Experimentation on Optimal Configuration and Size of Thin Cylinders in Natural Convection

In this paper, an experimental study of laminar, steady state natural convection heat transfer from heated thin cylinders in an infinite air medium has been reported. Two electrically heated cylinders having the same slenderness ratio (L/D) i.e. 6.1 but different diameters i.e. 3.8 cm and 5.08 cm were used. 105 experiments were carried out to study the effect of diameter and inclination angle of thin cylinder on natural convection heat transfer. After mandatory corrections of radiation and endcap heat losses, convective heat transfer results were presented in the form of local and average dimensionless numbers. For vertical configuration of thin cylinder, Nusselt number was varied from 52.99 to 95.10 corresponding to 1.28×108≤Ra*L≤1.08×1010. While for horizontal configuration,Nusselt number was varied from 10.74 to 17.78 corresponding to 9.42×104≤Ra*D≤8.17×106. Results were compared with the published data and found satisfactory as the maximum percentage difference was only 3.09%. The essence of research is that the heat transfer coefficient increases with decrease in diameter and increase in inclination angle. Smoke flow visualization was done to capture patterns of fluid flow. Finally, comparison was made to quantify increase in Nusselt number from slender cylinder as compared to the flat plate

Irritable bowel syndrome and health seeking behaviour in different communities of Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and health seeking behaviour in patients belonging to different ethnic groups and their squatter settlements in two cities of Pakistan. METHODS: Questionnaire based on Rome II criteria for the diagnosis of IBS was sent to 1167 persons living in, Karachi and Bahawalpur and their squatter settlements in Baloch Colony and Tibba Badar Sher respectively. About 90% (1048) completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall frequency of IBS was 14% with a mean age of 30 +/- 12.5 years and range of 16-85 years. Of the IBS positive patients, 56% (82/146) were males. IBS was significantly more common (p = 0.05) in males belonging to age group 16-30 years. The most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain (100%), altered bowel habits (51%), and diarrhoea (54%). There was no difference in the prevalence of IBS in Karachi and Baloch Colony as compared to Bahawalpur and Tibba Badar Sher. IBS patients seeking health care advice were 17.6% as compared to 12.6 % non healthcare seekers. Of the healthcare seekers there were 29 (35.4%) males (p = 0.002). The overall mean age of health care seeking IBS patients was 32.8 +/-13.8 years (p \u3c 0.001). All IBS patients seeking healthcare advice had abdominal pain (p \u3c 0.001), while 61% had altered stool consistency (p \u3c 0.001) and 46% had stool frequency (p \u3c 0.001) as compared to IBS non healthcare seekers. CONCLUSION: IBS is seen in both urban and suburban communities. Health seeking behaviour is common in males and with abdominal pain

Frequency of irritable bowel syndrome in college students.

Background: This study was carried out to investigate the presence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in college students and compare its distribution in the non-medical college and medical college students. Methods: We collected data from 508 students by inviting them to fill out a questionnaire based on Rome II criteria for the diagnosis of IBS from November 2001 to February 2004. Two major cities Karachi and Bahawalpur were selected and it was coordinated by the section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur. Results: A total of 508 subjects with males 43 %(220/508) and female 57 % (288/508) mean age 22 ± 2.8 years responded to the questionnaire.The overall frequency of IBS among college students was 34 % (171/508).There were 41 % (107/263) non-medical college and 26 % (64/245) medical college students with IBS. Abdominal pain was present in 100 % (171/171) with altered frequency of stool in 58 % (100/171) (p\u3c 0.001,OR 12.5, CI 7.9-20.0) of students with IBS. The medical advice was sought by 38 % (65/171) in IBS group with 46 % (30/65) non-medical college school and 54 % (35/65) medical student (p=0.001, OR 1.9, CI 1.3-2.8). Conclusion IBS is common in younger adult population of Pakistan. Its prevalence is higher in non-medical college students but health care seeking behavior was more common in medical students

