Fibre Orientation and Breakage in Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite Systems: Experimental Validation of Models for Injection Mouldings. Validation of Short and Long Fibre Prediction Models within Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight 2014

End-gated and centre gated mouldings have been assessed with varying thickness and sprue geometries for the centre gate. Alternative image analysis techniques are used to measure the orientation and length of injection moulded short and long fibres composite components. The fibre orientation distribution (FOD) measurements for both geometries have been taken along the flow path. In shear flow the FOD changes along the flow path, however the FOD remains relatively constant during expansion flow. The core width and FOD at the skin within a long glass fibre (LGF) specimen is different in comparison to a short glass fibre (SGF) specimen. Fibre length measurements have been taken from the extrudate, sprue and 2 positions within the centre gate cavity. The size of the sprue has little influence on fibre breakage if the moulding is more than 1 mm thick The SGF FOD prediction models within Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight 2014 (ASMI) have been validated against measured SGF data. At present, by default, the models over-predict the for most geometries. When the coefficients are tailored for each model, drastic improvements are seen in the FOD prediction. The recently developed SGF RSC model accurately predicts the FOD in shear, in a thin geometry, whereas the Folgar-Tucker model predicts the FOD accurately in expansion flow. The measured LGF fibre length distribution (FLD) and FOD have been validated against the LGF prediction models. The LGF models are currently under predicting the breakage and over-predicting . The breakage prediction improves if measured FLD of the extrudate is input into the model.Autodesk Ltd

Evaluation of risk factors causing osteoporosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Patients.

Objective: The main aim of study was to investigate the prevalence of risk factors and osteoporosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Methods: This prospective cross sectional study was done in pulmonology department Nishtar Hospital Multan. Total 369 patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diagnosed according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases (GOLD) criteria were enrolled by non-probability consecutive sampling. The study was conducted from January 2016 to November 2016. Ethical approval was taken from committee of the hospital. Written permission was signed by each patient included in study. Quantitative variables like age, body mass index, FEV1, pack years smoking and vitamin D were statistically measured in mean and standard deviation. Qualitative variables like gender and area of living were statistically analyzed in percentage and frequency. ANNOVA was applied to test the significance. P value <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Overall, 100% (n=369) patients were included, in this study; divided into two groups i.e. non-osteoporosis 60% (n=220) and osteoporosis 40% (n=149). The mean age, BMI and smoking pack-years of the non-osteoporosis patients was 67.99±4.61 years, 23.92±1.95 kg/m2 and 41.62±10.20 respectively. There were 94.1% (n=207) males and 5.9% (n=13) females. While, the mean age, BMI and smoking pack-years of the osteoporosis patients was 71.44±3.90 years, 21.91±3.26 kg/m2 and 49.05±3.00 respectively. There were 97.3% (n=145) males and 2.7% (n=4) females. Education status of the non-osteoporosis patients observed as 36.4% (n=80) illiterate and 63.6% (n=140) elementary or above, while there were 38.3% (n=57) osteoporosis patients illiterate and 61.7% (n=92) were elementary or above. Significant differences were found between age (p=0.000), BMI (p=0.000), smoking pack years (p=0.000), BMD T-score (p=0.000), Systolic BP (p=0.000), Diastolic BP (p=0.000), FVC, liters (p=0.000), FVC, predicted%, (p=0.000), FEV1, liters (p=0.000), FEV1, predicted% (p=0.000) and FEV1/FVC (p=0.000), in groups. Association was found between HTN (p=0.000) and GOLD (p=0.001) in groups. Conclusion: Study concluded that osteoporosis is hidden and common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Its prevalence was high among the patients. ------ were independent risk factors in developing osteoporosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Pulmonologists should consider and properly investigate osteoporosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, bone mineral density DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/54-06 Publication date: April 30th 201

Information Literacy as Liberal Education: Hurdles and Possible Solutions in United Arab Emirates\u27 Context

