Association of Physical Activity with Co-morbid Conditions in Geriatric Population

To find out association of physical activity with co-morbid conditions in geriatric population, a cross-sectional study was conducted in different cties of Pakistan in 2015. A total of 114 participants were inducted by non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data was collected after informed verbal consent by a validated questionnaire that is Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA). Participants were categorized into two groups i.e. physically active and physically inactive. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version 20. There were 66 (57.9%) males and 48 (42.1%) females with mean age of 57.04±7.348 years. Among hypertensive individuals (n=43, 37.7%) there were 39 (90.7%) physically inactive, among individuals having angina (n=17, 14.9%) there were 15 (88.2%) physically inactive. Out of 37 (32.5%) diabetics, 35 (94.6%) were physically inactive. Among individuals suffering from arthritis (n=40, 35.1%), there were 38 (95%) physically inactive. A significant association was found between physical activity and diabetes and arthritis with p-value of 0.048 and 0.029 respectively. Physical activity is significantly associated with diabetes and arthritis in geriatric population. Adequate physical activity should be performed to reduce the risk of co-morbid conditions and improve the quality of life in geriatric population

Integration of Distributed Generations in Smart Distribution Networks Using Multi-Criteria Based Sustainable Planning Approach

Energy planning has become more complicated in the 21st century of sustainable development due to the inclusion of numerous standards such as techno-economic, and environmental considerations. This paper proposes multi-criteria sustainable planning (MCSP) based optimization approach for identifying DGs’ optimal allocations and rating powers. The main objectives of this paper are the reduction of the network’s total power loss, voltage profile improvement, energy loss saving maximization, and curtailing environmental emissions and water consumption to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 6, 7, 13, and 15) by taking the constraints into consideration. Different alternatives are evaluated across four aspects of performance indices; technical, cost-economic, environmental, and social (TEES). In terms of TEES performance evaluations, various multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches are used to determine the optimal trade-off among the available solutions. These methods are gaining wide acceptance due to their flexibility while considering all criteria and objectives concurrently. Annual energy loss saving is increased by 97.13%, voltage profile is improved to 0.9943 (p.u), and emissions are reduced by 82.45% using the proposed technique. The numerical results of the proposed MCSP approach are compared to previously published works to validate and may be used by researchers and energy planners as a planning tool for ADN schemes

Synthesis, spectral characterization and antioxidant activity of a supramolecular copper (II) complex obtained from pyridine-2, 6- dicarboxylic acid and 3,5-diamino - 1, 2, 4-triazole.

A supramolecular copper (II) compound, (HdatrzH)[Cu (Hdipic) (dipic)].3H2O (1) (Hdatrz = 3,5-diamino-1,2,4- triazole, dipic = pyridine- 2,6-dicarboxylic acid) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Visible spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), thermal analysis, and magnetic susceptibility measurement. The room temperature magnetic susceptibility measurement showed a magnetic moment of 1.67 BM for compound 1, deviating slightly from the spin-only magnetic moment value for Cu (II) ion. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed three decomposition stages for compound 1. The compound showed no activity against all the tested microorganisms. Interestingly, compound 1 exhibited a significant radical scavenging activity (RSA)

Efficient Excitation of Micro/Nano Resonators and Their Higher Order Modes

We demonstrate a simple and flexible technique to efficiently activate micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) resonators at their fundamental and higher order vibration modes. The method is based on the utilization of the amplified voltage across an inductor, L, of an LC tank resonant circuit to actuate the MEMS/NEMS resonator. By matching the electrical and mechanical resonances, significant amplitude amplification is reported across the resonators terminals. We show experimentally amplitude amplification up to twelve times, which is demonstrated to efficiently excite several vibration modes of a microplate MEMS resonator and the fundamental mode of a NEMS resonator

Educational needs of patients, families, and healthcare professionals to support the patient journey in haemophilia gene therapy in the UK

With the first gene therapies for haemophilia approved by the European Commission, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, it is important to consider the remaining unmet needs and challenges that may arise throughout patients’ treatment journeys. We discuss existing unmet needs and important considerations prior to, during, and following haemophilia gene therapy treatment in the UK, and propose potential next steps. Key areas for attention are education, psychological support, and guidance on implementation. Strategies are urgently required to fulfil these needs. An immediate priority for information providers should be comprehensive education for people with haemophilia (PWH) and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Greater access to resources and training in psychological services will be required throughout the treatment pathway. More specific guidance is required to define the implementation model, criteria for accreditation, and responsibilities of care centres. Furthermore, PWH may revisit discussions with HCPs multiple times pre-infusion, thus the patient journey is unlikely to be linear. Consideration of these challenges, and of potential strategies to address them, will be integral to optimising the future success of this promising therapy

