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Sökning: WFRF:(Iqbal Muhammad) > (2020-2024)

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1.
  • Jabbar, Abdul, et al. (författare)
  • Epidemiology and antibiogram of common mastitis-causing bacteria in Beetal goats
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Veterinary World. - : Veterinary World. - 0972-8988 .- 2231-0916. ; 13:12, s. 2596-2607
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Background and Aim: Mastitis has been identified as the most prevalent and economically imperative disease among dairy animals. Thus, understanding its common bacterial pathogens and risk factors is necessary to improve udder health at herd, region, or country level. However, scientific research on caprine mastitis, especially on Beetal breed, has remained to be insufficient in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and antibiogram assay of common mastitis-causing bacterial agents, that is, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Escherichia coli, in dairy goats.Materials and Methods: In total, 500 Beetal goats, irrespective of age and those that were not treated with any kind of antimicrobial agents during the past 120 h, were screened using California Mastitis Test in Pattoki, Kasur District, whereas epidemiological factors were recorded. The milk samples of mastitic goats were then collected and processed using standard methods. Each sample was primarily cultured on nutrient agar. Using a specific medium, each bacterial colony was separated using several streak methods. Six antibiotic disks belonging to different antibiotic groups were used for antibiogram profiling of bacterial isolates. Chi-square test was used to assess the association of baseline characteristics and mastitis occurrence. Meanwhile, multivariable logistic regression (p<0.001) was utilized to determine the risk factors associated with positive and negative dichotomous outcome of mastitis.Results: The results revealed that the overall prevalence of goat mastitis was 309 (61.8%), in which 260 (52%) and 49 (9.8%) cases were positive for subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM), respectively. Streptococcus and E. coli were found to be the predominant isolates causing SCM and CM, respectively (p<0.001). It was observed that amoxicillin+clavulanic acid was highly sensitive to isolates of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus and ceftiofur sodium to isolates of Streptococcus and E. coli, while enrofloxacin was found to be sensitive to isolates of Streptococcus and E. coli. Risk factors such as herd structure, deworming, vaccination, presence of ticks, use of teat dip and mineral supplements, feeding type, age, parity, housing, blood in the milk, milk leakage, milk taste, and milk yield were found to have the strongest association with mastitis occurrence, while ease of milking has moderate association.Conclusion: In the area examined, cases of SCM were found to be higher compared with that of CM, and ceftiofur sodium has been identified as the preferred treatment in both clinical and subclinical forms of caprine mastitis in Beetal goats. Risk factors for mastitis that was identified in this study can form the basis for the creation of an udder health control program specific for dairy goats. We hope our findings could raise awareness of the risk factors and treatment approaches for common mastitis-causing bacterial agents. 
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2.
  • Zaman, Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Application of Nanoprecipitation Technique to Develop Poloxamer-407 Facilitated Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for the Controlled Delivery of Tacrolimus
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: International Journal of Polymer Science. - : HINDAWI LTD. - 1687-9422 .- 1687-9430. ; 2023
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Currently, the solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are utilized as a novel approach for the controlled drug delivery system (CDDS). Tacrolimus (TCM), a lipophilic drug, can easily be encapsulated in the hydrophobic core of these SLNs using nanoprecipitation technique. The current aim was to develop the controlled release Poloxamer (PLX) facilitated TCM loaded SLNs (PLX/TCM-SLNs), followed by their physicochemical evaluations, including chemical compatibility, particle size, surface charge, surface morphology, nature of SLNs, loading efficiency (LE), entrapment efficiency (EE), in vitro drug release studies, release kinetic modeling, and statistical evaluation. Here we also evaluate physicochemical properties of TCM and investigate solubility profile for improvement and dissolution rate of PLX/TCM-SLNs. PLX was used in the process as a polymer due to its low toxicity and weak immunogenic properties. The prepared formulation was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has confirmed the compatibility of the selected ingredients, whereas particle size analysis showed that prepared PLX/TCM-SLNs were of nanosized (120:6 +/- 9nm) having zeta potential of - 21.3 Mv. On the other hand, SEM had revealed the smooth and uniform surface of the particle, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the uniform surface as crystalline structure of TCM in PLX/TCM-SLNs masked. A satisfactory level of EE (94:5 +/- 2:74%) has also been noticed. Furthermore, in vitro drug release studies have explored the controlled release of drug during 8 hours, following zero order release kinetics and diffusion type of release mechanism. Outcomes of the studies have advocated the successful preparation of SLNs, as controlled release PLX/TCM-SLNs have been prepared efficiently.
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3.
  • Naqvi, Salman Raza, et al. (författare)
  • Agro-industrial residue gasification feasibility in captive power plants : A South-Asian case study
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Energy. - : Elsevier. - 0360-5442 .- 1873-6785. ; 214
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The objective of this study is to build knowledge on the potential of agro-industrial residue gasification (AIRG) for use in captive power generation through a comprehensive case study. In order to evaluate the economic viability, key performance indicators, such as net present value (NPV), levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and operating costs etc. are studied. The major textile industry located in the Raiwind area of Punjab province of Pakistan has been selected. The effect and variations of the capacity factor has also been studied coupled with the levelized cost of electricity. The agricultural residue as feedstock to the gasifier is rice husk that is the abundantly available in South Asia. Furthermore, the impact of government subsidies on natural gas is also under the scope of the study. The agro-industrial residue gasification system is found to be a potential alternative to furnace oil (FO) or gas-based captive power plants (CPPs). The results of residue-based gasification system imply a large potential when comparing the cost of electricity with national grid electricity during the peak hours. Therefore, the proposed gasification system offers economic incentives when the textile industry potentially utilizes gasification-based electricity during peak hours and national grid electricity during off-peak hours. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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4.