As noted by Weibe (2015, cited in Mackay and Eva, 2019), there is a connection between information literacy, liberal education and lifelong learning which altogether are linked to the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate information both for academic and personal life. In today\u27s world of information overload, multiple information formats, fake news and easy access to information by every individual, information literacy has become an important 21st-century skill to be learned by students. This learning not only helps students to become successful in academics but also in developing their behavior as responsible citizens. Therefore, information literacy should be taken more broadly as new liberal art which goes beyond using technology and accessing information to the social, cultural and philosophical context of information. The impact of such understanding is essential for the educated information – age citizen as the trivium of basic liberal arts (grammar, logic and rhetoric) was to an educated person in medieval society (Shapiro and Hughes, 1996). The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in 2015, focuses more on helping students develop a broader understanding of information than skill acquisition (Mackay and Eva,2019). In the six Frames, Authority is Constructed and Contextual; Information Creation as a Process; Information has Value; Research as Inquiry; Scholarship as Conversation; and Searching as Strategic Exploration form an interconnected set of skills critical for students to become truly information literate. Unfortunately, in the higher education institutes of United Arab Emirates, the formality of information literacy is fulfilled by Library Orientation for freshmen and a few database trainings done by the database subscribers. This study is an attempt to bring in front the hurdles of the way and the possible solutions. References ACRL. (2016, January 11). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework Eva, N. and MacKay, B. (2019). Information literacy and liberal education: From Google to scholarly sources. Threshold Concepts on the Edge. (pp. 229-237). Brill. https://10.1163/978004419971_016 Shapiro, J. and Hughes, S. (1996). Information literacy as a liberal art: Enlightenment proposals for a new curriculum. Educom Review, 31(2), 31-35. Retrieved from https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/erm/31231.htm

The traditional system of Unani medicine, its origin, evolution and Indianisation:A critical appraisal

Greco-Arab medicine, popular as a complementary or alternative medicine, is based largely on herbs and minerals. This was initiated by Hippocrates (460-377 BC) and his associates in Greece, but its preferred home today is the Indian subcontinent. It believes that every person has its own distinct temperament made up of combinations of four basic humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile). A proper balance in quantity and quality of these humors indicates health, while imbalance represents a diseased condition. The temperament of individuals is influenced by a variety of internal and external factors. Treatment is done normally through regimental therapy, dietotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy. The nature of drugs (hot, cool, dry, wet, etc) is also taken into consideration. This therapy is known to have minimal side effects. It received the patronage of Delhi Sultans and Mughal Emperors for over 500 years (13th to 18th century) and is now advancing under the banner of Indian systems of medicine. This review discusses the basic principles and concepts as well as the systematic progress of Unani medicine and critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of this therapy in addition to highlighting the contributions of Indian Hakims (Unani physicians) to public health sector in India during the last seven centuries

Abdominal Hysterectomy for Benign Gynecological Diseases

OBJECTIVES This study aims to assess the Pap smear screening method’s accuracy in detecting precancerous lesions. METHODOLOGY After fulfilling the inclusion criteria patients were selected, the patient’s bladder was emptied and put in a dorsal position, and Cusco’s speculum was introduced after lubrication followed by insertion of Ayer’s spatula, applied on the transformational zone, and rotated in 360 degrees. Specimen smeared on glass slides and sent to the laboratory with fulfilled lab pre-requisite form. Patients were requested to follow up with a histopathology report. RESULTS Mean age of the patient was 38.111+9.461 years. Among the 77 patients whose samples were taken 15.4% were asymptomatic, 32.1% with vaginal discharge, 17.9% vaginal discharge,17.0% with intermenstrual bleeding and 16.7% were having lower abdominal pain with p value=0.087. Histopathology reports were interpreted upon follow-up visit among those 1.3% came out to be positive for malignancy, 76.6% negative for malignancy while 22.1% had an inadequate sample. CONCLUSION The most common method for screening for cervical cancer is the Pap smear, but its efficacy in detecting early precancerous lesions is very low, possibly due to laboratory error or false technique to a gynecologist of sample technique in our tertiary care hospital. Other screening methods should be used instead of conventional Pap smear

Study of Postdatism with Respect to Fetomaternal Outcome at A Tertiary Care Hospital

