Probing Cosmic-ray Propagation with TeV Gamma Rays from the Sun Using the HAWC Observatory

Cosmic rays in the inner solar system are subject to deflection by both the geomagnetic and interplanetary magnetic fields, and simultaneously interact with the Sun's photosphere resulting in the production of gamma rays. This phenomenon can be studied by observing the deficit ("shadow") in the cosmic ray flux from the direction of the Sun and searching for an excess photon signal above the isotropic background. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory in Mexico has been taking data on the solar disk at TeV energies since the end of 2014. We present our first efforts to estimate the luminosity of TeV gamma rays from the Sun which can be used to place limits on the production mechanisms, including astrophysical processes and beyond the standard model predictions.Comment: Presented at the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2017), Bexco, Busan, Korea. See arXiv:1708.02572 for all HAWC contribution

Bed Bath Practices Among Nurses Towards the Patients Admitted in Critical Care Units: The Role of Care Complexity

Introduction: Every day bed-bath are normally accommodated most basically sick patients to improve their cleanliness, advance solace and improve wellbeing results. Fundamentally sick patients are at more serious hazard for skin colonization and contamination with multidrug-resistance pathogenic organisms. Hence, it is imperative to furnish basically sick patient with powerful close to home cleanliness particularly bed-bath as poor cleanliness may expand the danger of contamination. Methodology: quantitative observational descriptive study design was used to assess the nurses’ practices regarding bed-bath of critically ill patients. In order to assess nurses practiced, data was collected through the standardized checklist regarding bed bath. The check consists of 51 items. Results: The findings of this study revealed that there is poor practices of nurses regarding bed bath of critically ill patients. Conclusion: This study has described an important basic nursing care that is bed-bath practice in critically ill patient. Although, bed-bath is a routine nursing procedure, critical care nurses in the current study had poor skills and practices regarding it. This study has implications for clinical practice and nursing research. Bed-bath is a routine nursing care; many nurses understand that bathing is just for cleaning. Therefore, Inservice training program should be conducted Keywords: bed bath, practice, critical, patient. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/95-02 Publication date: November 30th 202

Financial Determinants of Economic Growth of Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis

The paper attempts to investigate the relationship between savings and Economic growth of Pakistan by using the time series data from 1972 to 2015. For empirical analysis, ordinary least square method is used. The analysis is made in two parts. In the first part; descriptive statistics and correlation matrix are described. In second part, multivariate analysis explains how saving of Pakistan is determined by economic growth. This study concludes that the employed labor force, gross fixed capital formation and exchange rate have positive and significant influence on real gross domestic product. Foreign direct investment and gross domestic savings have negative but insignificant impact on real gross domestic product. Keeping in view the role of savings and economic growth in Pakistan. It is recommended that government should provide enabling environment and fiscal incentives for enhancing the foreign direct investment. This will increase the gross domestic product in the country. For this purpose, the industrial and agricultural sectors of the country must be stable. Moreover, there is a need of creating an investment friendly business environment in Pakistan

Metal recycle and recovery

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The development of techniques for the removal and recovery of metals from industrial effluent taking account of the consequences of the definition of waste in the Basel Convention on transfrontier shipment of waste is reported. The use of fluidised bed cell electrolysis in the recovery of metals from dilute solutions is investigated, and the conditions for recovery optimised. For the first time the application of a novel activated carbon cloth concentrator cell to recover metals from effluent solutions is reported and the conditions for its use optimised. Comparative studies using conventional mesh and plate electrodes, and novel activated carbon cloth electrode for the recovery of cobalt from dilute solution, and copper from three different hydrometallurgical solutions viz (i) Cu/Zn, (ii)Cu/Zn/Fe and (iii) Cu/Zn/Cd containing effluents were carried out. Application of concentrator cell technology including activated carbon cloth and ion exchange resin to the recovery of metals, including precious group metals, from industrial as-supplied samples is reported. Optimisation leads to successful recovery of iridium and palladium from very dilute solutions. The alternative recovery of metal as added-value chemicals is also investigated. The Basel Convention is concerned with transfrontier shipment of waste from developed to developing countries and has produced a need to investigate the leachability of metals in various forms. In this work the leachability of copper and zinc is studied under various conditions that model environmental situations and the results have been used to develop a methodology to determine whether a metal containing material would be subject to a shipment ban under the Convention. As part of the development of the methodology, leaching studies were also carried out on single chemical compounds of copper, zinc, cadmium and lead, and their bioavailability determined

Dubin-Johnson syndrome

A young man presented with recurrent episodes of mild jaundice. Apart from conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, other liver function tests were always normal. Clinical suspicion of Dubin-Johnson syndrome was raised. Liver biopsy showed diffuse deposition of coarse granular dark brown pigment in hepatocytes. Dubin-Johnson syndrome is a benign condition, which results from a hereditary defect in biliary secretion of bilirubin pigments, and manifests as recurrent jaundice with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The defect is due to the absence of the canalicular protein MRP2 located on chromosomes 10q 24, which is responsible for the transport of biliary glucuronides and related organic anions into bile. No treatment is necessary and patients have a normal life expectancy

Gender difference in Information Seeking of research scholars at University of Sargodha, Pakistan