  • Zaman, Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Fabrication of PEGylated Chitosan Nanoparticles Containing Tenofovir Alafenamide : Synthesis and Characterization
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 27:23
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is an antiretroviral (ARV) drug that is used for the management and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The clinical availability of ARV delivery systems that provide long-lasting protection against HIV transmission is lacking. There is a dire need to formulate nanocarrier systems that can help in revolutionizing the way to fight against HIV/AIDS. Here, we aimed to synthesize a polymer using chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) by the PEGylation of chitosan at the hydroxyl group. After successful modification and confirmation by FTIR, XRD, and SEM, TAF-loaded PEGylated chitosan nanoparticles were prepared and analyzed for their particle size, zeta potential, morphology, crystallinity, chemical interactions, entrapment efficacy, drug loading, in vitro drug release, and release kinetic modeling. The fabricated nanoparticles were found to be in a nanosized range (219.6 nm), with similar to 90% entrapment efficacy, similar to 14% drug loading, and a spherical uniform distribution. The FTIR analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of PEGylated chitosan and nanoparticles. The in vitro analysis showed similar to 60% of the drug was released from the PEGylated polymeric reservoir system within 48 h at pH 7.4. The drug release kinetics were depicted by the Korsmeyer-Peppas release model with thermodynamically nonspontaneous drug release. Conclusively, PEGylated chitosan has the potential to deliver TAF from a nanocarrier system, and in the future, cytotoxicity and in vivo studies can be performed to further authenticate the synthesized polymer.
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5.
  • Ahmad, Tausif, et al. (författare)
  • Controllable phytosynthesis of gold nanoparticles and investigation of their size and morphology-dependent photocatalytic activity under visible light
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A. - : Elsevier. - 1010-6030 .- 1873-2666. ; 392, s. 1-11
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Plants mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) containing desired characteristics for their suitable potential applications has been a challenging task, which is causing a major hindrance towards its commercialization. Therefore, herein phytosynthesis of AuNPs with required size and morphology has been achieved through manipulating the reaction conditions including reaction temperature and volume of Elaeis guineensis leaves (EGL) extract. Furthermore, photocatalytic potential of EGL mediated AuNPs having different size and shape has also been explored for the removal of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The reaction temperature and volume of EGL strongly influenced the size and morphology of AuNPs, which are directly associated with the photocatalytic activities. The experimental results revealed that predominantly spherical and ultra-smaller size AuNPs with particle size of 16.26 ± 5.84 nm, formed at 70 °C showed the highest removal efficiency up to 92.55 % in 60 min. This highest photocatalytic activity of AuNPs could be attributed to the availability of higher number of low-coordinated gold (Au) atoms in the MB aqueous solution, which might have boosted the adsorption of the MB on the surface of particles and accelerated the degradation phenomenon. The proposed photocatalytic degradation mechanism of AuNPs for MB was also explained. The highly photoactive EGL mediated AuNPs with controllable morphology and size could be an advance step in future in chemical and biomedical applications.
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6.
  • Hussain, Muhammad Mahroz, et al. (författare)
  • Arsenic biogeochemical cycling in paddy soil-rice system : Interaction with various factors, amendments and mineral nutrients
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 773
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Arsenic (As) contamination is a well-recognized environmental and health issue, threatening over 200 million people worldwide with the prime cases in South and Southeast Asian and Latin American countries. Rice is mostly cultivated under flooded paddy soil conditions, where As speciation and accumulation by rice plants is controlled by various geo-environmental (biotic and abiotic) factors. In contrast to other food crops, As uptake in rice has been found to be substantially higher due to the prevalence of highly mobile and toxic As species, arsenile (As(Ill)), under paddy soil conditions. In this review, we discussed the biogeochemical cycling of As in paddy soil-rice system, described the influence of critical factors such as pH, iron oxides, organic matter, microbial species, and pathways affecting As transformation and accumulation by rice. Moreover, we elucidated As interaction with organic and inorganic amendments and mineral nutrients. The review also elaborates on As (im) mobilization processes and As uptake by rice under the influence of different mineral nutrients and amendments in paddy soil conditions, as well as their role in mitigating As transfer to rice grain. This review article provides critical information on As contamination in paddy soil-rice system, which is important to develop suitable strategies and mitigation programs for limiting As exposure via rice crop, and meet the UN's key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs: 2 (zero hunger), 3 (good health and well-being), 12 (responsible consumption and production), and 13 (climate action)).
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7.
