Multivariable predictive PID control for quadruple tank

In this paper multivariable predictive PID controller has been implemented on a multi-inputs multi-outputs control problem i.e., quadruple tank system, in comparison with a simple multiloop PI controller. One of the salient feature of this system is an adjustable transmission zero which can be adjust to operate in both minimum and non-minimum phase configuration, through the flow distribution to upper and lower tanks in quadruple tank system. Stability and performance analysis has also been carried out for this highly interactive two input two output system, both in minimum and non-minimum phases. Simulations of control system revealed that better performance are obtained in predictive PID design

Bioactivity Profiling and Phytochemical Analysis of Carissa carandas Extracts: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Urinary Tract Infection Properties

Carissa carandas L. (Apocynaceae) is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia including Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. C. carandas is considered as an integral component of traditional medicinal systems to combat several health ailments. The present study aimed to assess this plant’s phytochemical contents and biological potential by performing sequential extraction, adopting a bioassay-guided approach. C. carandas powder was extracted with n-hexane to remove fatty substances and then residues were sequentially extracted with dichloromethane, methanol, and 50% methanol. All the sequential crude extracts were evaluated for phytochemical contents (total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins), in vitro antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH), in vitro anti-inflammatory activity (serum and egg albumin denaturation), in vivo anti-inflammatory activity (carrageenan- and formaldehyde-induced paw edema), and in vitro antimicrobial activity. Active crude extract was then partitioned using the liquid-liquid separation method followed by further separation of the active fraction by RP-HPLC. The active fraction was then subjected to LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis for tentative identification of bioactive metabolites responsible for its bioactive properties, followed by HPLC quantification. The analysis revealed methanol extract to have more phytochemical contents, radical scavenging properties, reduced inflammation in both models (in vitro and in vivo), and antimicrobial properties against urinary tract infection-causing agents as compared to dichloromethane and 50% methanol extracts. The ethyl acetate fraction obtained after liquid-liquid partitioning (LLP) of the active methanol extract exhibited more activity as compared to C. carandas methanol extract. RP-HPLC sub-fractionation yielded seven sub-fractions, but a slight decrease in biological potential was recorded. Therefore, LLP fraction B was subjected to further analysis. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis led to the tentative identification of phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, quinic acid), flavonoids (quercetin), and anthocyanins (peonidin-3-arabinoside, delphinidin-3-galactoside, delphinidin-3-rutinoside) in the active LLP ethyl acetate fraction. Chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, and quinic acid were quantified as 17.6 µg/mg, 5.90 µg/mg, and 3.30 µg/mg, respectively, on a dry weight basis by HPLC. C. carandas may be considered a promising therapeutic plant, and the results of the current study provide more evidence to support the assertions made in ancient medical traditions. These findings highlight its promising applications in health, medicine, cosmetics, preservatives, and as a natural coloring agent

Is "Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes” Always Benign?

