Renewable Sources of Energy in Pakistan

This paper has been divided into three parts. Part I sets the background of energy for development and some features of the Pakistan situation. Part II shows the need for renewable sources and introduces their likely contribution in the near future (2,000 A.D.). In the third part, we examine the various renewable sources of energy to obtain estimates of their economics and give broad recommendations

A Molecular Rotor that Measures Dynamic Changes of Lipid Bilayer Viscosity Caused by Oxidative Stress

Oxidation of cellular structures is typically an undesirable process that can be a hallmark of certain diseases. On the other hand, photooxidation is a necessary step of photodynamic therapy (PDT), a cancer treatment causing cell death upon light irradiation. Here, the effect of photooxidation on the microscopic viscosity of model lipid bilayers constructed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine has been studied. A molecular rotor has been employed that displays a viscosity-dependent fluorescence lifetime as a quantitative probe of the bilayer's viscosity. Thus, spatially-resolved viscosity maps of lipid photooxidation in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) were obtained, testing the effect of the positioning of the oxidant relative to the rotor in the bilayer. It was found that PDT has a strong impact on viscoelastic properties of lipid bilayers, which ‘travels’ through the bilayer to areas that have not been irradiated directly. A dramatic difference in viscoelastic properties of oxidized GUVs by Type I (electron transfer) and Type II (singlet oxygen-based) photosensitisers was also detected

Effect of pre-harvest calcium chloride and ethanol spray on quality of 'El-Bayadi' table grapes during storage

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are highly perishable due to postharvest fungal decay and softening. The effects of pre-harvest calcium chloride (CC) (at 1 or 2 %) and ethanol (at 10 or 20 %) spray at 30 and 7 days before harvest on quality of 'El-Bayadi' table grapes during cold storage at 0 °C ± 1 plus 1 day of shelf life at 20 °C were evaluated. Pre-harvest spray of CC and ethanol at both low and high concentrations significantly decreased berry decay percentage during storage compared to control. The combination between CC and ethanol also decreased decay compared to control but was less effective than each one alone. In this respect, there were no significant differences between low and high concentration of CC and ethanol. In all treatments, decay was recorded after 30 days of storage and significantly increased to reach 26.3 % after 50 days. CC spray alone, at both concentrations, increased weight loss percentage compared to control and most other treatments. However ethanol spray especially at 20 % decreased weight loss compared to other treatments except for 10 % ethanol spray. The combination between CC and ethanol, however, increased weight loss compared to control except for, 1 % CC plus 20 % ethanol and 2 % CC plus 10 % ethanol. Weight loss percentage increased during storage to reach 2.30 % after 50 days of storage. However, the overall quality characteristics of berries as firmness, TSS, acidity, TSS/acid ratio, pH, vitamin C, total phenols and soluble tannins were not negatively affected by both CC and ethanol spray treatments. Also, both CC and ethanol spray caused neither foliar damage on the vines nor significant changes in berry quality. It is concluded that pre-harvest spray of 1 % CC or 20 % ethanol could be suggested as practical alternatives to synthetic fungicides and SO2 to decrease postharvest decay and improve quality of 'El-Bayadi' table grapes.

PC-SPSA: Employing Dimensionality Reduction to Limit SPSA Search Noise in DTA Model Calibration

Calibration and validation have long been a significant topic in traffic model development. In fact, when moving to dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) models, the need to dynamically update the demand and supply components creates a considerable burden on the existing calibration algorithms, often rendering them impractical. These calibration approaches are mostly restricted either due to non-linearity or increasing problem dimensionality. Simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) has been proposed for the DTA model calibration, with encouraging results, for more than a decade. However, it often fails to converge reasonably with the increase in problem size and complexity. In this paper, we combine SPSA with principal components analysis (PCA) to form a new algorithm, we call, PC-SPSA. The PCA limits the search area of SPSA within the structural relationships captured from historical estimates in lower dimensions, reducing the problem size and complexity. We formulate the algorithm, demonstrate its operation, and explore its performance using an urban network of Vitoria, Spain. The practical issues that emerge from the scale of different variables and bounding their values are also analyzed through a sensitivity analysis using a non-linear synthetic function

