Low cost coplanar UHF RFID tag antenna using U-shaped feeder for metallic applications

In this design, low cost coplanar slim tag antenna has been introduced for UHF band (860-960 MHz) which is designed for metallic objects. The tag antenna was proposed with proximity coupled feeding; a transmission line fed by a U-shaped inductively coupled feed and two symmetrical coplanar ground layers. Furthermore, the U-shaped feeder's configuration consists of two opposing symmetrical U-shaped structures to feed the tag antenna. The size of the antenna was 72×42×1.6 mm3 at 915 MHz. According to the results, the gain for the tag antenna reached up to 2.3 dBi at 915 MHz. In addition, the bandwidth of the antenna is 15 MHz (907-922) MHz (the power reflection coefficient was lower than -3 dB), while the reading range reached up to 5.3 meters. Besides, the results obtained from the implementation showed very good impedance matching due to the flexibility generated by the U-shaped inductive feeder

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress levels of employees working in private organizations during lockdown

Background: Worldwide, office employees have experienced two novel phenomena during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: working from home and reductions in their salaries. These phenomena have majorly impacted the lives of individuals as well as their families. The present study aims to measure the perceived stress levels among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Pakistan.Methodology: A cross-sectional approach was used to collect data from a sample of 385 employees working in three different IT-oriented private organizations. A semi-structured, Likert-scale questionnaire was used, containing the 10-item inventory from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). A sociodemographic profile, working parameters, and frequency of PSS inventory were presented in the descriptive analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was made to compare the stress levels of the two groups resulting from their workloads and reductions in salary.Results: An elevated perceived stress level (50.9%) was observed among the employees, showing a significant relationship with salary reduction and home work engagement (p<0.005). A strong negative correlation was observed (-0.860) for the salary reduction with PSS.Conclusion: Working from home and reductions in salary caused increased perceived stress levels of the employees working in private organizations. Salary reductions proved to be a strong stressor, causing economic disruption and inability to cope with financial burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic

Rancang Bangun Game Trasher Trust Sebagai Media Pembelajaran Mengenai Sampah Berbasis Android

Perkembangan teknologi yang kini semakin berkembang pesat membuat masyarakat dalam mendapat informasi lebih mudah salah satunya adanya mengenai sampah. Terdapat banyak sekali jenis-jenis sampah berdasarkan sifatnya, yaitu organik dan anorganik; dan berdasarkan wujudnya, yaitu cair, padat, dan gas. Akan tetapi, kebanyakan masyarakat meskipun telah mendapat informasi mengenai sampah mereka tetap enggan untuk memilahnya dan asal membuang sampah tanpa memperhatikan sifat dan wujud sampah. Oleh karena itu, dibuatkan Game edukasi mengenai memilah sampah dengan tujuan agar masyarakat selain mengetahui informasi jenis sampah, juga dapat bermain secara interaktif. Objek permasalahan dari penelitian ini adalah kurangnya pengetahuan masyarakat mengenai jenis-jenis sampah dan maraknya Game berbasis android yang dapat dimainkan dimana dan kapan saja. Penulis mencoba memberikan solusi dengan cara membuat Game edukasi berbasis android mengenai sampah. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini mengacu pada design thinking atau desain berpikir yang meliputi 5 tahap, yaitu empati, penetapan (define), ide (idiate), visualisasi produk (prototype), dan tes. Selain itu, Detection Collision juga diterapkan pada game ini agar permainan berjalan dengan baik dikarenakan metode tersebut mendeteksi actor dan obstacle yang bertubrukan. Kelebihan game edukasi dengan game edukasi konvensional adalah dari sisi permasalahannya, yaitu intruksi beserta tools game yang disediakan akan memandu pengguna secara aktif dalam menggali informasi dengan menyelesaikan setiap level game tersebut

A Novel Application of Quantum Speed Limit to String Theory

In this work, we investigate the implications of the concept of quantum speed limit in string field theory. We adopt a novel approach to the problem of time on world-sheet based on Fisher information, and arrive at a minimum time for a particle state to evolve into another particle state. This is done using both the Mandelstam-Tamm bound and the Margolus-Levitin bound. This implies that any interaction has to be smeared over such an interval, and any interaction in the effective quantum field theory has to be non-local. As non-local quantum field theories are known to be finite, it is expected that divergences should be removed from effective quantum field theories due to the quantum speed limit of string theory.Comment: 9 page

Case study on the Competitiveness Comparisons of Karachi Port with the Neighbouring Emerging Ports in Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

Abstract   Purpose: This study evaluates competitiveness of emerging ports located in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Traditionally, ports operational efficacy is evaluated only on basis of throughput, a case in point being the Lloyds International Port ranking. However, we do not concur with this approach and adopt a multicriteria methodology

