Effect of RFID on Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Supply Chain Performance

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of radio frequency identification (RFID) deployment on firms manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency, and ultimately its impact on organizational performance via supply chain performance. The data was collected from 104 middle level and front-line managerial employees of three organizations. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique was used to analyse the data in order to test the hypotheses. Findings point out that deployment of RFID leads toward enhanced manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency, enhancement in effectiveness lead the organization toward better supply chain. Findings suggest that firms can adopt RFID technology to boost up their performance in terms of manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency and supply

Effect of RFID on Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Supply Chain Performance

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of radio frequency identification (RFID) deployment on firms manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency, and ultimately its impact on organizational performance via supply chain performance. The data was collected from 104 middle level and front-line managerial employees of three organizations. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique was used to analyse the data in order to test the hypotheses. Findings point out that deployment of RFID leads toward enhanced manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency, enhancement in effectiveness lead the organization toward better supply chain. Findings suggest that firms can adopt RFID technology to boost up their performance in terms of manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency and supply

Antibacterial activity of the venom of Heterometrus xanthopus

Heterometrus xanthopus (Scorpion) is one of the most venomous and ancient arthropods. Its venom contains anti-microbial peptides like hadrurin, scorpine, Pandinin 1, and Pandinin 2 that are able to effectively kill multidrug-resistant pathogens. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity of H. xanthopus venom. Six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains were tested against 1/100, 1/10, and 1/1 fractions of distilled water diluted and crude venom. 1/100 and 1/10 dilutions were not successful in any of the six bacterial strains studied while the 1/1 dilution was effective on Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 with highest zone of inhibition were obtained on B. subtilis. Crude venom was effective against Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 14506, B. subtilis, S. typhimurium, and P. aeruginosa. The most effective results were observed on B. subtilis

Anti-hyperglycemic activity of Heliotropium strigosum (Boraginaecae) whole plant extract in alloxan-induced diabetic mice

Purpose: To investigate Heliotropium strigosum whole plant extract for its potential to reduce the blood glucose level of alloxan-induced diabetic mice.Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard  procedures. Diabetes was induced in Balb/c mice by injecting alloxan (200 mg/kg i.p.). The crude methanol extract of Heliotropium strigosum (Hs.Cr, 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg doses) was administered daily to alloxan-induced diabetic mice for 15 days and its effect on fasting blood glucose levels, body weight and oral glucose tolerancewas evaluated. Two control groups (non-diabetic control and diabetic control)  received normal saline (0.2 ml). Metformin (500 mg/kg) was used as reference standard.Results: Heliotropium strigosum showed positive for the presence of alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids. The extract (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg) caused significant reduction in the fasting blood glucose level of alloxan-induced diabetic mice on days 5, 10 and 15 compared to diabetic control (p < 0.001). In this regard, the  anti-hyperglycemic effect compared to the reference (metformin). The extract also timedependently decreased the body weight of the treated animals as well as improved tolerance of the oral glucose overload.Conclusion: These results indicate that Heliotropium strigosum possesses  anti-hyperglycemic effect, reduces body weight and enhances the tolerance of  glucose overload in mice. Further studies are therefore required to determine its  feasiilty as an alternate herbal medicine in the management of diabetes in humans.Keywords: Heliotropium strigosum, Anti-hyperglycemic, Alloxan-induced diabetic mice, Blood glucose, Oral glucose tolerance, Body weigh

Assessment of knowledge, preventive behaviours and risk perception related to Covid-19 among medical students of Rawalpindi

Objectives: The study was conducted to determine the knowledge, preventive behaviours and perception of risk related to Covid-19 among the medical students who are the front line workers and are more susceptible to be infected. Methodology: This analytical cross sectional study was conducted in medical students of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year MBBS of various medical institutions of Rawalpindi. Study duration was 5 months (March 2020 to July 2020). The sample size was 425. Age ranging from 18 to 21 and 273 (64.2%) comprised of females. The inclusion criteria were those students who gave consent and filled out the questionnaire and the exclusion criteria was who didn't concede. The data was analysed on SPSS. Confidence interval was set to be 95% with 5% margin of error. Results: Most of the students were aware of the basic Covid-19 related knowledge like common symptoms, incubation period, transmission and the basic preventive measures which was on average higher than the previous studies conducted on medical students and on health care workers. Students were also having high level of performance in preventive behaviours in perspective of Covid-19 but risk perception is of moderate level. Conclusion: Participants were found to have high levels of knowledge related to Covid-19 except use of N95 masks and use of anti-viral drugs for treatment. Among self-reported preventive behaviours section, lowest score is related to frequency of cleaning and disinfecting items that can be easily touched with hands (i.e. door handles and surfaces). Participants had moderate risk perception despite having high levels of knowledge and high performance in self-reported behaviours. Keywords: Covid-19, medical students, risk perceptio

Development and validation of a spectroscopic method for the simultaneous analysis of miconazole nitrate and hydrocortisone acetate in pharmaceutical dosage form