OBJECTIVES This study aims to know our setup’s fetomaternal pregnancy complications that extend beyond 40 weeks of gestation. METHODOLOGY This is a prospective cross-sectional study of 390 patients with uncomplicated postdated pregnancies fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria admitted to the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (both in spontaneous labour and induced patient) at Hayatabad Medical Complex, a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, KPK from July 2020 to June 2021.RESULTS Out of 390 patients, a majority (72.30 %) were in the age group of 20 – 35 years. Most of them (50.51%) presented at gestation 40+1 – 40+6 weeks. The majority (57.69%) were multigravida, and most (93.07%) were un-booked. Most delivered vaginally (80.51%), and 19.48% had C/section (including both emergency and elective). The most common indication for C/section was fetal distress (44.73%), followed by C/section on demand (18.42%). The majority>90% had Apgar score greater than seven at 5 minutes which was gestation dependent. Overall perinatal mortality was 4.07% which was also gestation dependent ranging from 0.5% at 40+1 – 40+6 weeks to 2.30% at and beyond 42 weeks of gestation. Neonatal morbidity in the form of Birth asphyxia, Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS), Shoulder Dystocia and NICU admission also showed an increasing tendency with increasing gestation beyond 40 weeks. Maternal morbidity in the form of PPH, perineal tears 3°/4° and endometritis also showed a similar increasing trend with increasing gestation beyond 40 weeks. CONCLUSION Pregnancy continuing beyond 40 weeks has a definite risk to the fetus.

Mitigating Salt-Induced Damages in Wheat with Foliar-Applied Nigella sativa Seed Extract: A Comprehensive Study

Nigella sativa, a medicinal plant, known for its diverse bioactive compounds, including antioxidants and phytohormones, have shown potential in mitigating salt stress in various plant species. Amongst naturally occurring plant growth stimulants, it has attained enormous attention being rich in thymoquinineand carvacrol in seeds for scavenging free radicals. This research aimed to investigate the effect of Nigella sativa seed extract (NSE) as foliar spray (0, 50, 100 and 150g seeds per liter each) on wheat growth under salt stress (0mM, 75mM and 150mM). Results revealed that salinity decreased growth attributes and accumulation of photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, salinity stress boosted the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, glycinebetaine, leaf free proline, Na+ and Cl-. Foliar application of NSEameliorated the negative effects of salinity to considerable extent by enhancing growth traits, chlorophyll contents, glycinebetaine and prolineand decreased Na+, Cl-,malondialdehyde andhydrogen peroxide. This research provides valuable insights into the potential use of NSE as natural and sustainable solution to alleviate salt stress in wheat crop. These findings contribute to the development of eco-friendly strategies for enhancing crop resilience in saline environments, ultimately addressing the global challenge of food security in the face of increasing soil salinity

The development of cost effective 100 base pair prototype DNA ladder using polymerase chain reaction

Background: In genomics, DNA scale is used as a standard unit for the measurement of unknown DNA fragments, plasmids, and PCR products during gel electrophoresis. The 100 base pair DNA ladder is essential and cost-effective in molecular biological research and is available commercially which is too expensive and not easily accessible to a common researcher for laboratory usage.Methods: The main purpose of this study was to report easily and practical method to prepare 100 base pair DNA ladder by simple PCR using pCAMBIA 1301 plasmid as a template which is an effective cost reduction strategy for laboratories. pCAMBIA 1301 was transformed into Escherichia coli (Top 10) bacteria by using heat shock method for high the yield of the plasmid. Bacteria containing our desire plasmid were cultured and plasmid was extracted from bacteria by using kit method. About 10 pairs of primers were designed from the backbone of the plasmid which amplifies 100 to 1000 base pair of PCR product with an interval of 100 base pair fragments. These fragments were optimized by using gradient thermo cycler and PCR products were purified using kit methods. For the stability of 100 base pair DNA ladder, it was placed in seven different buffers.Results: The outcome of this study shown that polymerase chain reaction was able to amplify 10 different types of DNA fragments which ranges from 100 to 1000 base pair with high qualification and size accuracy. PCR products were purified and sequenced. DNA ladder was pooled in seven different buffers and stored at -20°C. These buffers were used to optimize and evaluate the stability of the prototype DNA ladder.Conclusion: Our laboratory made 100base pair DNA ladder is very cost effective, it only cost 11 USD to prepare DNA ladder. This 100 base pair DNA ladder provides an independent quantitative unit that can be used with any biological application or technology, enabling genomes to be measured using a common metric.Keywords: 100 bp DNA ladder, pCAMBIA 1301 plasmid; PCR technique; Gel electrophoresis; Break Even Point Analysis   