Dyslipidemia and mean lipid profile in patients with liver cirrhosis

Background: Patients with liver disorders are often found to have deranged lipid profile. Clear decline is observed in the levels of cholesterol as well as TG among individuals having severe hepatitis and liver failure as synthesis of lipoprotein is reduced. This study was done to determine the frequency of dyslipidemia and the mean lipid profile values in patients of liver cirrhosis.Methods: A cross sectional, descriptive study, done at the Department of Medicine, Medical Unit-1, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, from July to December 2019. A total of 246 patients presented with cirrhosis of liver of age 20-60 years and both genders were included. Analysis for serum total cholesterol (TC) level, serum triglycerides level, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were done and findings were noted.Results: Mean age was 51.67±6.21 years. Out of the 246 patients, 153 (62.20%) were male and 93 (37.80%) were females with male to female ratio of 1.6:1. Mean values of lipid were, LDL cholesterol 95.76±29.65 mg/dl, HDL 43.37±11.46 mg/dl, TC 147.51±42.69 mg/dl and TG 101.29±21.59 mg/dl. Dyslipidemia was found in 59 (23.98%) patients, whereas there was no dyslipidemia in 187 (76.02%) patients.Conclusions: Frequency of dyslipidemia in cirrhotic patients is high. Evaluating patients of liver cirrhosis, dyslipidemia need to be considered for early recognition and analysis

Diagnostic accuracy of axillary nodal ultrasound after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in node-positive breast cancer patients: A validation study

Objective: To determine the accuracy and false negative rate of axillary ultrasound compared to sentinel node biopsy. Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from February 1 to March 31, 2021, and comprised data of breast cancer patients who had undergone neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by axillary lymph node dissection or axillary disease diagnosed using lymph node biopsy or sentinel lymph node biopsy between January 1, 2016, and December 30, 2020. After receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, axillary ultrasound findings were compared with histopathology of lymph nodes. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 155 patients evaluated, 104(67.1%) were diagnosed with negative axillary lymph nodes and 51(32.9%) were diagnosed with positive axillary lymph nodes post-chemotherapy. The overall mean age was 51.13±1.3 years. When histopathology results were compared with those of axillary ultrasound, 36(23.2%) cases turned out to be true positive, while 23(14,8%) were false negative, yielding a positive predictive value of 75% and negative predictive value of 65%. Axillary ultrasound had 75% accuracy, false negative rate 30%, sensitivity 61% and specificity 84.4%. Conclusions: Axillary ultrasound was found to be fairly useful, but not completely reliable, in identifying positive lymph nodes

Insight of Tp53 Mutations and their effect on Protein in Different Feline and Canine Neoplasms

Background: Mutations in the Tp53 gene, a tumor suppressor gene, may cause dysfunction in growing cells and hinder the phenomenon of apoptosis, an alleged cause of tumorigenesis. It is involved in conservation of the genome and DNA repair, mutations of this gene may cause the damaged cells to grow continuously.Methods: The type of molecular changes in Tp53 gene and their effects on physiochemical and structural properties of this protein in various Canine and Feline cancers were observed in this study by using online bioinformatics tools.Results: Our results indicated that lymphomas and perianal adenocarcinomas (PAC) have the same mutation at c. 104, while mammary tumors and canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) contain different mutations. Referring to changes in protein, synonymous mutations in granulomas were observed while certain mutations in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and head & neck tumors were detected in Canis familiaris. In Felis catus, the mutant protein was similar to wild type protein with exception of mutant 5 of mammary tumor, which had a deletion at the 287 amino acid position.Conclusion: The insight gathered on the p53 mutant proteins in both species aided our understanding of the in-vivo fate of the p53 protein and its isoforms and the effects that morphological changes can have on the fate of cells. Furthermore, isolation of this protein may augment our understanding about the structural biology of these proteins

Microsatellite marker based genetic diversity among four varieties of Pakistani Aseel chicken

Indian Aseel chicken (Gallus gallus) is traditionally used as a favorite game bird all over the world. Bird fighting communities of Pakistan are the major source of its conservation and there are at least four distinctively recognized varieties of Aseel chicken based upon selective breeding, geographical location and color patterns. A pioneering study on genetic diversity of these varieties namely Lakha (n=17), Mushki (n=19), Mianwali (n=19) and Peshawari (n=13) was undertaken using FAO recommended 10 microsatellite loci. A total of 91 alleles were observed in 4 varieties of Aseel chicken with an average of 9.1 alleles per locus. Number of alleles varied between 4 to 8 in Lakha, 4 to 9 in Mushki, 3 to 10 in Mianwali and 3 to 7 in Pashawari. Mean polymorphic information content values were 0.67, 0.69, 0.71 and 0.65 in individual varieties, respectively. Mean observed and expected heterozygosity index values of 0.3941 and 0.7376 were recorded in Lakha, 0.4105 and 0.7468 for Mushki, 0.4105 and 0.7718 Mianwali and 0.3692 and 0.7191 for Peshawari. Mean Fixation index (Fst) value was calculated as 0.1264. Highest Nei's standard genetic distance (Ds) value of 1.0735 was observed between Mushki and Peshawari, whereas its value was minimum (0.3533) between Lakha and Mushki. This report describes genetic diversity of Aseel chicken in Pakistan and provides foundation data to initiate extensive and more comprehensive studies on indigenous chicken genetic resource conservation and its future utilization in commercial breeding programs. (C) 2011 PVJ. All rights reserve