Assessment of patients’ knowledge of tuberculosis and its impact on self-management ability

Purpose: To assess the knowledge of patients of tuberculosis (TB) and its relationship with patients’ self-management in Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study is based a prospective cross-sectional design. It included a sample of 176 cases with an active or latent diagnosis of TB. A survey was conducted in some hospitals, including King Abdul-Aziz University from November 2016 to January 2017. The collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: The survey showed that 70 % of the patients had inadequate information on TB and its treatment, while only 4 % showed awareness of the prevalence of TB. Moreover, a significant correlation was found between the educational level of patients and their knowledge of TB. Patients’ educational level substantially contributed to their understanding of health education. Conclusion: The findings suggest that active educational campaigns need to be initiated to enhance the patients’ awareness and knowledge of TB

Identifying and Quantifying Factors Determining Dynamic Vanpooling Use

Nowadays, the growth of traffic congestion and emissions has led to the emergence of an innovative and sustainable transportation service, called dynamic vanpooling. The main aim of this study is to identify factors affecting the travel behavior of passengers due to the introduction of dynamic vanpooling in the transportation system. A web-based mode choice survey was designed and implemented for this scope. The stated-preference experiments offered respondents binary hypothetical scenarios with an ordered choice between dynamic vanpool and the conventional modes of transport, private car and public transportation. In-vehicle travel time, total travel cost and walking and waiting time or searching time for parking varies across the choice scenarios. An ordered probit model, a multinomial logit model and two binary logit models were specified. The model estimation results indicate that respondents who are aged between 26 and 35 years old, commute with PT or are members of bike-sharing services were significantly more likely to choose dynamic vanpool or PT than private car. Moreover, respondents who are worried about climate change and are willing to spend more for environmentally friendly products are significantly more likely to use dynamic vanpool in comparison with private cars. Finally, to indicate the model estimation results for dynamic vanpool, the value of in-vehicle travel time is found to be 12.2€ per hour (13.4€ for Munich subsample)

Ultrasonography of fetal kidney length as the approach for estimation of gestational age in Sudanese

A true estimation of gestational age (GA) plays an important role in quality maternity care and scheduling the labor date. This study was to evaluate the  application of kidney length (KL) measurement to the determine GA between the 14th and 40th weeks and to compare its accuracy with that of other  fetal biometric indices. This study has been designed as a prospective descriptive cross-sectional study in Khartoum and Gezira states - Sudan. 389  Sudanese healthy pregnant women, age between 15 – 45 years were examined by ultrasound with normal and wellbeing fetuses. Linear regression  models for estimation of GA were derived from the biometric indices and kidney length. Also, stepwise regression models were constructed to detect the  best model for determining GA between 14 and 40 weeks. Comparisons were then made between the accuracy of these models in the determination of  GA. The equations derived from linear regression analysis when the individual variables were considered separately. Among the variable parameters  considered in this study, the most accurate was the kidney length with a standard error (SE) of (0.04) day, after that the biparietal diameter with (SE=0.10  day) and femur length, (SE=0.13 day). While the least accurate one was the abdominal circumference with an SE of 1.35 days. A significant correlation was  found between GA and KL (r=0.72, P<0.002). The Kidney length is the easy to identify and measure. It is the most accurate parameter for estimating  GA than other biometric indices in late 2nd and 3rd trimesters.&nbsp

Epistemological approach to exploit Allah’s pronunciation for religious purposes in Malaysia