Purpose: To develop a new analytical method for the quantitative analysis of miconazole nitrate (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA) in pharmaceutical creams.Methods: The study was accomplished in three steps. In the first stage, a spectroscopic method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of miconazole (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA). For this purpose, serial dilutions of both drugs were prepared using ethanol: water (50:50) as the solvent system. All solutions were analyzed for absorbance spectrophotometrically at 205 and 249 nm for MCN and HCA, respectively. The method was validated for linearity, range, accuracy, precision and robustness. A commercial formulation was also assayed by the proposed method.Results: The absorbance data were linear over a concentration range of 1 to 12 μg/mL for MCN and 1 to 40 μg/mL for HCA, with correlation coefficient of 0.9995 and 0.9984, respectively. Limit of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ) of MCN were  0.49 and 1.49 μg/mL, respectively, and for HCA, 1.50 and 4.57 μg/mL, respectively. The assay results for the commercial  formulation were within the limits specified in British Pharmacopoeia.Conclusion: Simultaneous quantification of miconazole (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA) by UV spectroscopy provides a simple, reliable and robust method for the characterization of a mixture of the drugs in a dosage form.Keywords: Simultaneous analysis, Miconazole nitrate, Hdrocortisone acetate, UV-visible spectroscopy, Method validatio

Tick Infestation, Distribution, Identification, and Risk Factors on Large Ruminants in Southern Regions of Pakistan

The livestock sector plays fundamental role in Pakistan\u27s economy, and a variety of ruminants (cattle and buffaloes) are raised to meet the rising demand for milk, meat, and hide goods. Ticks are the most common vectors for the transmission of tick-borne disease and several pathogens to animals and people. Ticks are widespread in Pakistan due to the country\u27s favorable subtropical climate, and they parasitize large and small ruminants, causing infestation and mortality, as well as economic losses to herdsmen. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the tick’s epidemiology in large animals in the selected Southern regions of Pakistan, during the year 2020-21, along with the identification of infesting ticks and their associated risk factors. For this purpose, a total of 2637 tick specimens were collected from 2813 animals and seven tick species belonging to five genera were identified from examined animals. The identified species were A. variegatum, D. marginatus, H. anatolicum, H. excavatum, H. dromedarii, Hae. punctata and R. sanguineus. D. marginatus was not found on buffaloes, while A. variegatum, Hae. punctata and H. excavatum were not recorded on cows. Age and sex of the animals were non-significantly (p \u3e 0.05) associated with the prevalence of tick infestation. However, the females and younger animals were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) infested with ticks as compared to males and older animals. The most common sites of tick attachment were the tail and ear regions, while the thigh region was the least common. This study concluded that H. anatolicum is the most prevalent tick species found on both hosts (cows and buffaloes), which bear a major risk of protozoan transmission in the livestock population and may badly affect the health status and production of the animals

Nano Titania Applications in Cancer Theranostics

Titanium is one of the most abundantly utilized nanomaterials for human consumption. Biomedical applications of nano titania include sunscreens, drug delivery, prosthetic implants, bioimaging probes, and antimicrobial and antirheumatic agents for various treatment of diseases, including autoimmune disease, neurogenerative diseases, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and cancer. Its applications as a drug delivery vehicle and photosensitizer in cancer therapy and diagnosis are highly appreciated, especially for skin and natural cavities applications. The reactive oxygen species (i.e., H2O2, OH., OH2, 1O2, etc.) generation properties of nano titania after activation with light or ultrasound make it ideal for apoptosis induction in neoplastic cells. In addition, the singlet oxygen (1O2) generating properties make it suitable for bioimaging deep-seated and superficial tumors after activation. Nano titania is highly biocompatible with negligible adverse effects. In this chapter, we will focus on the anticancer effects of nano titania on various types of cancers by employing it as a drug delivery vehicle and sensitizer for external source-activated modalities viz. photodynamic and sonodynamic therapy

A DNA Based Colour Image Encryption Scheme Using A Convolutional Autoencoder

With the advancement in technology, digital images can easily be transmitted and stored over the Internet. Encryption is used to avoid illegal interception of digital images. Encrypting large-sized colour images in their original dimension generally results in low encryption/decryption speed along with exerting a burden on the limited bandwidth of the transmission channel. To address the aforementioned issues, a new encryption scheme for colour images employing convolutional autoencoder, DNA and chaos is presented in this paper. The proposed scheme has two main modules, the dimensionality conversion module using the proposed convolutional autoencoder, and the encryption/decryption module using DNA and chaos. The dimension of the input colour image is first reduced from N $\times$ M $\times$ 3 to P $\times$ Q gray-scale image using the encoder. Encryption and decryption are then performed in the reduced dimension space. The decrypted gray-scale image is upsampled to obtain the original colour image having dimension N $\times$ M $\times$ 3. The training and validation accuracy of the proposed autoencoder is 97% and 95%, respectively. Once the autoencoder is trained, it can be used to reduce and subsequently increase the dimension of any arbitrary input colour image. The efficacy of the designed autoencoder has been demonstrated by the successful reconstruction of the compressed image into the original colour image with negligible perceptual distortion. The second major contribution presented in this paper is an image encryption scheme using DNA along with multiple chaotic sequences and substitution boxes. The security of the proposed image encryption algorithm has been gauged using several evaluation parameters, such as histogram of the cipher image, entropy, NPCR, UACI, key sensitivity, contrast, etc. encryption