Preliminary investigation on properties of novel sustainable composite : fish scales reinforced cement concrete

This study focused on analysing the effect of fish scales reinforcement on fresh and hardened-state properties of concrete. For this purpose, 24 cubes and 24 cylinders were casted at a design mix ratio of 1:2.3:4.3. The water-cement ratio of 0.57 was maintained. The fish scales reinforcement levels of 0%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% by weight of cement were maintained for casting of specimens. For fresh-state assessment, the workability of concrete mixes was observed by slump test and the results showed that, with the addition of fish scales, the slump value decreased due to increase in water demand. With the addition of 2% Fish Scales, the workability of concrete mixes reduced by 36.40%. The compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete cubes and cylinders were tested with Universal Testing Machine (UTM) at curing period of 7 and 28 days. Out of 48 specimens casted, a total of 24 specimens were subjected to compressive strength test while other 24 specimens were tested for tensile strength. The results reported that with addition of 2% fish scales in concrete, the tensile strength of concrete increased but the compressive strength initially decreased and later increased. It can thus be concluded that the fish scales can be incorporated in concrete with steel to enhance the tensile strength of concrete. Keeping the initial decrease in compressive strength of concrete in consideration, it can be recommended that the fish scale reinforced concrete can be safely used in light weight structures and non-structural elements like floor slabs and ribs

A multidisciplinary approach to triage patients with breast disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experience from a tertiary care center in the developing world

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a need to prioritize care because of limitation of resources. Owing to the heterogeneity and high prevalence of breast cancers, the need to prioritize care in this vulnerable population is essential. While various medical societies have published recommendations to manage breast disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, most are focused on the Western world and do not necessarily address the challenges of a resource-limited setting.Aim: In this article, we describe our institutional approach for prioritizing care for patients presenting with breast disease.Methods and results: The breast disease management guidelines were developed and approved with the expertise of the Multidisciplinary Breast Program Leadership Committee (BPLC) of the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. These guidelines were inspired, adapted, and modified keeping in view the needs of our resource-limited healthcare system. These recommendations are also congruent with the ethical guidelines developed by the Center of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC) at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi. Our institutional recommendations outline a framework to triage patients based on the urgency of care, scheduling conflicts, and tumor board recommendations, optimizing healthcare workers\u27 schedules, operating room reallocation, and protocols. We also describe the Virtual Blended Clinics , a resource-friendly means of conducting virtual clinics and a comprehensive plan for transitioning back into the post-COVID routine.Conclusion: Our institutional experience may be considered as a guide during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for triaging care in a resource-limited setting; however, these are not meant to be universally applicable, and individual cases must be tailored based on physicians\u27 clinical judgment to provide the best quality care

Worldwide Patterns of Ancestry, Divergence, and Admixture in Domesticated Cattle

The domestication and development of cattle has considerably impacted human societies, but the histories of cattle breeds have been poorly understood especially for African, Asian, and American breeds. Using genotypes from 43,043 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphism markers scored in 1,543 animals, we evaluate the population structure of 134 domesticated bovid breeds. Regardless of the analytical method or sample subset, the three major groups of Asian indicine, Eurasian taurine, and African taurine were consistently observed. Patterns of geographic dispersal resulting from co-migration with humans and exportation are recognizable in phylogenetic networks. All analytical methods reveal patterns of hybridization which occurred after divergence. Using 19 breeds, we map the cline of indicine introgression into Africa. We infer that African taurine possess a large portion of wild African auroch ancestry, causing their divergence from Eurasian taurine. We detect exportation patterns in Asia and identify a cline of Eurasian taurine/indicine hybridization in Asia. We also identify the influence of species other than Bos taurus in the formation of Asian breeds. We detect the pronounced influence of Shorthorn cattle in the formation of European breeds. Iberian and Italian cattle possess introgression from African taurine. American Criollo cattle are shown to be of Iberian, and not African, decent. Indicine introgression into American cattle occurred in the Americas, and not Europe. We argue that cattle migration, movement and trading followed by admixture have been important forces in shaping modern bovine genomic variation.Comment: 38 pages, 15 figures. Various changes made to respond to peer reviews. Mostly, arguments were clarified and additional f-statistics were adde