Purpose: The word Allah has a sanctifying peculiarity in the three monotheistic religions. It is the word that denotes the great creator, who is truly worshiped, and that all other gods are false. From an epistemological approach, it is noted that the historical and linguistic study of the word “God” in ancient religions and civilizations leads to a difference in the ancient use of the word “Allah”, which was widely used and released in both heavenly and pagan religions, and between the word “Allah”, which was not used in all religions and civilizations except for the right of Allah Almighty. Some believe that the specificity of the word “Allah” is related to the Arabic language and the Islamic religion because its uses are limited to Muslims only. This view needs to be reviewed and clarified through the linguistic, historical, and religious epistemological approach. The problem of this topic was: Clarifying the issue of translating the word (Allah) in different religions among speakers of the same language, such as the Malaysian language, which has ethnic and religious diversity. Design: There is a possibility of solving this problem in the light of the epistemological approach through several questions. This topic aims to clarify the importance of the role of epistemology in the diversity of the connotations of the word “God”. Know how the word “God” was mentioned in the languages of the three monotheistic religions. Realize how the word “God” came before Islam in ancient and pre-Islamic civilizations. Illustrate the issue of translation of the word “God” by other religions in the Malay language. Show the possibility of solving the problem of translating the word “God” in other religions in the light of the epistemological approach. Findings: Ancient civilizations agreed to use the words (ʼilāh/God) and (‘a ‘aalihah/Gods) for each of their deities. They singled out God Almighty with a specific word (Ēl) in Semitic civilizations, such as: Canaanite, Akkadian, Hebrew, and Assyrian, which they distorted to (An). As well as Arabic, this is specialized in the word “Allah” to denote the Great Creator. The previous decision that prohibited Christians in Malaysia from using the word “Allah” on the grounds that it is specific to Muslims was not based on the epistemology of the languages and history of the three religions and its uses in them. Other than that, it violates the constitution, which guarantees everyone to practice their religious rites. It is also against Malaysian law, which respects the freedoms of all religious communities. The freedom for Christians to use the word “Allah” to denote the Great Creator is a correct religious, linguistic, and historical usage without any flaws. Moreover, the use of the word “Allah” in pagan religions to denote false gods is religiously, linguistically, and historically forbidden. It is specific to refer to “Allah” the Creator, the Mighty and Sublime, and the One who is truly worshiped. Significances: The importance of the issue is due to the specificity of the word Allah, which has persisted since ancient civilizations until the present day. Considering this term is proper to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, it is not applied to anyone else. This contrasts with the word (God), which is used to refer to all other Gods and deities, whether the true God or other false deities. The Holy Qur'an launched it on those deities. It is also mentioned in ancient and modern civilizations and religions. Some believe that the specificity of the word (Allah) is related to the Arabic language and the Islamic religion. Also, its uses are limited to Muslims only. This view needs to be reviewed and clarified through the linguistic, historical, and religious epistemological approach

An Architecture for Resilient Intrusion Detection in Ad-hoc Networks

We study efficient and lightweight Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) for ad-hoc networks via the prism of IPv6-enabled Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks. These networks consist of highly constrained devices able to communicate wirelessly in an ad-hoc fashion, thus following the architecture of ad-hoc networks. Current state-of-the-art (IDS) has been developed taking into consideration the architecture of conventional computer networks, and as such they do not efficiently address the paradigm of ad-hoc networks, that is highly relevant in emergent networks, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). In this context, the network properties of resilience and redundancy have not been studied yet. In this work, we firstly identify a trade-off between the communication overhead and energy consumption of an IDS (as captured by the number of active IDS agents in the network) and the performance of the system in terms of successfully identifying attacks. In order to fine tune this trade-off, we model such networks as Random Geometric Graphs; a rigorous approach that allows us to capture underlying structural properties of the network. We then introduce a novel IDS architectural approach that consists of a central IDS agent a set of distributed IDS agents deployed uniformly at random over the network area. These nodes are able to efficiently detect attacks at the networking layer in a collaborative manner by monitoring locally available network information provided by IoT routing protocols such as RPL. Our detailed experimental evaluation demonstrates significant performance gains in terms of communication overhead and energy consumption while maintaining high detection rates. We also show that the performance of our IDS in ad-hoc networks does not rely on the size of the network but on fundamental underling network properties, such as the network topology and the average degree of the nodes. Conducted experiments show that our proposed IDS architecture is resilient against frequent topology changes due to nodes failures