  • Iqbal, Muhammad Ahsan, et al. (författare)
  • MgAl-LDH/graphene protective film : Insight into LDH-graphene interaction
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Surface & Coatings Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0257-8972 .- 1879-3347. ; 401
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • MgAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) thin films, exhibiting two distinct surface morphologies (Platelet and Cauliflower-like), were synthesized directly on the aluminum substrate. The as-prepared films were further modified with graphene due to the chemical inertness of graphene and its capability to act as a possible physical barrier against ionic media. The morphology and structure of MgAl-LDH/graphene composite films are fully characterized. The corrosion resistance properties were analyzed through Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the results were further fitted using “ZSimpWin” software to evaluate coating behavior. The graphene was found to interact with the LDH structure and provide another pathway for the corrosion reactions and results in improve LDHs corrosion resistance properties. The sealing effect of graphene resists the aggressive media penetration and caused an increase of one order magnitude in impedance modulus of MgAl-LDHs. The enhancement in corrosion resistance properties is attributed to the graphene impermeable behavior against corrosive species confirmed by physical and electrochemical characterizations.
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8.
  • Iqbal, Wasif, et al. (författare)
  • Techno-economic and emission analysis of solar assisted desiccant dehumidification: An experimental and numerical study
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Energy Reports. - : ELSEVIER. - 2352-4847. ; 10, s. 2640-2654
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In humid climates, it is challenging to maintain moisture content in the air for human thermal comfort and industrial applications. Commercial dehumidifiers rely on conventional electric heaters to regenerate desiccant material, which accounts for significant energy consumption by such dehumidifiers. As a green solution to this problem, the present study integrates a flat plate solar air collector (FPSAC) with a desiccant dehumidifier to effectively use solar thermal energy and reduce electrical consumption. Performance evaluation of glazed and unglazed FPSAC-assisted desiccant dehumidifier has been conducted at process air flow rates of 33, 51 and 62 m3/h with a constant regeneration flow rate of 42 m3/h. Both glazed and unglazed FPSAC assisted desiccant dehumidification systems had the highest dehumidification effectiveness and percentage increase in temperature at the flow rate of 33 m3/h, while the highest moisture removal capacity was at 51 m3/h. Maximum dehumidification effectiveness, percentage temperature increase, and moisture removal capacity for the glazed case were 0.4, 66.67%, and 6.14 kg/h, respectively. Experimental results showed that the glazed FPSAC-integrated desiccant dehumidification system outperforms unglazed FPSAC in all performance evaluation parameters. Using Transient System Simulation software (TRNSYS), the proposed glazed and unglazed assisted desiccant dehumidification system was modeled and validated with experimental results. Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis of the solar hybrid desiccant dehumidification system has been carried out. The FPSAC used in this study showcased a 33.57% yearly solar fraction with a solar hybrid system having a payback period of 4.23 years. In addition, the hybrid system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions yearly by 0.352 tons of CO2 equivalents.
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9.
  • Khan, Yusra Habib, et al. (författare)
  • Barriers and facilitators of childhood COVID-19 vaccination among parents : A systematic review
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Pediatrics. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2360. ; 10
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • BackgroundThe acceptance of vaccination against COVID-19 among parents of young children plays a significant role in controlling the current pandemic. A wide range of factors that influence vaccine hesitancy in adults has been reported worldwide, but less attention has been given to COVID-19 vaccination among children. Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major challenge in achieving herd immunity, and it is more challenging among parents as they remain deeply concerned about their child's health. In this context, a systematic review of the current literature is inevitable to assess vaccine hesitancy among parents of young children to ensure a successful ongoing vaccination program.MethodA systematic search of peer-reviewed English literature indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, and Web of science was performed using developed keywords between 1 January 2020 and August 2022. This systematic review included only those studies that focused on parental concerns about COVID-19 vaccines in children up to 12 years without a diagnosis of COVID-19. Following PRISMA guidelines, a total of 108 studies were included. The quality appraisal of the study was performed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsThe results of 108 studies depict that vaccine hesitancy rates differed globally with a considerably large number of factors associated with it. The highest vaccine hesitancy rates among parents were reported in a study from the USA (86.1%) and two studies from Saudi Arabia (> 85%) and Turkey (89.6%). Conversely, the lowest vaccine hesitancy rates ranging from 0.69 and 2% were found in two studies from South Africa and Switzerland, respectively. The largest study (n = 227,740) was conducted in Switzerland while the smallest sample size (n = 12) was represented by a study conducted in the USA. The most commonly reported barriers to childhood vaccination were mothers' lower education level (N = 46/108, 43%), followed by financial instability (N = 19/108, 18%), low confidence in new vaccines (N = 13/108, 12%), and unmonitored social media platforms (N = 5/108, 4.6%). These factors were significantly associated with vaccine refusal among parents. However, the potential facilitators for vaccine uptake among respondents who intended to have their children vaccinated include higher education level (N = 12/108, 11%), followed by information obtained through healthcare professionals (N = 9/108, 8.3%) and strong confidence in preventive measures taken by the government (N = 5/81, 4.6%).ConclusionThis review underscores that parents around the globe are hesitant to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19. The spectrum of factors associated with vaccine hesitancy and uptake varies across the globe. There is a dire need to address vaccine hesitancy concerns regarding the efficacy and safety of approved vaccines. Local context is inevitable to take into account while developing programs to reduce vaccine hesitancy. There is a dire need to devise strategies to address vaccine hesitancy among parents through the identification of attributing factors.
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10.
