Finite AG-groupoid with left identity and left zero

A groupoid G whose elements satisfy the left invertive law: (ab)c=(cb)a is known as Abel-Grassman's groupoid (AG-groupoid). It is a nonassociative algebraic structure midway between a groupoid and a commutative semigroup. In this note, we show that if G is a finite AG-groupoid with a left zero then, under certain conditions, G without the left zero element is a commutative group

Soil Fertility Management for Sustainable Agriculture: A Case Studyof District Bahawalnagar, Pakistan

The study was conducted to classify soil of crop growing areas of District Bahawalnagar with respect to low, satisfactory and high soil fertility status for better management of the whole area. A total of 3624 soil samples collected from all tehsils of Bahawalnagar district (888 samples from Bahawalnagar, 743 samples from Chishtian, 528 samples from Fort Abbas, 573 samples from Haroon Abad and 892 soil samples from Minchin Abad) were tested in Soil and Water Testing Laboratory, Bahawalpur, Pakistan during 2011-2013.Soil characteristics of Bahawalnagar district were evaluated through physical and chemical analysis. Representative soil samples received/collected from farmers fields were analyzed for texture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, organic matter (OM), available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents. Texture of the soils varied from sandy loam to loam. About 66% soils had EC values within the normal range (< 4 dS m-1). The pH values of 94% soils ranged from 7.5 to 8.5 with an average of 8.03 and 5% soils had pH > 8.5. About 99% soils were poor( < 0.86%) in organic matter and only 1% samples had satisfactory level of organic matter(0.86-1.29%).About 68% soils were poor(<7 ppm) in available phosphorus, 23 % samples had satisfactory level of  available phosphorus(7-14 ppm) and only 9% samples had adequate level of available phosphorus (>14 ppm) contents. The K status of most of soils was in satisfactory (58%) and adequate range (30%). The objective of present study is to assess the soil fertility and salinity status of Bahawalnagar district for formulation of optimum fertilizer recommendations for different crops grown in the area. Key words: Soil Analysis, EC, pH, SOM, P, K, Bahawalnaga

Development of an Open Source Urdu Screen Reader for Visually Impaired People

Abstract Speech technology has enabled computer accessibility for users with visual impairments but the language barrier poses a great challenge. This project is an effort to overcome the hurdles faced by visually impaired people, in terms of language barrier, by providing them access to digital information through software which can communicate with them in Urdu. A survey was conducted in schools for blind to assess their information and communication needs. The survey helped to deduce the learning abilities, competency level and usability requirements of visually impaired children. An open source screen reader, NVDA was localized and afterwards integrated with Urdu text-to-speech system. The system was deployed in a school of visually impaired children where they participated in training and testing of the system. Results showed that visually impaired children performed equally well and in some cases even better with the localized screen reader as compared to an English screen reader

Biosorption of lead(II) and chromium(VI) on groundnut hull: Equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics study

The biosorption of lead(II) and chromium(VI) on groundnut hull was investigated. Batch biosorption experiments were conducted to find the equilibrium time and biosorption capacity. Effect of parameters like pH, temperature and initial metal concentration was studied. The maximum biosorption capacity of lead(II) and chromium(VI) was found to be 31.54 \ub1 0.63 and 30.21 \ub1 0.74 mg g-1, respectively. The optimum pH for lead(II) and chromium(VI) removal was 5 \ub1 0.1 and 2 \ub1 0.1, respectively. The temperature change, in the range of 20 - 45\ubaC affected the biosorption capacity. The maximum removal of lead(II) was achieved at 20 \ub1 2\ubaC, where as maximum uptake of chromium(VI) was observed at 40 \ub1 2\ubaC. The biosorption data was fitted to the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir model showed better representation of data, with correlation coefficient greater than 0.98. The kinetics of biosorption followed the pseudo second order kinetics model. The thermodynamics parameters were evaluated from the experimental data

Catalytic degradation of carbamazepine by surface modified zerovalent copper via activation of peroxymonosulfate: Mechanism, degradation pathways and ecotoxicity.