The Spectrum of Oesophagal Varices, Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy and Child Pugh’s Class in Cirrhotic Patients at Tertiary CareHospital

Objective: To find the association of Child-Pugh’s Class with oesophagal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhotic patients at CMH Lahore. Study Design: Cross sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Pathology, Combined Military Hospital Lahore Pakistan, from Feb to May 2021. Methodology: All patients with cirrhosis of the liver, irrespective of aetiology, who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, were included in the study. Lab data was retrieved from the Pathology Department to calculate Child Pugh’s score. Endoscopic findings of oesophagal varices and portal gastropathy were recorded and their correlation/association with Child-Pugh’s Class was calculated separately by using Pearson’s coefficient. Results: A total of 148 patients were included in the study. Male patients were 90(60.8%) and female were 58(39.2%). The age range was 27-85 years, with the mean of patients being 55.93±13.19 years. Association of Child Pugh’s Class with oesophagal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy revealed that higher grades of oesophagal varices (Grade-lll) and severe portal hypertensive gastropathy were found in Child Pugh’s Class-B (13.51%, 14.18%) and C (15.54%, 16.2%) as compared to Class- A (4.72 %, 1.35%). Child-Pugh’s Class positively correlates with both oesophagal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy by Pearson’s coefficient r=0.594 and 0.035, respectively; both have significant p values (p <0.05). Conclusion: Child-Pugh’s Class has a positive correlation with both oesophagal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy in patients with cirrhosi

Multiple interval mapping of QTLs and epistasis for iron toxicity tolerance in segregating population of Indica rice

The global average temperature has increased by approximately 0.5 °C, over a last few decades and is projected to continue to increase. Environmental stress factors such as, elevated temperature, salinity, toxic elements (Fe, Al, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn and As), drought and rising CO2 affect plant growth and make a growing threat to agriculture. Rice is a primary food crop in the world and the establishment of rice crop in acidic soil and in marginal soil is a major goal for the improvement of rice production to fulfill the food security. Among environmental stresses, Fe2+ toxicity is one of the main stresses in limiting the cereal crops production. Tolerant rice genotypes that can tolerate the high concentration of Fe2+ toxicity are the potential source genes for rice tolerance improvement in Fe2+ toxicity. In this research work, the genetic basis of seed germination traits and growth traits was investigated in rice using (multiple interval mapping) MIM. Many rice genotypes serve as source of tolerant against toxic metal ion like Fe2+, could be an important factor in controlling the sever effect of Fe2+ toxicity on germination and seedling growth traits.  The F3 progenies of cross between Fe2+ toxicity tolerant cultivar ‘Pokkali’ and susceptible cultivar ‘Pak basmati’ were test against the optimized level of Fe2+ toxicity at germination, to determine the mode of inheritance to Fe2+ toxicity tolerance. Wide range of continues variation was found in F3 progenies. Among the 49 quantitative germination trait and 23 growth trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 linked with tolerance to Fe2+ toxicity was mapped. Additionally, 21 QTLs for germination traits and 9 QTLs for growth traits were classified as major QTLs using MIM. For germination and growth traits, notable epistasis between the chromosome 1, 2, 4, 6 and 11 was detected across germination and growth traits. Our results suggest that the tolerance mechanisms at germination and seedling phases could differ for Fe2+ toxicity. QTLs detected in this study for germination and seedling growth could be a source of new alleles for development of tolerance rice to Fe2+ toxicity varieties and transformation, gene cloning and gene editing in the futur