  • Latif, Umar, et al. (författare)
  • In situ growth of nickel ammonium phosphate ribbons on nickel foam for supercapacitor applications
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Journal of Energy Storage. - : Elsevier. - 2352-152X .- 2352-1538. ; 73:Part B
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • We report the in-situ growth of the nickel ammonium phosphate (NAP) ribbons on nickel (Ni) foam in a single step process using hydrothermal approach. The morphology, structure and elemental analysis of the NAP-ribbons grown on Ni foam were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) and x-ray diffraction. The NAP-coated Ni foam sample was sonicated in ethanol and the obtained suspension was observed through AFM analysis to analyze the lateral dimensions of the NAP-ribbons. The obtained NAP ribbons powder was also characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Further, the NAP ribbons based electrodes were electrochemically characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge discharge analysis (GCD). NAP ribbons grown on Ni foam as electrodes achieved a specific capacitance (Csp) of 1196 Fg- 1 at 1 mVs- 1 and 1188 Fg- 1 at 1 Ag-1. The charge storage mechanism was identified and quantified by evaluating the CV data in 1-10 mVs- 1 scan rate range. It was established that at low scan rate the charge was dominantly stored by diffusion of electrolyte ions within the gaps of the NAP ribbons resulting in high energy density of 105.5 WhKg-1 at 1 Ag-1. NAP electrodes also demonstrated good cyclic stability by showing 92 % charge retention after 5000 cycles. A symmetric 2-elec-trode device comprised of NAP ribbons electrodes gave Csp of 309 Fg-1 at 1 mVs- 1 with energy density of 42.06 Wh/Kg and power density of 0.5 KW/Kg at 1 A/g current density, which is an exceptional for a symmetric supercapacitor device. The study confirms that NAP ribbons have a promising potential to be employed in the next-generation energy storage devices.
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11.
  • Muzaffar, Nimra, et al. (författare)
  • Designing of VCuS@MXene nanocomposite electrode for energy storage device and electrochemical glucose sensor
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics. - : Springer Nature. - 0957-4522 .- 1573-482X. ; 35:9
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • MXene, a two-dimensional (2D) material composed of transition metal carbides (TMCs) and nitrides, have fascinated substantial scientific interest. This increased interest results from their exceptional properties, which include extraordinary conductivity, transparency, outstanding absorbing capacity, and significant charge storage capacities. In this work, the MXene-doped vanadium copper sulfide (VCuS) was synthesized through the hydrothermal method. In three electrode measurement system, the VCuS/MXene composite electrode showed exhibited a specific capacity (Qs) of 1620 Cg−1. As application point of view, the hybrid device is designed and measured the electrochemical properties. The hybrid device showed the remarkable Qs of 1528 C.g−1, power density (Pd) of 2347 Wkg−1 and an energy density (Ed) of 34.99 Whkg−1. Further, the VCuS/MXene//AC device is measured up to 6000 cycles to check the stability and durability. The device showed the capacity retention (CR) of 88.5% and a high Coulombic efficiency of 82.6%. Additionally, the VCuS/MXene electrode material is utilized as an electrochemical glucose sensor for the precise detection of H2O2 down to a minimal concentration of H2O2/mm, exhibiting exceptional precision. The use of multifunctional VCuS/MXene nanocomposite electrode material presents novel possibilities for the construction of hybrid energy harvesting systems.
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12.
  • Nisa, Zaib Un, et al. (författare)
  • A comparative metabolomic study on desi and kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes under rainfed and irrigated field conditions
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - BERLIN GERMANY : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Chickpea is considered among the most important leguminous crops in the world. However, in recent years drought conditions and/or limited availability of water have significantly reduced the production of chickpea. The current study was aimed to understand the legume stress response at the metabolic level for the determination of chickpea genotypes which can resist yield losses and could be cultivated with limited water availability. Here, we have analyzed two genotypes of chickpea, desi and kabuli under rainfed condition using a GC-MS based untargeted metabolomics approach. Results revealed significant differences in several metabolite features including oxalic acid, threonic acid, inositol, maltose and L-proline between studied groups. Accumulation of plant osmoprotectants such as L-proline, sugars and sugar alcohols was higher in desi genotype than kabuli genotype of chickpea when grown under the rainfed condition. Metabolic pathway analysis suggests that the inositol phosphate metabolism was involved in plant defense mechanisms against the limited water availability.
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13.
  • Tounkara, Fode, et al. (författare)
  • Analyzing the seismic attributes, structural and petrophysical analyses of the Lower Goru Formation: A case study from Middle Indus Basin Pakistan
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Earth Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-6463. ; 10
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The purpose of this research is to delineate the structures of the Lower Goru Formation, investigate fluid properties, and clarify the hydrocarbon-prone areas through seismic attributes analysis. First, the acquired data was matched by the interpretation datum. Structural analysis was done by performing horizon interpretation, fault interpretation, and contour mapping on the C-Interval of the Lower Goru Formation. Hydrocarbon zones were marked with the help of attribute analysis on seismic sections and were justified by petrophysical analysis. An integrated approach such as seismic structural interpretation, seismic attribute, spectral decomposition, and petrophysical analyses was used in current research to better understand geological structure and features. This research showed that normal faults are present in the area showing negative flower structure, horst and graben, and faults oriented north-west to south-east. The contour map shows structural inclination and faults bound closure near well locations. Variance attribute and spectral decomposition attribute were used to verify horizon lineation and fault behavior. Instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous phase attributes justify hydrocarbon bearing zones, and bright spots are present on seismic sections at C–Interval of Lower Goru Formation. Petrophysical analysis of the available wells showed a number of significant hydrocarbon zones having more than 55% of hydrocarbon saturation at the C-Interval of the Lower Goru Formation. The four possible reservoir zones in Sawan-02 well, two zones in Sawan-07 well, and three zones in Sawan-09 well are identified based on well data interpretation. Based on these analyses, the area of interest has a very good reservoir potential, structural closure, and visible bright spots. The current finding of this research will be helpful for future exploration and development of the Sawan area.