3,5-Diamino-4H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium (6-carb­oxy­pyridine-2-carboxyl­ato)(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ato)cuprate(II) trihydrate

In the complex anion of the title compound, (C2H6N5)[Cu(C7H4NO4)(C7H3NO4)]·3H2O, the CuII atom is coordinated by tridentate 6-carb­oxy­pyridine-2-carboxyl­ate and pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ate ligands and is surrounded by four O atoms in the equatorial plane and two N atoms in axial positions in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. In the crystal, the components are linked into a three dimensional network by O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O, N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and a π–π inter­action with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.6080 (8) Å

Handling temporal constraints in interaction protocols for intelligent multi-agent systems

This research focuses on handling temporal constraints in interaction protocols for multi-agent systems. There is a dire need of standardized interaction protocols that can be used to handle timing aspects in real-time multi-agent system’s negotiation. The most commonly used Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents Protocol lacks the appropriate specification in this regard. In real-time systems timing constraint is a major concern for all of its tasks and goals. Agents require real-time responses and must eliminate the possibility of massive communication between them. The timing specification of these real-time multi-agent systems in which agents communicate with each other to achieve their goals within deadline will be of great value for their correct functioning. A high degree of dependability and predictability is expected from real-time software agents. The basis of our work is the standardized interaction protocols to support the communication between agents in real-time environment and this is possible via message passing. By incorporation of well-defined timing parameters in Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents performatives, we have enabled them to be used in any real-time multi-agent’s communication. We demonstrate the usage and effectiveness of our proposed real-time performatives using a case study of monitoring boats in marine reserves in which the agents interact with each other to accomplish their goals

Social Media in Virtual Marketing: Antecedents to Electronic Word of Mouth Communication

Social media usage in the world and especially in Pakistan has a high growth due to which it (social media) has a potential of becoming an effective marketing tool. Despite its compar-atively low cost and significance, marketers are not effectively utilizing social media. Thus the aim of this study is to measure the influence (effect) of four social variables: social capital, trust, homophily and interpersonal influence on electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communi-cation. The sample size for the study is 300 and preselected enumerator's collected the data from the leading shopping malls of the city. Although the scales and measures adopted for this study have been earlier validated in oth-er countries, however the same were re-ascertained on the present set of data. After prelimi-nary analysis including normality and validity the overall model was tested through Structural Equation Model (SEM). This was carried out in two stages - initially CFA for all the constructs was ascertained which was followed by CFA of the overall model. Developed conceptual framework was empirically tested on the present set of data in Pa-kistan which adequately explained consumer attitudinal behavior towards electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication. Three hypotheses failed to be rejected and one was rejected. Trust was found to be the strongest predictor of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communi-cation, followed by homophily and social capital. Interpersonal influence has no relationship with electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication. The results were consistent to earlier literature. Implication for markers was drawn from the results.Keywords: eWOM, social capital, trust, homophily and interpersonal influence, social medi

A Phase IB open-label, dose-escalation study of NUC 1031 in combination with carboplatin for recurrent ovarian cancer

Funding: The study was funded and the investigational drug NUC-1031 was supplied by NuCana plc.Purpose: NUC-1031 is a first-in-class ProTide modification of gemcitabine. In PRO-002, NUC‑1031 was combined with carboplatin in recurrent ovarian cancer (OC). Experimental Design: NUC-1031 was administered on days 1 & 8 with carboplatin on day 1 every 3 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Four dose cohorts of NUC-1031 (500, 625 and 750 mg/m2) with carboplatin (AUC4 or 5) were investigated. Primary endpoint was RP2CD. Secondary endpoints included safety, investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), progression-free survival (PFS) and pharmacokinetics (PK). Results: 25 women with recurrent OC, a mean of 3.8 prior lines of chemotherapy and a median platinum-free interval (PFI) of 5 months (range: 7 - 451 days) were enrolled, 15/25 (60%) platinum-resistant; 9 (36%) partially platinum-sensitive and 1 (4%) platinum-sensitive. Of the 23 response-evaluable: there was 1 confirmed complete response (CR, 4%), 5 partial responses (PR, 17%) and 8 (35%) stable disease (SD). The ORR was 26% and CBR was 74% across all doses and 100% in the RP2CD cohort. Median PFS was 27.1 weeks. NUC-1031 was stable in the plasma and rapidly generated high intracellular dFdCTP levels that were unaffected by carboplatin. Conclusions: NUC-1031 combined with carboplatin is well tolerated in recurrent OC. Highest efficacy was observed at the RP2CD of 500 mg/m2 NUC-1031 on days 1 & 8 with AUC5 carboplatin day 1, every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. The ability to deliver carboplatin at AUC5 and the efficacy of this schedule even in patients with platinum-resistant disease makes this an attractive therapeutic combination.PostprintPeer reviewe