ABSTRACTIn this research work, surface modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) was prepared using simple borohydride reduction method. The spectroscopic and crystallographic results revealed the successful synthesis of surface modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) using solvents i.e., ethanol (ETOH), ethylene glycol (EG) and tween80 (T80). The as-synthesized material was fully characterized for morphological surface and crystal structural properties. The results indicated that EG provides excellent synthesis environment to nZVC compared to ETOH and T80 in terms of good dispersion, high surface area and excellent catalytic properties. The catalytic efficiency of nZVC/EG was investigated alone as well as with the addition of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the absence of light. The degradation results demonstrated that the involvement of PMS synergistically boosted the catalytic efficiency of synthesized nZVC/EG material. Furthermore, the degradation products (DPs) of CBZ were determined by GC-MS and subsequently the degradation pathways were proposed. The ecotoxicity analysis of the DPs was also explored. The proposed (nZVC/EG/PMS) system is economical and efficient and thus could be applied for the degradation of CBZ from aquatic system after altering the degradation pathways in such a way that results in harmless products formation

The cientificWorldJOURNAL Clinical Study Signal Persistence of Bispectral Index and State Entropy during Surgical Procedure under Sedation

Introduction. Bispectral index (BIS) and state entropy (SE) are prone to artifacts, especially due to electrocautery (EC). We compared the incidence of artifacts in BIS and SE during surgery under local anesthesia and sedation. Methods. 28 females undergoing breast surgery under local anesthesia and sedation were studied. Simultaneous BIS and SE measurements were recorded every 10 seconds. Artifact was defined as a failure of the device to display a numerical value while the electrodes remained appropriately attached to the patient's forehead. Ratio of artifact to good signal was compared between BIS and SE in the presence or absence of EC use. Results. 7679 data points were collected from 28 patients. Overall, artifact incidence was similar in BIS and SE (6.2% and 6.3%, resp.). In the presence of EC (1370 data points), BIS had significantly more artifact compared to SE (18.6% versus 6.4%, P < 0.0001). Without EC (6309 data points), BIS had significantly less artifact compared to SE (4.1% versus 7.3%, P < 0.0001). Discussion. BIS and SE were comparable for incidence of artifacts in patients under sedation. Use of EC lead to more artifact in BIS than SE. Conversely, BIS had fewer artifacts than SE when there was no EC use

Development of machine learning support for reading whole body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-MRI) in myeloma for the detection and quantification of the extent of disease before and after treatment (MALIMAR): protocol for a cross-sectional diagnostic test accuracy study.

INTRODUCTION: Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence as the first-line imaging tool for diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Reporting WB-MRI scans requires expertise to interpret and can be challenging for radiologists who need to meet rapid turn-around requirements. Automated computational tools based on machine learning (ML) could assist the radiologist in terms of sensitivity and reading speed and would facilitate improved accuracy, productivity and cost-effectiveness. The MALIMAR study aims to develop and validate a ML algorithm to increase the diagnostic accuracy and reading speed of radiological interpretation of WB-MRI compared with standard methods. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This phase II/III imaging trial will perform retrospective analysis of previously obtained clinical radiology MRI scans and scans from healthy volunteers obtained prospectively to implement training and validation of an ML algorithm. The study will comprise three project phases using approximately 633 scans to (1) train the ML algorithm to identify active disease, (2) clinically validate the ML algorithm and (3) determine change in disease status following treatment via a quantification of burden of disease in patients with myeloma. Phase 1 will primarily train the ML algorithm to detect active myeloma against an expert assessment ('reference standard'). Phase 2 will use the ML output in the setting of radiology reader study to assess the difference in sensitivity when using ML-assisted reading or human-alone reading. Phase 3 will assess the agreement between experienced readers (with and without ML) and the reference standard in scoring both overall burden of disease before and after treatment, and response. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: MALIMAR has ethical approval from South Central-Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (REC Reference: 17/SC/0630). IRAS Project ID: 233501. CPMS Portfolio adoption (CPMS ID: 36766). Participants gave informed consent to participate in the study before taking part. MALIMAR is funded by National Institute for Healthcare Research Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation funding (NIHR EME Project ID: 16/68/34). Findings will be made available through peer-reviewed publications and conference dissemination. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03574454

Neuregulin signaling pathway in smoking behavior

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