Wind Chill Effect & Thermal Insulation. Study of Wind Chill Effect and Thermal Insulation using Infrared Imaging

Wind chill factor is explained as the cooling sensation due to the exposure of wind temperature environment. The wind chill factor depends on air temperature, wind velocity, and humidity. Wind chill poses serious health risks. Various wind chill index models are given in the literature. In order to understand the wind chill effect, it is important to understand the phenomenon of heat transfer. There are three modes of heat transfer namely conduction, convection and radiation. The convective mode of heat transfer is most dominant in the case of wind chill. BS-EN 342 and ISO 11079:2007 (E) defines the clothing insulation requirements. Preliminary experiments using infrared thermography in cold room at The Arctic University of Norway demonstrates higher heat transfer under wind chill conditions with the means of infrared imaging. The experiments were also conducted to measure the relative required insulation of winter jackets, summer jackets, and sweaters via infrared imaging

Development of Graphene Nanostructures for Use in Anti-cancer Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine utilises biocompatible nanomaterials for therapeutic as well as imaging purposes, for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, neurological disorders and wound infections. Graphene, a material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms, has recently shown great potential to improve diagnostics and therapeutics, owing to its small size, large surface-area-to-volume ratio and unique physicochemical properties. However, the limited fabrication, in vitro and in vivo functionalities published in the literature indicate inconsistencies regarding the factors affecting metabolic fate, biodistribution as well as toxicity patterns of graphene. This thesis focuses on the biological effects of graphene-based materials, including graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), graphene nanopores (GNPs), graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and three-dimensional graphene foam (GF). These can be used to closely mimic therapeutic functions and thereby open up new pathways to anticancer nanomedicine. In this work, a biocompatible GO-based anti-metastatic enzyme cancer therapy approach has been introduced for the first time to target the extracellular pro-metastatic and pro- tumourigenic enzymes of cathepsin D and cathepsin L, which are typically overexpressed in ovarian and breast cancers. Definitive binding and modulation of cathepsin- D and -L with GO has revealed that both of the enzymes were adsorbed onto the surface of GO through its cationic and hydrophilic residues under the biologically relevant condition of acidic pH. It has been demonstrated that low concentrations of rGO were shown to significantly produce late apoptosis and necrosis rather than early apoptotic events in lung cancer cells (A549 and SKMES-1), suggesting that it was able to disintegrate the cellular membranes in a dose-dependent manner. GNPs at lower concentrations (250µg/ml) induce upregulation of phosphatidylserine on cell surface membrane (i.e. early apoptotic event), which does not significantly disintegrate the cell membrane in the aforementioned lung cancer cells, while higher concentrations of GNPs (5 and 15 mg/kg) in rats (when intraperitoneally injected) exhibited sub-chronic toxicity in a period of 27 days. The interaction of GQDs and trypsin has revealed the strong bonding capacity of GQDs with trypsin, owing to their surface charge and surface functionalities evidencing the high bioavailability of GQDs in enzyme engineering. Finally, 3D GF was developed to probe the role of graphene-based scaffold cues in the field of regenerative medicine revealing their cell attachment to in vitro cell cultures. Furthermore, GF was shown to maintain remarkable biocompatibility with in vitro and in vivo toxicity screening models when exposed for 7 days at doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg/l. Taken together, graphene and its modified structures developed in this thesis promise to revolutionise clinical settings across the board in nanomedicine which include, but are not limited to, ultra-high sensitive enzyme adsorbents, high throughput biosensors, enzyme modulators and smart scaffolds for tissue regeneration.EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Metamaterials, XM2 (Grant no. EP/L015331/1) the University Of Exeter EX4, United Kingdom

Different Level of Fertigation Influences Rose Flowering and Production

Use of irrigation water becomes scarce in the whole world. It is more desirable to get plenty of benefit from already present reservoirs. Method of fertilizer application to crop, especially to ornamental plant is a key issue to get the optimum potential of the crop. Different fertilizer incorporation methods have its own drawback and advantages. Therefore, under these circumstances, the present study was conducted to find out influences of different fertigation level with application of compound fertilizer on vegetative growth, flowering characteristic and chemical constituent of two rose hybrids Amelia and Anjleeq. An experiment was conducted at experimental Landscaping and Ornamental research substation, Multan during year 2011. Fertigation treatment was applied 100,200,300,400 and 500 ml to treatment, but not to control treatment. Compound fertilizer having a ratio (17:17:17) was applied at rate 2 gL-1 to all treatment. Our experimental result shows that all of different fertigation level influences rose production, flowering and chemical constituent. Maximum rose production, flowering and chemical constituent occurred due to 400 ml fertigation treatment followed by 300 ml. Therefore, it is proved from our experiment that fertigation technique with different level has potential to enhance and significantly affected all parameters of two rose hybrids Amelia and Anjleeq. Keywords: Fertilizer level, Fertigation, Rose, Amelia and Anjlee

