2-[2-(1,3-Dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)acetamido]­acetic acid

The title mol­ecule, C12H10N2O5, is non-planar with dihedral angles of 89.08 (7) and 83.21 (7)° between the phthalimide and acetamide mean planes, and the acetamide and acetic acid mean planes, respectively. In the crystal, symmetry-related mol­ecules are linked via N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming an undulating two-dimensional network. There are also a number of weak C—H⋯O inter­actions, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional arrangement

Survival Analysis of Dialysis Patients Under Parametric and Non-Parametric Approaches

Dialysis is a recommended way of treatment for end stage kidney diseases and it provides a life saving procedure. Transplantation can also be useful source but it is restricted by financial limitations especially in developing countries like Pakistan. Censoring is an important part of the survival data which causes insensitivity to the usual procedures of analysis. A little work has been done in literature regarding the estimated survival time of dialysis patients in Pakistan. So, this study has estimated the median survival time of male/females patients separately by parametric and non-parametric approaches. Moreover, comparison of survival time to patients (50 years) was also compared. Frequently, in modeling the survival data, most of the time we have no prior information about the theoretical distribution of survival time is available, that’s why, and non-parametric methods are commonly used. The significance of this study is the fitting of probability distribution of real life time data of dialysis patients which is not done before. It is very laborious job to fit an appropriate distribution of the data. We find that the probability distribution of our real life time data is weibull distribution. Finding suggested that the Kaplan-Meier method and weibull model based on Anderson-Darling test provided a very close estimate of the survival function in both genders and age groups. On the average survival time in males is relatively high but not statistically different from females

Groundwater Contamination Study of Faisalabad and Sargodha Metropolitan Cities

The groundwater is one of the most important sources for fulfilling daily needs. Groundwater for drinking purposes is the biggest source in Pakistan, but due to population explosion, the rapid development of industrialization, deforestation, urbanization and unplanned housing schemes on agricultural lands are the major reasons for groundwater contamination and deterioration. The work emphasized evaluating the physicochemical characteristics of the groundwater of the two cities of Punjab, Faisalabad and Sargodha for drinking purposes. Overall thirty samples were collected in triplicate, fifteen from each city, Faisalabad and Sargodha, respectively. Physicochemical parameters, trace elements and microbiological analysis were conducted. The results revealed that the quantities of Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Sodium (Na), Chloride (Cl-), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were significantly higher than the permissible limits of WHO in the majority of the samples from Sargodha, while TDS, Total Hardness (TH), were higher in most samples of Faisalabad. The studied trace elements Aluminum (Al), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Cadmium (Cd), and Lead (Pb) were found under safe limits of WHO except Cr, Cd, Se and Mn in Sargodha city and in Faisalabad Se and Cd were found to be crossing WHO levels in few locations. The samples from Faisalabad were found microbiologically unsafe as compared to Sargodha. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the area's most dominant anion was chloride. Many processes are involved in changing water chemistry, and the water quality was controlled by rock water interaction and evaporation procedures. The study concluded that the area's water was brackish; due to this, the water was found unsuitable for drinking purposes. Therefore, the supply of safe water and water treatment plant installations are highly recommended in these areas

Genomics of Salinity Tolerance in Plants

Plants are frequently exposed to wide range of harsh environmental factors, such as drought, salinity, cold, heat, and insect attack. Being sessile in nature, plants have developed different strategies to adapt and grow under rapidly changing environments. These strategies involve rearrangements at the molecular level starting from transcription, regulation of mRNA processing, translation, and protein modification or its turnover. Plants show stress-specific regulation of transcription that affects their transcriptome under stress conditions. The transcriptionally regulated genes have different roles under stress response. Generally, seedling and reproductive stages are more susceptible to stress. Thus, stress response studies during these growth stages reveal novel differentially regulated genes or proteins with important functions in plant stress adaptation. Exploiting the functional genomics and bioinformatics studies paved the way in understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype of an organism suffering from environmental stress. Future research programs can be focused on the development of transgenic plants with enhanced stress tolerance in field conditions based upon the outcome of genomic approaches and knowing the mystery of nucleotides sequences hidden in cells

Physicochemical and pathological assessment of groundwater quality from Sargodha, Pakistan using hybrid multi-layer slow sand filter: pre and post treatment analysis

One of the main issues confronting humanity in the twenty-first century is the lack of potable water availability. Around half of the world’s consumers face drinking water scarcity. Industrially rich areas have a high population and high-water contamination risk factors. Modern technologies that are quite effective for water purification, present economical limitations that impede their usefulness in developing countries. Conventional methods involving low energy, low chemical demand, and prevention of water-borne disease are therefore significant for water purification in developing countries like Pakistan. These limitations have led to improvising the conventional method for facile water purification. Herein we report the water purification assembly based on allow sand filtration; involving the raw materials grass, clay, sand, silt, pebbles, gravel and coal/ fly ash carbon to obtain clean and quality-controlled water treatment. Ground water samples collected from various areas of Sargodha city were subjected to the developed design Hybrid Multi-Layer Slow Sand Filter (HMLSSF). Based on pre- and post-treatment water analysis, it was determined that the filtration assembly was quite effective at reducing pH, turbidity, dissolved and suspended solids, hardness, and heavy metals percent removal by 87%, 77.7%, 91.3%, 95.4%, 84.4%, and to promising levels, respectively. Moreover, 99 % biological contamination such as total coliform was also removed by this method