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14.
  • Aribowo, Agus, et al. (författare)
  • Finite element method on topology optimization applied to laminate composite of fuselage structure
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Curved and Layered Structures. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2353-7396. ; 10:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This research applies a numerical study of topology optimization of laminate composite structures by using a finite element method (FEM). In this methodology, the plies orientation is excluded from the optimization. The geometry-based optimization from frames of a MALE UAV fuselage structure is presented. The minimum strain energy with an optimization constraint of 20% of weight reduction is used in the objective function. Before the primary analysis, benchmark studies of topology optimization without considering orientations from previously published literature are performed. The convergence studies were taken to acquire the appropriate mesh size in the FEM technique, which utilized a four-noded shell element. The finite element analysis and optimization results showed that the structural design of the newly framed composite fuselage MALE UAV meets the structural strength requirements specified in the airworthiness standard STANAG 4671.
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15.
  • Beal, Jacob, et al. (författare)
  • Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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16.
  • Ehsan, Muhsan, et al. (författare)
  • An integrated study for seismic structural interpretation and reservoir estimation of Sawan gas field, Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 9:5
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The information about the subsurface structure, type of fluids present in the reservoir, and physical properties of the rocks is essential for identifying potential leads. The integrated approach of petrophysical analysis, seismic data interpretation, seismic attributes analysis, lithology, mineralogy identification, and Gassmann fluid substitution were used for this purpose. The structural interpretation with the help of seismic data indicated the extensional regime with horst and graben structures in the study area. The two negative flower structures are cutting the entire Cretaceous deposits. The depth contour map also indicate favorable structures for hydrocarbon accumulation. The four possible reservoir zones in the Sawan-01 well and two zones in the Judge-01 well at B sand and C sand levels are identified based on well data interpretation. The main lithology of the Lower Goru Formation is sandstone with thin beds of shale. The clay types confirm the marine depositional environment for Lower Goru Formation. The water substitution in the reservoir at B sand and C sand levels indicated increased P-wave velocity and density. The water substitution affected the shear wave velocity varies slightly due to density changes. The cross plots of P-impedance versus Vp/Vs ratio differentiate the sandstone with low P-impedance and low Vp/Vs ratio from shaly sandstone with high values in the reservoir area. The P-impedance and S-impedance cross plot indicate increasing gas saturation with a decrease in impedance values. The low values of Lambda-Rho and Mu-Rho indicated the gas sandstone in the cross plot.
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17.
  • Hameed, Arslan, et al. (författare)
  • ZIF-12/Fe-Cu LDH Composite as a High Performance Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2646. ; 9
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are being used as electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). However, low current densities limit their practical applications. Herein, we report a facile and economic synthesis of an iron-copper based LDH integrated with a cobalt-based metal-organic framework (ZIF-12) to form LDH-ZIF-12 composite (1) through a co-precipitation method. The as-synthesized composite 1 requires a low overpotential of 337 mV to achieve a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm−2 with a Tafel slope of 89 mV dec−1. Tafel analysis further demonstrates that 1 exhibits a slope of 89 mV dec−1 which is much lower than the slope of 284 mV dec−1 for LDH and 172 mV dec−1 for ZIF-12. The slope value of 1 is also lower than previously reported electrocatalysts, including Ni-Co LDH (113 mV dec−1) and Zn-Co LDH nanosheets (101 mV dec−1), under similar conditions. Controlled potential electrolysis and stability test experiments show the potential application of 1 as a heterogeneous electrocatalyst for water oxidation.
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18.
  • Huang, Bingzhang, et al. (författare)
  • Evolutionary Algorithms for Strength Prediction of Geopolymer Concrete
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Buildings. - : MDPI. - 2075-5309. ; 14:5
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Geopolymer concrete (GPC) serves as a sustainable substitute for conventional concrete by employing alternative cementitious materials such as fly ash (FA) instead of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), contributing to environmental and durability benefits. To increase the rate of utilization of FA in the construction industry, distinctive characteristics of two machine learning (ML) methods, namely, gene expression programming (GEP) and multi-expression programming (MEP), were utilized in this study to propose precise prediction models for the compressive strength and split tensile strength of GPC comprising FA as a binder. A comprehensive database was collated, which comprised 301 compressive strength and 96 split tensile strength results. Seven distinct input variables were employed for the modeling purpose, i.e., FA, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, water, superplasticizer, and fine and coarse aggregates contents. The performance of the developed models was assessed via numerous statistical metrics and absolute error plots. In addition, a parametric analysis of the finalized models was performed to validate the prediction ability and accuracy of the finalized models. The GEP-based prediction models exhibited better performance, accuracy, and generalization capability compared with the MEP-based models in this study. The GEP-based models demonstrated higher correlation coefficients (R) for predicting the compressive and split tensile strengths, with the values of 0.89 and 0.87, respectively, compared with the MEP-based models, which yielded the R values of 0.76 and 0.73, respectively. The mean absolute errors for the GEP- and MEP-based models for predicting the compressive strength were 5.09 MPa and 6.78 MPa, respectively, while those for the split tensile strengths were 0.42 MPa and 0.51 MPa, respectively. The finalized models offered simple mathematical formulations using the GEP and Python code-based formulations from MEP for predicting the compressive and tensile strengths of GPC. The developed models indicated practical application potential in optimizing geopolymer mix designs. This research work contributes to the ongoing efforts in advancing ML applications in the construction industry, highlighting the importance of sustainable materials for the future.