Relationship between the use of drugs and changes in body weight among patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: To investigate the impact of drugs on the body weight of patients.Methods: All the randomized controlled trials that evaluated the impact of medications on the body weight of patients were searched in various databases. Studies quantifying the impact of drugs on body weight when compared to placebo or any other treatment were considered for this review. Moreover, the quantitative synthesis of evidence was also performed by generating the forest plot.Results: A total of 20 studies involving 18,547 participants were included in the current review. Weight gains ranging from 0.5 to 2.6 kg were associated with the use of pioglitazone, espindolol, brexpiprazole, glimepiride and ezogabine while weight loss ranging from 1.1 to 12 kg was linked with the use of betahistine, naltrexone, bupropion, liraglutide, phentermine, topiramate, orlistat, zonisamide, duloxetine, semaglutide, metformin and linagliptin. The quantitative synthesis suggested that drugs can significantly reduce body weight by -0.53 kg (CI 95 % -1.01, -0.04, p < 0.04) when compared to standard treatment.Conclusion: The findings of this review suggest substantial association of drugs and weight change during pharmacotherapy. Pioglitzone, brexpiprazole, espindolol, ezogabine and glimepiride cause weight gain while naltrexone, bupropion, betahistine, topiramate, phentermine, zonisamide, semaglutide, linagliptin, liraglutide, orlistat, duloxetine and metformin were associated with weight loss. Drug-induced changes in body weight might cause serious consequences and should be addressed before initiating treatment

Mitral regurgitation as a phenotypic manifestation of nonphotosensitive trichothiodystrophy due to a splice variant in MPLKIP

Background: Nonphotosensitive trichothiodystrophy (TTDN) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of neuroectodermal origin. The condition is marked by hair abnormalities, intellectual impairment, nail dystrophies and susceptibility to infections but with no UV sensitivity. Methods: We identified three consanguineous Pakistani families with varied TTDN features and used homozygosity mapping, linkage analysis, and Sanger and exome sequencing in order to identify pathogenic variants. Haplotype analysis was performed and haplotype age estimated. A splicing assay was used to validate the effect of the MPLKIP splice variant on expression. Results: Affected individuals from all families exhibit several TTDN features along with a heart-specific feature, i.e. mitral regurgitation. Exome sequencing in the probands from families ED168 and ED241 identified a homozygous splice mutation c.339 + 1G > A within MPLKIP. The same splice variant co-segregates with TTDN in a third family ED210. The MPLKIP splice variant was not found in public databases, e.g. the Exome Aggregation Consortium, and in unrelated Pakistani controls. Functional analysis of the splice variant confirmed intron retention, which leads to protein truncation and loss of a phosphorylation site. Haplotype analysis identified a 585.1-kb haplotype which includes the MPLKIP variant, supporting the existence of a founder haplotype that is estimated to be 25,900 years old. Conclusion: This study extends the allelic and phenotypic spectra of MPLKIP-related TTDN, to include a splice variant that causes cardiomyopathy as part of the TTDN phenotype

Health worker and patient views on implementation of smoking cessation in routine tuberculosis care

Böckmann M, Warsi S, Noor M, et al. Health worker and patient views on implementation of smoking cessation in routine tuberculosis care. NPJ primary care respiratory medicine. 2019;29(1): 34.Smoking worsens tuberculosis (TB) outcomes. Persons with TB who smoke can benefit from smoking cessation. We report findings of a multi-country qualitative process evaluation assessing barriers and facilitators to implementation of smoking cessation behaviour support in TB clinics in Bangladesh and Pakistan. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews at five case study clinics with 35 patients and 8 health workers over a period of 11 months (2017-2018) at different time points during the intervention implementation phase. Interviews were conducted by trained researchers in the native languages, audio-recorded, transcribed into English and analysed using a combined deductive-inductive approach guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Theoretical Domains Framework. All patients report willingness to quit smoking and recent quit attempts. Individuals' main motivations to quit are their health and the need to financially provide for a family. Behavioural regulation such as avoiding exposure to cigarettes and social influences from friends, family and colleagues are main themes of the interviews. Most male patients do not feel shy admitting to smoking, for the sole female patient interviewee stigma was an issue. Health workers report structural characteristics such as high workload and limited time per patient as primary barriers to offering behavioural support. Self-efficacy to discuss tobacco use with women varies by health worker. Systemic barriers to implementation such as staff workload and socio-cultural barriers to cessation like gender relations, stigma or social influences should be dealt with creatively to optimize the behaviour support for sustainability and scale-up