Detection of Cracks and Potholes in Roads using Infrared Thermography

Many remote sensing techniques can be used to identify the cracks/voids on the road surfaces. The given research focuses on applying infrared thermography (IRT). IRT technology can detect features based on the different thermal signature. This method would be an excellent tool for detecting the fracture/cracks. It is because of the reason that the naturally occurring water (rain, snowmelt, etc.) seeps into fractures/cracks. The water has different heat capacity than the material of road surface, and will not undergo cooling or heating as fast as roads surface, hence develop a qualitative thermal signature. This thermal image can be captured using IRT. Also, if the crack is in-depth and invisible from the surface may also be detected using IRT. One of the most common reason for the road damages in high-north is the seepage of water, followed by the freezing/thawing cycle. Cracks have various topographical features and can be categorised based on their shape, depth, and propagation rate. One of the examples of such crack is referred to as a ‘crocodile crack’. If left untreated, the ‘crocodile crack’ turns into even greater damage, such as potholes. Maintenance and repair cost of potholes is far larger than repairing the crack. Hence preemptive detection is essential for a cost-effective and an efficient solution

Preventing Vaccine Failure in Poultry Flocks

Poultry sector is very useful for humans in terms of production of food items like meat and eggs. Pakistan has a developing poultry sector and is the second important sector after the textile industry. The poultry sector is encountered with many challenges; among them is the high incidence of disease outbreaks that result in colossal economic losses. The diseases of commercial and rural poultry include Newcastle disease (ND), infectious bursal disease (IBD), fowl pox, Marek’s disease, infectious bronchitis (IB), avian influenza, hydropericardium syndrome, etc. The disease outbreaks have also occurred in vaccinated flocks. Better understanding of the causes of vaccine failure will result in identifying prophylactic measures regarding disease outbreaks in poultry flocks. This chapter overviews the common causes of vaccine failure and further highlights the procedures for successful immunization

PROLONGED DURATION OF NEPHROTIC SYNRDROM AND TREATMENT FAILURE AMONG CHILDREN WITH NEPHROTIC SYNDROME IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED HYPERTENSION.

Background; Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is one of the most common renal diseases found in the paediatric population and is associated with significant complications, including infection and thrombosis. A high proportion of children enter sustained remission before adulthood, and therapy must therefore mitigate the childhood complications, while minimising the long-term risk to health. Objective; To determine the frequency of hypertension in children with nephrotic syndrome presenting at a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods; All the patients (n = 146) who meet inclusion of this study were registered from OPD of Department of Pediatrics, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. Informed consent was taken from the parents of these children describing them objectives of this study, ensuring them confidentiality of the information provided and fact that there was no risk involved to the patient while taking part in this study. Children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome were taken in this study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured by researcher. Results; Of these 146 study cases, 92 (63%) were male patients while 54 (37 %) were female patients. Mean age of our study cases was 7.61 ± 2.55 years. Our study results have indicated that majority of our study cases i.e. 91 (62.3 %) were aged more than 7 years. Of these 146 study cases, 76 (52.1 %) belonged to rural areas and 70 (47.9 %) belonged to urban areas. Positive family history was noted in 11 (7.5%) and 129 (88.4%) mothers of these patients were illiterate. Compliance with the treatment was noted only in 31 (21.2%) of our study cases. Mean disease duration was 18.51 ± 10.26 months and 86 (58.9%) had duration of illness more than 12 months. Mean duration of treatment was 6.58± 2.28 months and 113 (77.4%) were taking their treatment for equal/less than 1 year. Mean systolic blood pressure was 135.85 ± 5.12 mmHg while diastolic blood pressure was 90.87 ± 3.25 mmHg. Hypertension was noted in 54 (37%) of our study cases. Conclusion; Frequency of hypertension was high among children having nephrotic syndrome in our study. Hypertension was significantly associated with family history, treatment compliance and prolonged disease duration. All clinicians treating such patients should monitor such children for hypertension for timely diagnosis and early management which will improve clinical outcomes and decrease disease morbidity. This will help to improve quality of life of our patients and also save them from future hardships. Keywords; Hypertension, Nephrotic Syndrome, Frequency