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19.
  • Iqbal, Javed, et al. (författare)
  • A Novel Single-Fed Dual-Band Dual-Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna for 5G Sub-6GHz Applications
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-3417. ; 12:10
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In this research article, a single-fed dual-band circular polarized (CP) dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) for dual-function communication, such as GPS and WLAN, was made. Initially, the proposed design process was initiated by designing a linearly polarized singly fed-DRA. To attain CP fields, the cross-shape conformal metal strip was optimized to excite the fundamental and the high-order mode in the two frequency bands. The metallic strip (parasitic) was utilized on top of the rectangular DRA to improve and widen the impedance and axial ratio (AR) bandwidth. This step led to a 2.73% improvement on the lower band and an impact of 6.5% on the upper band while on the other side a significant improvement was witnessed in the AR bandwidth in both frequency bands. A prototype was designed and fabricated in order to validate its operations. The measurement outcomes of the proposed antennas authenticated wideband impedance bandwidths of 6.4% and 25.26%, and 3-dB axial ratios (AR) of 21.26% and 27.82% respectively. The prototype is a decent candidate for a global positioning system (GPS) and wireless local area network (WLAN).
  •  
20.
  • Iqbal, Sajid, et al. (författare)
  • Essential oils of four wild plants inhibit the blood seeking behaviour of female Aedes aegytpi
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Experimental parasitology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4894 .- 1090-2449. ; 244
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito is an important vector of many disease-causing pathogens. An effective way to escape from these mosquito-borne diseases is to prevent mosquito bites. In the current study, essential oils of Lepidium pinnatifidum, Mentha longifolia, Origanum vulgare, and Agrimonia eupatoria were evaluated for their repellent potential against Ae. aegypti females. Essential oils were extracted using steam distillation from freshly collected aerial parts of the plants and tested against 4–5 day old females of Ae. aegypti through the human bait technique for repellency and repellent longevity assays. The chemical composition of extracted essential oils was explored by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oils of L. pinnatifidum, M. longifolia, O. vulgare, and A. eupatoria at a dose of 33 μg/cm2 showed 100%, 94%, 87%, and 83% mosquito repellent activity, respectively. Furthermore, M. longifolia and O. vulgare essential oils exhibited 100% repellency at a dose of 165 μg/cm2, whereas A. eupatoria essential oil showed 100% repellency only at 330 μg/cm2. In the time-span bioassay, M. longifolia and O. vulgare essential oils showed protection against Ae. aegypti bites for 90 and 75 min, respectively whereas both A. eupatoria and L. pinnatifidum were found active for 45 min. Phenylacetonitrile (94%), piperitone oxide (34%), carvacrol (20%) and α-pinene (62%) were the most abundant compounds in L. pinnatifidum, M. longifolia, O. vulgare and A. eupatoria essential oils, respectively. The current study demonstrates that M. longifolia and O. vulgare essential oils possess the potential to be used as an alternative to synthetic chemicals to protect humans from mosquito bites.
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21.
  • Khan, Muhammad Ahsan Iqbal, et al. (författare)
  • An Experimental and Comparative Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric System
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Energy Research. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-598X. ; 9
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The majority of incident solar irradiance causes thermalization in photovoltaic (PV) cells, attenuating their efficiency. In order to use solar energy on a large scale and reduce carbon emissions, their efficiency must be enhanced. Effective thermal management can be utilized to generate additional electrical power while simultaneously improving photovoltaic efficiency. In this work, an experimental model of a hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric generation (PV-TEG) system is developed. Ten bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric modules are attached to the rear side of a 10 W polycrystalline silicon-based photovoltaic module in order to recover and transform waste thermal energy to usable electrical energy, ultimately cooling the PV cells. The experiment was then carried out for 10 days in Lahore, Pakistan, on both a simple PV module and a hybrid PV-TEG system. The findings revealed that a hybrid system has boosted PV module output power and conversion efficiency. The operating temperature of the PV module in the hybrid system is reduced by 5.5%, from 55 degrees C to 52 degrees C. Due to a drop in temperature and the addition of some recovered energy by thermoelectric modules, the total output power and conversion efficiency of the system increased. The hybrid system's cumulative output power increased by 19% from 8.78 to 10.84 W, compared to the simple PV system. Also, the efficiency of the hybrid PV-TEG system increased from 11.6 to 14%, which is an increase of 17% overall. The results of this research could provide consideration for designing commercial hybrid PV-TEG systems.
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22.
