FORENSIC INVESTIGATION TECHNIQUES FOR INSPECTING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS INVOLVED IN FIRES FOR ARC AND MELT BEADS

The objective of this research was to determine, experimentally, if distinguishing characteristics exist between the beads formed on energized and non-energized wires exposed to various thermal insults. Most of research published in the literature has not tested energized and non-energized wires under the same thermal conditions. The tests in this study were conducted using convective, radiative and combined convective/radiative thermal exposures. Wires were tested in both energized and non-energized states. Energized wires were tested under "load" and "no load" conditions. Beads formed on both the energized and non-energized wires as results of thermal exposure. Beads were analyzed externally and internally with stereo microscope, SEM/EDS, and a metallurgical microscope. No clear trends or distinguishing visual or microscopic characteristics between the beads formed on energized and non-energized wires were found. The bead analysis methods used during this research showed that it is not possible to distinguish between the beads formed on energized and non-energized wires exposed to various thermal insults

Percutaneous Non-Stenting Approach for Distal Simultaneous Multivessel Acute Coronary Occlusions

The occurrence of distal coronary lesions causing simultaneous occlusion of two coronary arteries in the setting of ST elevation myocardial infarction is a rare occurrence. This can occur due to simultaneous plaque rupture at more than one site or embolisation in coronary arteries. We describe a case of a middle-aged man who presented with acute inferoposterior lateral wall ST elevation myocardial infarction with simultaneous occlusion of distal left anterior descending artery and distal left circumflex artery on angiogram. The patient was treated with intracoronary streptokinase, followed by glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor and Factor X inhibitor (Rivaroxaban) with full resolution of flow in the distal vessels. Thus, coronary lesions, not amenable to stenting, can be dealt percutaneously, using a combination of old and newer pharmacological agents without stenting

Neutrosophic Soft Graphs

The aim of this paper is to propose a new type of graph called neutrosophic soft graphs. We have established a link between graphs and neutrosophic soft sets. Basic operations of neutrosophic soft graphs such as union, intersection and complement are defined here. The concept of strong neutrosophic soft graphs is also discussed in this paper

The role and potential contribution of industrial design in developing agricultural machinery for Malaysia

The aim of this research is to determine whether Industrial Design has an important role to play in the design and development of agricultural equipment, particularly in Malaysia. It is perhaps natural to think of agricultural machinery and equipment as being functional devices with issues such as task performance, robustness and reliability in all weathers being paramount. So is there really a role for the industrial designer? It is argued here that effective design of agricultural products cannot be achieved by considering only the functional requirements and technological aspects, since there are also many human issues to be taken into account. Effectiveness of new product development depends on interdisciplinary team working. This research has been conducted utilising qualitative and quantitative survey methods consisting of interviews and postal questionnaires. The findings show the need for a broad approach to design and confirm that industrial design has an important contribution to make in Malaysian agricultural equipment industries. Introducing two design projects in this research has strengthened the research methodology. The purpose of these design projects is to implement the knowledge and skills of the researcher into agricultural machinery design activities as a means of gaining insight into the problems and processes fundamental to agricultural design. Design guidelines formulated from the research findings will provide Malaysian industrial designers with an approach for effective participation within agricultural design activities. These will help design teams to identify and consider the broad range of issues inherent in agricultural design projects, and hence to work more effectively. Designing agricultural machinery requires an understanding not only of the tasks, crops and the working environment but also of the people who will buy and use the products. Malaysian agricultural machinery design activities have been left, behind compared to some other countries. A push in this area could create major benefits because agricultural machinery design can provide significant advantages to the farmers and hence to the country

Contributions to the Field of Library and Information Sciences in Pakistan: A Bio Bibliometric Study of Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan

Abstract Purpose- This paper presents the bio-bibliometric analysis of Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan\u27s contributions to the Library and Information Science (LIS) field in Pakistan. This study includes the following: the year-wise distribution of research produced; authors\u27 collaboration; publications by type; language; geographical preference for research; and coverage of different subject areas. Methodology/Design- The data for this retrospective study was requested through email from Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan with advance ethical permission and further verified from Scholar Google, the official university website, and departments where required. Findings- The results of the study indicate that Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan is a prolific writer and supervisor in LIS in Pakistan. He contributed 178 items, including 76 articles, two books, 86 theses, and fourteen conference papers, and secured eleven research grants until June 30, 2022. His most significant contribution is establishing two LIS departments with two postgraduate LIS education (MPhil and PhD) programs for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He has the honor of launching the first LIS Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized research journal from the fertile land of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Research work by Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan has received worldwide recognition and has been accepted in leading journals in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and the United States of America. He used the English language to publish the majority of his research work. He believes in teamwork, and about 98% of his research work was done in collaboration. He is also an HEC recognized and approved Ph.D. supervisor. Originality- This study is a unique biobibliometric study that systematically combined the research productivity of Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan and provided a holistic sketch of the literature produced on various themes of LIS during 2011–2022. Research limitations- Due to the limited area of biobibliometrics of a single author, the results were not generalized

Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objectives: To find risk factors to diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.Methods: A four years cross sectional study involving 386 patients with T2DM conducted at the diabetes clinic in Al-Hindeya General Hospital, Karbala, Iraq. Interviews were done for the participants focused on sociodemographic factors and included general examination with laboratory screening for fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and serum lipids. The participants underwent ophthalmological testing including visual acuity, slit lamp examination, and optical coherence tomography. The patients were divided into retinopathy and non-retinopathy groups involving 109 and 277 patients, respectively. Both groups were screened for risk factors including age, gender, duration of disease, body mass index (BMI), treatment modality, HbA1c, and dyslipidemia. Results: The study included 109 patients (62 females, 47 males) with retinopathy and 277 patients (149 females, 128 males) control. Mean age for retinopathy and control groups were 54.76± 7.63 and 54.15± 9.20 years, respectively. Mean duration of disease for retinopathy and control groups were 12.79± 5.91 and 8.51± 5.16 years, respectively. Longer duration of disease and poor glycemic control showed positive association with DR with a P-value of 0.0001 and 0.033, respectively. Gender, BMI, age, treatment modality, and dyslipidemia showed negative association with DR.Conclusions: In our study DR significantly associated with longer duration of disease and poor glycemic control while the relation was insignificant for gender, BMI, age, treatment modality, and dyslipidemia. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Diabetic retinopathy, glycated hemoglobin, risk factor for retinopathy. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/70-08 Publication date: January 31st 202

Simulation Studies of Gas-Solid in the Riser of a Circulating Fluidized Bed

A numerical parametric study was performed on the influence of various riser exit geometries on the hydrodynamics of gas-solid two-phase flow in the riser of a Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB). A Eulerian continuum formulation was applied to both phases. A two fluid framework has been used to simulate fully developed gas-solid flows in vertical riser. A two dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of gas-particle flow in the CFB has been investigated using the code FLUENT. The turbulence was modeled by a k-e turbulence model in the gas phase. The simulations were done using the geometrical configuration of a CFB test rig at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The CFB riser column has 265 mm (width), 72 mm (depth) and 2.7 m height. The riser is made up of interchangeable Plexiglas columns. The computational model was used to simulate the riser over a wide range of operating and design parameters. In addition, several numerical experiments were carried out to understand the influence of riser end effects, particle size, gas solid velocity and solid volume fraction on the simulated flow characteristics. The CFD model with a k-e turbulence model for the gas phase and a fixed particle viscosity in the solids phase showed good mixing behaviour. These results were found to be useful in further development of modeling of gas solid flow in the riser

Outcomes of Left Main Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective: To study the outcomes of left main percutaneous coronary artery (LMCA) revascularisation. Study Design: A descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, from February till July 2016. Methodology: The study included all adult patients aged 18 years or more, who underwent percutaneous LMCA revascularisation at study centre from April 2006 till April 2015. In-hospital outcomes were ascertained of patients via charts along with telephonic follow-up for outcome ascertainment at 1-year and 5-year. Results were expressed in terms of means and standard deviation for quantitative variables and percentages for qualitative variables. Results: Of the 86 patients, the mean age was 66.05 ±12.6 years and 69% (59 cases, n=86) of them were males. Sixteen (18.6%) patients presented with cardiogenic shock and 17.4% (15 cases, n=86) required mechanical ventilation upon arrival. Among the 86 patients, 23.3% (20 patients, n=86) underwent PCI because of unstable condition for CABG and refusal by the surgeons. Mean follow up time for participants was 40.5 ±25.7 months with mean length of hospital stay of 4.36 ±2.4 days. In-hospital mortality was 12.8%, while mortality at 1-year and at mean follow-up was 7.3% and 6.9%, respectively. Conclusion: LM percutaneous coronary intervention is a viable option for patients who are hemodynamicaly unstable and require urgent revascularisation or for patients denying bypass surgery due to other reasons in Pakistan. Prospective studies in future may be required to evaluate the role of PCI for LM lesions in elective setting in contrast to existing treatment options

Institutions and Innovation: Evidence from Countries at Different Stages of Development

This paper empirically analyses the impact of institutions, both formal and informal, on innovation performance of sampled countries at different stages of development. Data of 72 sampled countries on Research and Development Expenditures, numbers of article published, human capital, trade openness, internet users are collected from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) and World Bank database. Formal and informal institutions indexes are constructed using data from Country Risk Guide and The World Value Survey (WVS). Fixed effect and System GMM technique are used to estimate the dynamic relationship between innovation performance and institutional indexes. The study finds positive significant effect of institutions on innovation in case of aggregate sample of developed and developing countries. However, the effects of formal institutions are more significant in case of sample of developed countries, while in developing countries informal institutions are found more effective than formal institutions in affecting innovation performance. The results also show that both formal and informal institutions are supplementary to each other in case of developing countries. Therefore, it is suggested that focus should be given to informal institutions. Moreover, collective initiatives be encourage in developing countries to have diverse ideas from different sectors of the countries. In addition, developing countries should initiate collaborative research projects with technologically advanced countries research and education institutions so as to learn from each other’s ideas and experiences. Keywords: Formal Institutions, Informal Institutions, Innovatio