Measuring routine childhood vaccination coverage in 204 countries and territories, 1980-2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020, Release 1

Background Measuring routine childhood vaccination is crucial to inform global vaccine policies and programme implementation, and to track progress towards targets set by the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Immunization Agenda 2030. Robust estimates of routine vaccine coverage are needed to identify past successes and persistent vulnerabilities. Drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020, Release 1, we did a systematic analysis of global, regional, and national vaccine coverage trends using a statistical framework, by vaccine and over time. Methods For this analysis we collated 55 326 country-specific, cohort-specific, year-specific, vaccine-specific, and dosespecific observations of routine childhood vaccination coverage between 1980 and 2019. Using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, we produced location-specific and year-specific estimates of 11 routine childhood vaccine coverage indicators for 204 countries and territories from 1980 to 2019, adjusting for biases in countryreported data and reflecting reported stockouts and supply disruptions. We analysed global and regional trends in coverage and numbers of zero-dose children (defined as those who never received a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP] vaccine dose), progress towards GVAP targets, and the relationship between vaccine coverage and sociodemographic development. Findings By 2019, global coverage of third-dose DTP (DTP3; 81.6% [95% uncertainty interval 80.4-82 .7]) more than doubled from levels estimated in 1980 (39.9% [37.5-42.1]), as did global coverage of the first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1; from 38.5% [35.4-41.3] in 1980 to 83.6% [82.3-84.8] in 2019). Third- dose polio vaccine (Pol3) coverage also increased, from 42.6% (41.4-44.1) in 1980 to 79.8% (78.4-81.1) in 2019, and global coverage of newer vaccines increased rapidly between 2000 and 2019. The global number of zero-dose children fell by nearly 75% between 1980 and 2019, from 56.8 million (52.6-60. 9) to 14.5 million (13.4-15.9). However, over the past decade, global vaccine coverage broadly plateaued; 94 countries and territories recorded decreasing DTP3 coverage since 2010. Only 11 countries and territories were estimated to have reached the national GVAP target of at least 90% coverage for all assessed vaccines in 2019. Interpretation After achieving large gains in childhood vaccine coverage worldwide, in much of the world this progress was stalled or reversed from 2010 to 2019. These findings underscore the importance of revisiting routine immunisation strategies and programmatic approaches, recentring service delivery around equity and underserved populations. Strengthening vaccine data and monitoring systems is crucial to these pursuits, now and through to 2030, to ensure that all children have access to, and can benefit from, lifesaving vaccines. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national sex differences in the global burden of tuberculosis by HIV status, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Tuberculosis is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, causing more than a million deaths annually. Given an emphasis on equity in access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in global health targets, evaluations of differences in tuberculosis burden by sex are crucial. We aimed to assess the levels and trends of the global burden of tuberculosis, with an emphasis on investigating differences in sex by HIV status for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Methods We used a Bayesian hierarchical Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) platform to analyse 21 505 site-years of vital registration data, 705 site-years of verbal autopsy data, 825 site-years of sample-based vital registration data, and 680 site-years of mortality surveillance data to estimate mortality due to tuberculosis among HIV-negative individuals. We used a population attributable fraction approach to estimate mortality related to HIV and tuberculosis coinfection. A compartmental meta-regression tool (DisMod-MR 2.1) was then used to synthesise all available data sources, including prevalence surveys, annual case notifications, population-based tuberculin surveys, and tuberculosis cause-specific mortality, to produce estimates of incidence, prevalence, and mortality that were internally consistent. We further estimated the fraction of tuberculosis mortality that is attributable to independent effects of risk factors, including smoking, alcohol use, and diabetes, for HIV-negative individuals. For individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, we assessed mortality attributable to HIV risk factors including unsafe sex, intimate partner violence (only estimated among females), and injection drug use. We present 95% uncertainty intervals for all estimates. Findings Globally, in 2019, among HIV-negative individuals, there were 1.18 million (95% uncertainty interval 1.08-1.29) deaths due to tuberculosis and 8.50 million (7.45-9.73) incident cases of tuberculosis. Among HIV-positive individuals, there were 217 000 (153 000-279 000) deaths due to tuberculosis and 1.15 million (1.01-1.32) incident cases in 2019. More deaths and incident cases occurred in males than in females among HIV-negative individuals globally in 2019, with 342 000 (234 000-425 000) more deaths and 1.01 million (0.82-1.23) more incident cases in males than in females. Among HIV-positive individuals, 6250 (1820-11 400) more deaths and 81 100 (63 300-100 000) more incident cases occurred among females than among males in 2019. Age-standardised mortality rates among HIV-negative males were more than two times greater in 105 countries and age-standardised incidence rates were more than 1.5 times greater in 74 countries than among HIV-negative females in 2019. The fraction of global tuberculosis deaths among HIV-negative individuals attributable to alcohol use, smoking, and diabetes was 4.27 (3.69-5.02), 6.17 (5.48-7.02), and 1.17 (1.07-1.28) times higher, respectively, among males than among females in 2019. Among individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, the fraction of mortality attributable to injection drug use was 2.23 (2.03-2.44) times greater among males than females, whereas the fraction due to unsafe sex was 1.06 (1.05-1.08) times greater among females than males. Interpretation As countries refine national tuberculosis programmes and strategies to end the tuberculosis epidemic, the excess burden experienced by males is important. Interventions are needed to actively communicate, especially to men, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. These interventions should occur in parallel with efforts to minimise excess HIV burden among women in the highest HIV burden countries that are contributing to excess HIV and tuberculosis coinfection burden for females. Placing a focus on tuberculosis burden among HIV-negative males and HIV and tuberculosis coinfection among females might help to diminish the overall burden of tuberculosis. This strategy will be crucial in reaching both equity and burden targets outlined by global health milestone