Yield responses of maize as influenced by supplemental foliar applied phosphorus under drought stress

Drought is one of the most serious problems posing a grave threat to cereals production including maize. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of foliar applied phosphorus @ 8 kg ha-1 at 8th leaf stage on yield and yield components of four maize hybrids i.e two drought tolerant (6525, 32B33) and two drought sensitive (Hycorn and 31P41) under normal and water stress conditions. RCBD with factorial arrangement were employed to lay out the experiment with a net plot size of 4.75 m x 5 m with three replication at research area of Agronomy, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. The foliar applied phosphorus @ 8 kg ha-1 at 8th leaf stage of maize significantly affect the yield and yield parameters in both drought tolerant and sensitive hybrids. The water stress decreased the 1000-grain weight (21.2%), grain yield (21.3%) and biological yield (22.4%) as compared to normal irrigation. The both drought tolerant hybrids of maize (6525 and 32B33) performed better than drought sensitive hybrids (Hycorn and 31P41) under normal and water stress conditions

OVARIAN MASSES AMONG YOUNG WOMEN PREDICT HIGH FREQUENCY OF MALIGNANCY WITH POSITIVE FAMILY HISTORY.

Background; Ovarian masses are very common in pre- and postmenopausal women and are usually an incidental finding. The treatment of an ovarian cyst relies on its nature, and accurate preoperative discrimination of benign and malignant cysts is therefore of crucial importance. This study was done to ascertain malignancy in adolescent women having ovarian masses. Objective; To determine the frequency of malignancy in adolescents and young women presenting with ovarian masses. Material and Methods; Patients (n = 98) fulfilling inclusion criteria from outpatient department of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan were included in the study. Informed consent was taken from each patient ensuring confidentiality and the fact that there was no risk to the patient while taking part in this study other than the disease itself. Detailed history and physical examination of our study cases were arranged by the researcher itself. Data were entered and analyzed by SPSS. Results; Mean age of our study cases was 24.27 ± 5.19 years (with minimum age of our study cases was 15 years while maximum age was 34 years). Our study results have indicated that majority of our study cases i.e. 59 (60.2 %) were aged equal/less than 25 years. Of these 98 study cases, 43 (43.9 %) belonged to rural areas and 55 (56.1%) belonged to urban areas. Monthly family income up to Rs. 35000 was noted in 58 (59.2%) and more than Rs. 35000 was noted in 40 (40.8%) of our study cases. Of these 98 study cases, 66 (67.3%) were illiterate and 32 (32.7%) were literate. Family history of family cancer was noted in 19 (19.4%) of our study cases. Mean disease duration was 14.78 ± 5.13 months. Mean body mass index of our study cases was 26.02 ± 2.13 kg/m2 and obesity was present in 23 (23.5 %) of our study cases. Of these 98 study cases, 27 (27.6 %) were having history of use of oral contraceptives. Malignancy was diagnosed in 23 (23.5 %) of our study cases.  Conclusion; There was high frequency of malignancy noted among women having ovarian masses in our study cases. Ovarian masses were significantly associated with residential status and family history. Gynecologists treating such patients should monitor such suspected cases for early diagnosis which will improve treatment rate and quality of life of our patients. Keywords; Ovarian Masses, Malignancy, Frequency, adolescents

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF DIFFERENT ROOT EXTRACTS OF Ageratum conyzoides AND THEIR POTENTIAL BIOACTIVE PROPERTIES

The present study was conducted to determine different classes of secondary metabolites of Ageratum conyzoides root extracts and to evaluate their antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal potentialities using various pathogenic fungal and different gram-positive/gram-negative bacterial strains. The roots powder was subjected to ultrasonic-assisted extraction with n-hexane, acetone, ethanol, and EtOH:H2O(1:1). The screening of phytochemicals indicated the existence of terpenoids, alkaloids, coumarins, sterols, flavonoids, and glycosides in the root extract of A. conyzoides. However, the absence of saponins, tannins, anthocyanidins, anthraquinones, and phlobatannins was observed. The results indicated a reasonable antibacterial (against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria), and antifungal potential. The antibacterial activity of the ethanolic extract was highest against all four strains of bacteria and was also comparable to the standard medicines used. However, antifungal activity was highest in EtOH:H2O (1:1) extract. Moderate antioxidant properties were also demonstrated, favoring the importance of the roots of this plant from a medicinal point of view