How to Cite This Article: Saeed M, Azam M, Shabbir N, Qamar ShA. Is "Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes" Always Benign? Iran J Child Neurol. 2014 Summer;8(3): 39-45.AbstractObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of associated behavioral problems and prognosis with Benign Childhood Epilepsy with CentroTemporal Spikes (BCECTS).Descriptive, Cross Sectional study that was conducted from October 2009 to April 2013 in the Department of Pediatric Neurology, the Children’s Hospital Taif, KSA.Material & MethodsThis study was conducted after approval from the Ethics Committee of the Children’s Hospital Taif, Saudi Arabia. Thirty-two patients from the age of 3 to 10 years old were recruited from the pediatric neurology clinic over a period of 4 years. All the patients were selected based on history, EEGs, and neuropsychological and neurological examinations.EEGs were performed for all the patients while in awake and sleep states. Those who had centrotemporal discharges were included in the study. All the patients also underwent a brain MRI. Only two patients had mild cortical atrophy but developmentally they were normal.ResultsIn our study, prevalence of BRE is 32/430 (7.44%). Among the 32 cases, 24 were male and eight were female. Six cases out of 32 indicated a family history of BRE. Twenty-eight cases had unilateral right sided centrotemporal discharges and four had bilateral discharges.ConclusionIt is possible that for BECTS, a high number of seizures might play an important role in the development of mild cognitive impairment and/or behavior disturbances.ReferencesBradley WG, Daroff RB, Fenichel JM, Jahrovic J. Neurology of clinical practice. 5th Ed. 2009: pp. 1953-1990.Berg AT, Berkovic SF, Brodie MJ, Buchhalter J, Cross H, Van Emde Boas M, et al: Revised terminology and concepts for organization of seizures and epilepsies: Report of the ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology, 2005–2009. Epilepsia. 2010; 51(4):676-685.Weglage J, Demsky A, Pietsch M. Neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral findings in patients with centrotemporal spikes with and without seizures. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1997; 39:646.Kramer U. Atypical presentations of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: a review. 2008. J. Child Neurol 23 (7): 785–90.Chahine LM, Mikati MA. Benign pediatric localizationrelated epilepsies. Epileptic Disord. 2006. 8(4): 243–58.Danielsson J, Petermann F. Cognitive deficits in children with benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood or rolandic discharges: a study of children between 4 and 7 years of age with and without seizures compared with healthy controls. Epilepsy Behav. 2009; 16:646–651.Ay Y, Gokben S, Serdaroglu G, Polat M, Tosun A, Tekgul H, et al. Neuropsychologic impairment in children with rolandic epilepsy. Pediatr Neurol. 2009; 41:359–363.Wirrell E, Sherman EM, Vanmastrigt R, Hamiwka L. Deterioration in cognitive function in children with benign epilepsy of childhood with central temporal spikes treated with sulthiame. J Child Neurol. 2008; 23:14–21.Lundberg S, Eeg-Olofsson O. Rolandic epilepsy: a challenge in terminology and classification, European Journal of Paediatric Neurology. 2003; 7: 239–241.Bouma PA, Bovenkerk AC, Westendorp RG, Brouwer OF. The course of benign partial epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes: a meta-analysis. Neurology. 1997;48:430-437.Deltour L, Quaglino V, Barathon M, De Broca A, Berquin P. Clinical evaluation of attentional processes in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) Epileptic Disord. 2007; 9:424–431.Nicolai J, Aldenkamp AP, Arends J, Weber JW, Vles JS. Cognitive and behavioral effects of nocturnal epileptiform discharges in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Epilepsy Behav. 2006; 8:56–70.Goldberg-Stern H, Gonen OM, Sadeh M, Kivity S, Shuper A, Inbar D. Neuropsychological aspects of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Seizure. 2010; 19:12–16.Genizi J, Shamay-Tsoory SG, Shahar E, Yaniv S, Aharon- Perez J. Impaired social behavior in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. J Child Neurol. 2012; 27:156–161.Zenkov LR, Konstantinov PA, Shiriaeva IIu, Miasnikov VN, Sirazitdinova EB, Shevel’chisnkiĭ SI. Mental and behavioral disorders in idiopathic focal epileptiform spikes. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S Korsakova. 2007; 107:39–49.Winckler MIB, Rotta NT. Prognostic factors for recurrence of a first seizure during childhood. Arq Neuropsiquiatr.1997; 55:749-756.Holmes GL. Rolandic epilepsy: clinical and electroencephalographic features. In: Degen R, Dreifuss FE, editors. Benign localized and generalized epilepsies of early childhood. Amsterdam: Elsevier ;1992: p.29-43.Gregory DL, Wong PKH. Clinical relevance of a dipole field in rolandic spikes. Epilepsia. 1992; 33:36-44.Bouma PAD, Bovenkerk AC, Westendorp RGJ, Brouwer OF. The course of benign partial epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes: a meta- analysis. Neurology. 1997; 48: 430-437.Fejerman N, Caraballo R, Tenembaum S. Atypical evolutions of benign -localization-related epilepsies in children: are they predictable? Epilepsia. 2000; 4: 380-390.Peters JM, Camfield CS, Camfield PR. Population study of benign rolandic epilepsy: is treatment needed? Neurology. 2001; 57: 537-539.Holmes GL. Rolandic epilepsy: clinical and electroencephalographic features. In Degen R, Dreifuss FE. editors. Benign localized and generalized epilepsies of early childhood. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1992:p. 29-43.Laub MC, Funke R, Kirsch CM, Oberst U. BECT: comparison of cerebral blood flow imaging, neuropsychological testing and long-term EEG findings. Epilepsy Res Suppl. 1992;6:95-98.Coppola G. Cognitive and linguistic abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Acta Paediatr. 2011;100(5):768-772.Sarco DP, Boyer K, Lundy-Krigbaum SM, Takeoka M, Jensen F, Gregas M, Waber DP. Benign rolandic epileptiform discharges are associated with mood and behavior problems. Epilepsy Behav. 2011;22 (2):298-303.Jones JE, Watson R, Sheth R, Caplan R, Koehn M, Seidenberg M, et al. Psychiatric comorbidity in children with new onset epilepsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007;49:493-7.Austin JK, Harezlak J, Dunn DW, Huster GA, Rose DF, Ambrosius WT. Behavior problems in children before first recognized seizures. Pediatrics. 2001; 107:115-22.Bhise VV, Burack GD, Mandelbaum DE. Baseline cognition, behavior, and motor skills in children with new-onset, idiopathic epilepsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2010;52:22-6.Kavros PM, Clarke T, Strug LJ, Halperin JM, Dorta NJ, Pal DK. Attention impairment in rolandic epilepsy: systematic review. Epilepsia. 2008; 49:1570-80.Beaussart M. 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Analysis of Pre and Post Merger and Acquisition Financial Performance of Banks in Pakistan