  • Mallhi, Tauqeer Hussain, et al. (författare)
  • Evaluation of knowledge and barriers of influenza vaccine uptake among university students in Saudi Arabia : a cross-sectional analysis
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 10
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Background. Influenza vaccine hesitancy is a significant threat to global maneuvers for reducing the burden of seasonal and pandemic influenza. This study estimated the vaccine uptake, barriers, and willingness for influenza vaccines among university students in Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health science (HS) and non-health science (NHS) university students. A 31-item questionnaire was used to ascertain the vaccination rate, barriers, and willingness for the flu vaccine. Results. This study included 790 students (mean age: 21.40 +/- 1.94 years), 246 (31.1%) from HS and 544 (68.9%) from NHS disciplines. About 70% did not take flu shots before the arrival of the winter. The mean knowledge score was 7.81 +/- 1.96, where 20.4%, 67.6%, and 12% of respondents had good, moderate, and poor knowledge regarding flu vaccines. The relative importance index (RII) analysis showed a lack of recommendation from physicians (51.5%, RI ranked: 1) was a top-ranked barrier to vaccine uptake, followed by negative perceptions and accessibility issues. Only 36.6% of the participants were willing to get vaccinated every year, 70% were willing to receive a vaccine on their doctor's recommendations, and 46% agreed to vaccinate if vaccines were freely available in the university. The knowledge, barriers, and willingness widely varied across students from two disciplines. Conclusions. Our analysis underscored low flu vaccine uptake among university students. In addition, the study participants' knowledge was unsatisfactory, and they were less inclined to receive the flu vaccine in the future. Lack of recommendation from the physicians, negative perceptions towards the flu vaccine, and difficult accessibility were found as significant barriers to the vaccine uptake. A multidimensional approach at educational institutes to cover the knowledge gap and address the barriers curtailing the vaccination rate among students is recommended.
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23.
  • Munsif, Fazal, et al. (författare)
  • Dual-purpose wheat technology : a tool for ensuring food security and livestock sustainability in cereal-based cropping pattern
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0365-0340 .- 1476-3567. ; 67:13, s. 1889-1900
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Wheat cultivation under a dual-purpose (DP) system holds great potential to provide additional fodder for livestock with marginal grain reduction. This study explores the potential of wheat as a DP crop for improving both, forage and grain cropping system by finding out optimal sowing dates and cultivars suitable for DP cropping. Field experiments with four cultivars (Saleem-2000, Bathoor-2007, Fakhre Sarhad-99 (FS-99) and Siran-2008), three sowing dates (October 15, October 30 and November 15) and two cutting treatments (cut and no-cut) determines the effects on yield and physiology of wheat. Wheat sown either in mid or end of October resulted in 11 and 8% increase in grain yield while 13 and 9% in biological yield over mid November sowing, respectively. This increase in yield was due to higher grain spike(-1), chlorophyll content, transpiration rate and relative water content. The cultivars Siran-2008 and Saleem-2000 had higher biological and grain yields than other cultivars across cutting and sowing dates treatments. Biological and grain yields were reduced by 4% and 3%, respectively under the DP wheat compared with no-cut treatment, but grains N content was unaffected. Conclusively, DP wheat system (cut treatment) had higher profitability (11.2%) than wheat crop sown only for grain purposes.
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24.
  • Raza, Mohsin Ali, et al. (författare)
  • Synthesis and characterization of zinc aluminate electrodes for supercapacitor applications
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Electrochimica Acta. - : Elsevier. - 0013-4686 .- 1873-3859. ; 475
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • We report, for the first time, the thorough electrochemical characterization of zinc aluminate spinel. Four different stoichiometric composition of zinc aluminate (ZnAl1.5O3.25, ZnAl2O4, ZnAl2.87O5.30, and ZnAl4O7) were prepared by solution combustion method. The obtained powders after calcination at 1000 °C were characterized through scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray diffraction to analyze the morphology, elemental composition and structure, respectively, of the zinc aluminate compositions. The electrodes were prepared by coating slurry of zinc aluminate, carbon black and polyvinylidene fluoride on nickel foam in a ratio of 8:1:1. The electrochemical characterization was carried out by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). ZnAl1.5O3.25 exhibited the highest specific capacity of 546 C/g at 1 mV/s and 336 C/g at 1 A/g, as appraised by CV and GCD analysis, respectively. EIS test revealed that ZnAl1.5O3.25 had the modest impedance value. The energy density value for ZnAl1.5O3.25 sample was 16.79 Wh/kg at 1 A/g with a power density of 179.9 W/kg. The as developed electrodes showed predominantly pseudo-capacitive charge storage mechanism.
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25.
  • Sahil, Mehran, et al. (författare)
  • Seismic performance evaluation of exterior reinforced concrete beam-column connections retrofitted with economical perforated steel haunches
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Results in Engineering (RINENG). - : Elsevier. - 2590-1230. ; 22
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The exterior beam-column joint (BCJ) within reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures is acknowledged as a vulnerable component prone to seismic failure. This article proposes a practical and economical strengthening method for exterior BCJs using a perforated steel haunch system. This method is designed to mitigate damage in BCJs and improve the seismic performance of the structure. Employing finite element modeling (FEM) techniques, the study evaluates the impact of perforated steel haunches on the BCJs’ behavior and performance. The investigation involves creating nine distinct models, each representing a BCJ with a steel haunch system. These models include a control model without any perforations and eight variations with different levels of perforation (ranging from 10% to 50%) within the steel haunch system. Furthermore, the study analyzes the influence of perforation shapes on the connections’ performance, considering square, circular, hexagonal, and triangular shapes. The results reveal that utilizing a steel haunch without perforations significantly increases the load-carrying capacity of a BCJ by about 89%. Additionally, circular or square-shaped perforations, up to 30–35% within the steel haunch, effectively prevent the joints’ failure and promote the ductile behavior. These findings hold the potential to advance the design methodology for RC joints subjected to seismic loads, thereby enhancing the structural resilience in earthquake-prone regions.
