Effectiveness of helmets in preventing severe injuries in a setting with poorly enforced quality standards

Helmets save lives, yet many countries do not have laws about their quality assessment or how they should be worn. We assessed the effectiveness of helmet use in preventing injuries in such a setting. The data were extracted from a large road traffic injury surveillance study in Karachi, Pakistan. We assessed the association of wearing helmets with several injury outcomes including deaths, injury severity (via New Injury Severity Score, NISS ≥ 9) and moderate or severe injury (via Abbreviated Injury Score, AIS ≥ 2) to head, face, or other regions of the body. The data about helmet use was available for about 109,210 riders injured between January 2007 and December 2013. Only 6% of riders wore helmets, whereas this proportion was less than one percent in pillion riders and women. The rates were also lower among those aged 18 years or younger (1%) and those aged 18 to 25 years (4%). About 2% of riders died; 34% had an injury to the head region, 30% to face, 1% to chest, 5% to abdominal, 46% to extremities, and 61% to external body regions. Likelihood of dying was low among helmet users (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28 to 0.50). Helmets reduced the likelihood of moderate to severe injuries to the head (aOR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.58 to 0.80) but not to the face region (aOR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.17 to 1.62). Helmet users also had severer injuries in other body regions except for chest injuries. Helmets prevented deaths and severe head injuries but had limited effectiveness in preventing facial injuries in this setting with poor helmet use standards. More work is needed to understand the helmet wearing and rider behaviours in helmet users in this setting

Servitized SMEs’ performance and the influences of sustainable procurement, packaging, and distribution:The mediating role of eco-innovation

The current paper is one of the pioneering studies to specifically analyze the role of both inbound and outbound sustainable supply chain practices (SSCP) of servitized SMEs in a relatively high-risk emerging economy context of Pakistan. Building on Porter's Value Chain Model, this study analyzes the influence of sustainable servitization on multiple performance indicators (including environmental, economic, social, and operational) of servitized SMEs. We further investigate the role of eco-innovation as a mediator. The study employs a time-lagged research design, based on primary data collected from 280 managers of servitized SMEs. We found that sustainable practices positively impact servitized SMEs’ performance, except for sustainable procurement's influence on operational performance. Finally, eco-innovation was found to partially mediate the analyzed inter-relationships.</p

Biodiesel production from Cannabis sativa oil from Pakistan

The present study was appraised using response surface methodology for process optimization owing to strong interaction of reaction variables: NaOCH3 catalyst concentration (0.25–1.50%), methanol/oil molar ratio (3:1–9:1), reaction time (30–90 min), and reaction temperature (45–65°C). The quadratic polynomial equation was determined using response surface methodology for predicting optimum methyl esters yield from Cannabis sativa oil. The analysis of variance results indicated that molar ratio and reaction temperature were the key factors that appreciably influence the yield of Cannabis sativa oil methyl esters. The significant (p < 0.0001) variable interaction between molar ratio × catalyst concentration and reaction time × molar ratio was observed, which mostly affect the Cannabis sativa oil methyl esters yield. The optimum Cannabis sativa oil methyl esters yield, i.e., 86.01% was gained at 53°C reaction temperature, 7.5:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 65 min reaction time, and 0.80% catalyst concentration. The results depicted a linear relationship between observed and predicted values. The residual analysis predicted the appropriateness of the central composite design. The Cannabis sativa oil methyl esters, analyzed by gas chromatography, elucidated six fatty acid methyl esters (linoleic, α-linolenic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, and γ-linolenic acids). In addition, the fuel properties, such as kinematic viscosity at 40°C; cetane number; acid value; flash point; cloud, pour, and cold filter plugging points; ash content; density; and sulphur content, of Cannabis sativa oil methyl esters were evaluated and discussed with reference to ASTM D 6751 and EU 14214 biodiesel specifications

Ethyl 2-[3-(3,5-Dinitrobenzo­yl)thio­ureido]benzoate

In the title compound, C17H14N4O7S, the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 9.04 (15)°. The centroid–centroid distance of 3.9825 (19) Å between nearly parallel benzene rings of adjacent mol­ecules suggests the existence of π-π stacking. Inter­molecular and intra-mol­ecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonding is present in the structure. The eth­oxy group is disordered over two sets of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.580 (15):0.420 (15). The crystal studied was an inversion twin

Ogbu and the debate on educational achievement: an exploration of the links between education, migration, identity and belonging

This paper looks at some of the issues raised by Ogbu’s work in relation to the education of different minority ethnic groups. Ogbu poses questions such as the value attached to education, its links to the future and its measurable outcomes in terms of ‘success’ as experienced by black participants. The desire for better life chances leads families to consider migration to a new country or resettlement within the same country, thus making migration both a local and a global phenomenon. As an example, attention is drawn to the situation facing South Asian children and their families in the UK. In terms of ethnicity and belonging, the wider question that is significant for many countries in the West after ‘Nine-Eleven’ is the education of Muslim children. A consideration of this current situation throws Ogbu’s identification of ‘autonomous minority’ into question. It is argued that a greater understanding of diverse needs has to be accompanied by a concerted effort to confront racism and intolerance in schools and in society, thus enabling all communities to make a useful contribution and to avoid the ‘risk’ of failure and disenchantment

Optimiranje podloge za pojačanu proizvodnju glukoamilaze fermentacijom na krutoj podlozi s pomoću gljive Fusarium solani

Solid-state cultivation of Fusarium solani was carried out for enhanced production of glucoamylase (GA) using different substrates like wheat bran, rice bran, green gram bran, black gram bran and maize bran. The SSF medium containing wheat bran as a substrate yielded the highest enzyme activity. The physical and chemical parameters were optimized. Maximum enzyme activity (61.35±3.69) U/g of dry wheat bran was achieved under optimum growth conditions. The optimum conditions were fructose as carbon and energy additive 1 % (by mass), urea as nitrogen additive 1 % (by mass), initial moisture content of solid substrate 70 % (by mass per volume), incubation period 96 h, inoculum size 15 % (by mass per volume) having 10^6–10^7 spores/mL, incubation temperature (35±1) °C and pH=5.0. It was further observed that the addition of surfactants caused a decrease in enzyme biosynthesis by F. solani in SSF of wheat bran under optimum process conditions.Uzgojem gljive Fusarium solani fermentacijom na krutoj podlozi povećana je proizvodnja glukoamilaze (GA) primjenom različitih supstrata kao što su pšenične i rižine posije, te posije zelene soje, crne soje i kukuruza. Najveća aktivnost enzima dobivena je uporabom podloge od pšeničnih posija. Optimirani su fizikalni i kemijski parametri i pri optimalnim uvjetima rasta postignuta je maksimalna aktivnost enzima od (61,35±3,69) U/g suhih pšeničnih posija. Optimalni uvjeti bili su: 1 % (m/V) fruktoze kao izvora ugljika i energije, 1 % (m/m) uree kao izvora dušika, 70 % (m/V) početnog udjela vlage u krutoj podlozi, vrijeme inkubacije u trajanju od 96 h, 15 % inokuluma (m/V) s 10^6-10^7 spora/mL, temperatura inkubacije (35±1) °C i pH=5,0. Dodatkom površinski aktivnih tvari smanjila se biosinteza enzima proizvedenog fermentacijom pri optimalnim uvjetima na podlozi od pšeničnih posija s pomoću gljive F. solani