Merger and Acquisition is a strategy adopted by the organizations globally to meet the needs of dynamic business environment. This strategy also has much importance in Pakistan mostly in banking sector. Therefore, the objective of the study is to assess the impact of M&A on the financial performance of banks in Pakistan. The accounting and financial data of 10 banks were used in this study. Data was taken from the financial statement analysis (FSA) by State Bank of Pakistan from the period of 20062011. For the analysis of pre and post Merger and Acquisition performance 15 financial ratios were used in the study. To compare the results Paired sample t-Test was used to measure the significant difference between pre and post M&A financial performance. The overall results show that there is no significant difference in financial performance. It is concluded that there is insignificant difference between pre and post M&A performance of banks in Pakistan

A Quality-of-Things Model for Assessing the Internet-of-Thing’s Non-Functional Properties

The Internet of Things (IoT) is in a “desperate” need for a practical model that would help in differentiating things according to their non-functional properties. Unfortunately, despite IoT growth, such properties either lack or ill-defined resulting into ad-hoc ways of selecting similar functional things. This paper discusses how things’ non-functional properties are combined into a Quality-of-Things (QoT) model. This model includes properties that define the performance of things’ duties related to sensing, actuating, and communicating. Since the values of QoT properties might not always be available or confirmed, providers of things can tentatively define these values and submit them to an Independent Regulatory Authority (IRA) whose role is to ensure fair competition among all providers. The IRA assesses the values of non-functional properties of things prior to recommending those that could satisfy users’ needs. To evaluate the technical doability of the QoT model, a set of comprehensive experiments are conducted using real datasets. The results depict an acceptable level of the QoT estimation accuracy

A Quality-of-Things model for assessing the Internet-of-Things\u27 nonfunctional properties

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The Internet of Things (IoT) is in a “desperate” need for a practical model that would help in differentiating things according to their nonfunctional properties. Unfortunately, despite IoT growth, such properties either lack or ill-defined resulting into ad hoc ways of selecting similar functional things. This paper discusses how things\u27 nonfunctional properties are combined into a Quality-of-Things (QoT) model. This model includes properties that define the performance of things\u27 duties related to sensing, actuating, and communicating. Since the values of QoT properties might not always be available or confirmed, providers of things can tentatively define these values and submit them to an Independent Regulatory Authority (IRA) whose role is to ensure fair competition among all providers. The IRA assesses the values of nonfunctional properties of things prior to recommending those that could satisfy users\u27 needs. To evaluate the technical doability of the QoT model, a set of comprehensive experiments are conducted using real data sets. The results depict an acceptable level of the QoT estimation accuracy

Prognosis of Severe Covid-19 patients after treatment with Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE)

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the effective role of plasmapheresis in the treatment of Cytokine Release Syndrome associated with severe Covid 19 pneumonia. INTRODUCTION: Covid-19 disease is a deadly contagious disease with milder symptoms to a more severe form with acute respiratory failure, septic shock leading to even death. Literature study showed  that  in severe  Covid-19  patients, a hyper-inflammatory response  to  initial  infection could accelerate  to  severe  hyper-cytokinaemia that  could  lead to  an  underlying endothelial  dysfunction and multiple organ dysfunction. Thus, removal of these inflammatory cytokines by Therapeutic Plasma Exchange is considered to be an essential part of the treatment of critically ill patients in order to improve their survival rates. METHODOLOGY:  Retrospective observational study which included 150 RT-PCR positive patients admitted in Covid ITC, from the time period of 1st February 2021 to 31st July 2021 –removed for blind review---Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Frequencies were calculated along with mean and standard deviation. Chi square and ANOVA test was applied to the data. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Linear regression study was applied to predict the prognosis. RESULTS: Out of 150 patients, 51 patients (34%) were of severe ARDS category of whom 13 (25.5%) developed Cytokine Release Syndrome. They received plasmapheresis therapy subsequently and 7 out of those 13 (53.8%) patients got improved. P- value was found to be significant ( <0.05). Overall, the mortality rate was low with 120/150 (80%) getting discharged successfully. CONCLUSION:  Our findings suggest that Therapeutic plasma exchange is beneficial in Cytokine storm caused by SARS-CoV2 removing the inflammatory cytokines and improving symptoms, thereby, avoiding intubation. KEY WORDS: , Therapeutic plasma exchange, Hypercytokinaemia, Cytokine Release Syndrom

Needs assessment for curricular reform of a post graduate paediatric training programme at a private university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

In order to make and sustain changes in the curriculum, needs assessment is the key. We conducted a need assessment survey using a questionnaire based on a 7 point Likert Scale by residents and alumni. Over all response rate in the study was 77.5%. Fifty eight percent participants were females. Highest level of agreement (mean score 5.7) was found between the alumni and residents regarding the need to revise the content, teaching and assessment strategies in the programme. Twenty seven alumni (n= 38, 71%) had cleared their FCPS exams. The alumni thought that the existing teaching and assessment strategies do not facilitate in passing professional certificate exams (mean score 3.6). The mean attempts required by the alumni for clearing this exam was 3.3, and 84.2% considered their weak clinical skills as the reason for their recurrent failure