Purpose of this study is to explore gender difference in the information seeking behavior of research scholars in the field of library and information science. This small-scale study examines the relationship between socio-economic variables and change in information seeking behavior with special reference to gender. Methodology deployed to conduct this study was quantitative in nature. Data was collected through structured questionnaire from 311 participants enrolled in research degrees (both in social and natural science subjects) at University of Sargodha. Primary data was collected by second author for her M.Phil dissertation on “information seeking behavior in the digital environment”. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Findings reveal that gender difference plays an important role in the information behavior of research scholars at university level. There is a strong association between gender and Time spend online for information seeking. The use of smartphone is equally common between male and female research scholars, however, female research scholars are more likely to use online journals than their male counterparts. Male and female research scholars equally prefer different digital resources like offline e-resources, internet-based digital resources, material available via social media spaces, and Audio/Visual digital resources, to see

Growth, Poverty and Openness; An Analysis in South Asian Perspective

This Paper assesses the relationship of economic growth and poverty with openness in South Asian region in the light of the basic objectives of WTO (World Trade Organization) which states that openness of trade raises the living standard along with full employment and growing volume of real income. For the purpose seven South Asian countries namely Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan are selected in this study. Study period of 53 years has been divided into pre and post liberalization, i.e. 1960-1980 and 1981-2012 to compare this relationship of economic growth and poverty with openness during both periods not only in the region generally but specify the share of individual country in this relationship also. Two options of Fixed effect model are utilized for the purpose. The “slope coefficient constant and intercept varies” and “all coefficients vary across individual cross sectional units”. Results show a significantly positive impact of openness over economic growth andpoverty of the region generally and specifically signifies the share of Maldives inaffecting growth and of India in affecting poverty as compared to other countries of the region. Gini (income inequality) worsens average income growth and poverty situation and specifically highlights the role of Sri Lanka and Nepal in this context in the region. Unemployment lowers growth and raises poverty of the South Asian region as theory states but Pakistan and Nepal have relatively greater shares in worsening this situation of growth and poverty respectively. During both period economic growth shows a positive impact over poverty and specially during post 80 period when its share is improved in affecting poverty of the region. Here Sri Lanka has relatively more effective role than other countries of the region

HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS AT A TERTIAR CARE HOSPITAL

OBJECTIVE: To assess health-related quality of life and co-morbidity pattern in hemodialysis patients METHODS: By a non probability purposive sampling procedure, 123 hemodialysis patients from our hemodialysis center in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore, (Pakistan) were interviewed by resident doctor according to the SF-36 Scales. The means and standard deviations for each of eight scales were calculated, each domain ranges from 0-100, the highest scores indicating better quality of life. Comorbidities like DM, Hypertension ,ischemic heart disease lung disease etc were also recorded. RESULTS: The scores of the eight scales in the hemodialysis patients were 49.92 ±30.90, 38.82 ±41.39, 46.73 ±26.54, 40.52 ± 21.65, 43.98 ±21.82, 49.43 ±27.76, 49.85 ±40.59 and 59.93 ±17.36. Co-morbidities pattern were hypertension in 104(84.6%),DM 59(48%),ischemic heart disease 23(18.7%) and other co morbidities were less common. The scores of most of the scale in the patients with co morbidities were lower as compared to patients without co morbidities. Data obtained was entered by a doctor in SPSS version 20 and was analyzed to compute descriptive statistics of the numerical variables while frequencies and their percentages for categorical variables of the study. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that quality of life was poor among patients on hemodialysis particularly those having co-morbidities. Hypertension and diabetes were major co-morbidities in our study. Quality of life score was lower in female patients than that of male patients. Proper management of co-morbidities can improve quality of life of these patients which will decrease disease morbidity and mortality. This will also provide psychological and financial relief to the suffering families and also be cost effective for hospital authorities in terms of availability of space. Key Words: Hemodialysis, Quality of life,  SF-36 questionnaire

Vitamin D, Its Receptor Gene Polymorphism and Breast Cancer

Vitamin D is synthesized within skin followed by the peripheral maturation in liver and kidneys. Vitamin D is most essential secosteroid produced its systemic functions via complex with steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor called vitamin D receptor (VDR). The binding of the vitamin D3 to VDR causes conformational changes that permit VDR-RXR heterodimer formation and VDR/ SRC-1 (transcriptional co-activator proteins) interactions. Functional expression and nuclear activation of VDR is necessary to produce its effects upon binding with vitamin D response element (VDRE) on target gene where it causes transcriptional activation resulting in the prevention of breast cancer by inhibiting proliferation, impeding differentiation and stimulating pro-apoptosis. Season, latitude, pigmentation of skin, aging, sunscreen use, obesity, and smoking all affect the production of vitamin D. In case of vitamin D deficiency or VDR gene polymorphisms, vitamin D responses are altered and probably are involved in the risk of breast cancer. Since many epidemiological, observational and interventional studies have been done to illustrate the role of vitamin D and its receptor gene polymorphism in breast cancer development but controversial findings have been observed. Therefore, the role of vitamin D and its receptor gene polymorphisms in development of breast cancer are still a matter of discussion