نیما یوشیج: شخصیت وفن

Nima Yushij, the father of modern Persian poetry, is the most important poet of twentieth century in Iran. He was a trend setter poet who, with his powerful thought and art, entirely changed the canvas of Persian poetry both in form and content. Most of the modern Persian poets are highly and deeply impressed by Nima's revolutionary themes and skills. This paper provides a brief life sketch of Nima Yushij besides an introduction to his art and thought.  </p

An Integrated Approach for Developing an Urban Livability Composite Index&mdash;A Cities&rsquo; Ranking Road Map to Achieve Urban Sustainability

Livability is a concept that assesses the quality of life and relative performance of different regions and communities, based on various qualitative and quantitative factors. The assessment of urban livability is a complex and multidimensional task, which is of utmost importance for informed and transparent policy and decision making. The present study aimed to develop a road map for cities&rsquo; ranking on the bases of their livability. We have used a case study of eight major cities of Punjab, Pakistan. Indicators of cities&rsquo; sustainability considered for the cities&rsquo; ranking were spatial planning and growth, individual wellbeing, urban economy, connectivity and infrastructure, quality of life, and the urban environment. In the first stage, after the consolidation of socio-economic, environmental, and other indicators, they are converted into dimension indices by taking geometric means. In the second stage, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) has been employed for assigning weights to each dimension into a composite index. The results of the study depict the disparities among cities through a multidimensional analysis. Lahore is ranked as first overall from the bottom. Thus, the study recommends that, despite the high standing of Lahore on the livability ladder, it must address the issue of connectivity and traffic congestion and per capita needs of the public infrastructure for a growing mega metropolitan city of over 10 million people. Similarly, Rawalpindi is ranked as the second-best city with regard to livability in Punjab. The main contributing factors for Rawalpindi city are &lsquo;individual well-being&rsquo;, &lsquo;urban economy&rsquo;, and &lsquo;urban environment&rsquo;. Moreover, the current study also suggests important policy implications for decision makers to highlight the areas that must be reconsidered for improvement in terms of the selected indicators and dimensions

An Integrated Approach for Developing an Urban Livability Composite Index—A Cities’ Ranking Road Map to Achieve Urban Sustainability

Livability is a concept that assesses the quality of life and relative performance of different regions and communities, based on various qualitative and quantitative factors. The assessment of urban livability is a complex and multidimensional task, which is of utmost importance for informed and transparent policy and decision making. The present study aimed to develop a road map for cities’ ranking on the bases of their livability. We have used a case study of eight major cities of Punjab, Pakistan. Indicators of cities’ sustainability considered for the cities’ ranking were spatial planning and growth, individual wellbeing, urban economy, connectivity and infrastructure, quality of life, and the urban environment. In the first stage, after the consolidation of socio-economic, environmental, and other indicators, they are converted into dimension indices by taking geometric means. In the second stage, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) has been employed for assigning weights to each dimension into a composite index. The results of the study depict the disparities among cities through a multidimensional analysis. Lahore is ranked as first overall from the bottom. Thus, the study recommends that, despite the high standing of Lahore on the livability ladder, it must address the issue of connectivity and traffic congestion and per capita needs of the public infrastructure for a growing mega metropolitan city of over 10 million people. Similarly, Rawalpindi is ranked as the second-best city with regard to livability in Punjab. The main contributing factors for Rawalpindi city are ‘individual well-being’, ‘urban economy’, and ‘urban environment’. Moreover, the current study also suggests important policy implications for decision makers to highlight the areas that must be reconsidered for improvement in terms of the selected indicators and dimensions