significantly affects all considered responses. Nonlinear prediction models were developed for each response variable, and their validity was also verified. Finally, multi-response optimization was performed using the combinative distance-based assessment (CODAS) method coupled with criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC). The optimized parameters found were: s = 1200 rpm, f = 320 mm/min, d = 0.6 mm, w = 8 mm, and c = 100 mL/h. Further, it was compared with other existing multi-response optimization methods and induced good results

On the Effects of Process Parameters and Optimization of Interlaminate Bond Strength in 3D Printed ABS/CF-PLA Composite

The scope of additive manufacturing, particularly fused deposition modelling (FDM), can indeed be explored with the fabrication of multi-material composite laminates using this technology. Laminar composite structures made up of two distinct materials, namely acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and carbon fiber reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA), were produced using the FDM process. The current study analyzes the effect of various printing parameters on the interfacial bond strength (IFBS) of the ABS/CF-PLA laminar composite by employing response surface methodology. The physical examination of the tested specimens revealed two failure modes, where failure mode 1 possessed high IFBS owing to the phenomenon of material patch transfer. Contrarily, failure mode 2 yielded low IFBS, while no patch transfer was observed. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that printing parameters were highly interactive in nature. After extensive experimentation, it was revealed that good quality of IFBS is attributed to the medium range of printing speed, high infill density, and low layer height. At the same time, a maximum IFBS of 20.5 MPa was achieved. The study presented an empirical relation between printing parameters and IFBS that can help in forecasting IFBS at any given printing parameters. Finally, the optimized printing conditions were also determined with the aim to maximize IFBS

Malnutrition and poor oral health status are major risks among primary school children at Lasbela, Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract Background This survey was focusing on health and oral hygiene status of primary school children at Lasbela district considering the comparatively less developed and socio demographically deprived part of the Country. Methods A cross sectional survey was conducted to determine the health status of primary school children in seven tehseels of district Lasbela, Balochistan after applying proportionate sampling technique from March 2015 to July 2015. Field teams visited assigned schools to screen children and collect health related data on predesigned and pre coded proforma. Results Out of 200 schools, 196 schools found opened, while 2% of schools (04) remained closed. A total of 6363 students were clinically screened. About 45% of the school children had normal body mass index (BMI) and rest were falling in different categories of malnutrition. More than 19% had ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems and around 19% presented with clinical anemia. Less than 50% of children had scar of BCG vaccination and 4% informed about use of gutka/supari chewing (smokeless tobacco use). Conclusion In conclusion, we estimated high prevalence of malnutrition, poor oral health including smokeless tobacco use, and low BCG coverage among primary school children at Lasbela. Current scenario suggests immediate and contextually focused interventions to confine existing public health risks and avoid future burden of disease