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26.
  • Wilkinson, John L., et al. (författare)
  • Pharmaceutical pollution of the world's rivers
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 119:8
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Environmental exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can have negative effects on the health of ecosystems and humans. While numerous studies have monitored APIs in rivers, these employ different analytical methods, measure different APIs, and have ignored many of the countries of the world. This makes it difficult to quantify the scale of the problem from a global perspective. Furthermore, comparison of the existing data, generated for different studies/regions/continents, is challenging due to the vast differences between the analytical methodologies employed. Here, we present a global-scale study of API pollution in 258 of the world's rivers, representing the environmental influence of 471.4 million people across 137 geographic regions. Samples were obtained from 1,052 locations in 104 countries (representing all continents and 36 countries not previously studied for API contamination) and analyzed for 61 APIs. Highest cumulative API concentrations were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America. The most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The most frequently detected APIs were carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine (a compound also arising from lifestyle use), which were detected at over half of the sites monitored. Concentrations of at least one API at 25.7% of the sampling sites were greater than concentrations considered safe for aquatic organisms, or which are of concern in terms of selection for antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, pharmaceutical pollution poses a global threat to environmental and human health, as well as to delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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27.
  • Yaseen, Noor, et al. (författare)
  • Synergistic impacts of high-volume fly ash and sugarcane bagasse ash on performance of cementitious composites reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol fibers
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Results in Materials. - : Elsevier. - 2590-048X. ; 20
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Disposal of waste materials in fertile land is one of the pressing environmental issues, disrupting human, animal, and plant life. This has led the researchers to process and use such waste in ecofriendly construction products like mortar and concrete. Their usage as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) would reduce the quantity of cement used in the manufacturing of cement-based materials, lowering CO2 emissions related with cement production. In this regard, this study examines the feasibility of replacing high-volume of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in engineered cementitious composites (ECC) with two widely used waste materials, sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) and fly ash (FA) as SCMs. Five different mixes were produced, each containing a fixed amount of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers at a dosage of 1.5 % by volume of the mix and a constant cement content of 50 % by weight of the binder (OPC + FA + SCBA). However, FA was replaced with SCBA in these mixes up to 100 % by the combined weight of the waste materials (FA + SCBA) in increments of 25 % (i.e., FA100-SCBA0, FA75-SCBA25, FA50-SCBA50, FA25-SCBA75, and FA0-SCBA100). The results showed that the compressive strength and flexural strength of the composites with the increasing levels of SCBA were reduced. Interestingly, the 28-day compressive strength of composite incorporating 50 % FA and 50 % SCBA was still as high as 25.58 MPa, which satisfied the minimum compressive strength requirement of ASTM C270, making the newly produced ECC suitable for use in normal construction works and repairs. The same optimum mix (FA50-SCBA50) produced an average density of 1867.96 kg/m3 as a result of substituting a significant amount of binder with SCBA, demonstrating that it has evolved into a lightweight engineered cementitious composite. Furthermore, the ultrasonic pulse velocity of the mixes decreased whereas water absorption increased as the proportion of SCBA to FA increased. According to microstructural analysis, unreacted SCBA particles were mostly responsible for the detrimental effects of rising SCBA levels on properties of ECC. Based on the aforementioned results, this research concludes that sugarcane bagasse ash, when combined with fly ash, could be a viable alternative for replacing regular cement up to 50 % by weight in the production of cost-effective and environmentally friendly cementitious composites.
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28.
  • Younas, Muhammad Irfan, et al. (författare)
  • Toward QoS Monitoring in IoT Edge Devices Driven Healthcare : A Systematic Literature Review
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Sensors. - : MDPI Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. - 1424-3210. ; 23:21, s. 1-33
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Smart healthcare is altering the delivery of healthcare by combining the benefits of IoT, mobile, and cloud computing. Cloud computing has tremendously helped the health industry connect healthcare facilities, caregivers, and patients for information sharing. The main drivers for implementing effective healthcare systems are low latency and faster response times. Thus, quick responses among healthcare organizations are important in general, but in an emergency, significant latency at different stakeholders might result in disastrous situations. Thus, cutting-edge approaches like edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) can deal with such problems. A packet cannot be sent from one location to another unless the "quality of service" (QoS) specifications are met. The term QoS refers to how well a service works for users. QoS parameters like throughput, bandwidth, transmission delay, availability, jitter, latency, and packet loss are crucial in this regard. Our focus is on the individual devices present atdifferent levels of the smart healthcare infrastructure and the QoS requirements of the healthcare system as a whole. The contribution of this paper is five-fold: first, a novel pre-SLR method for comprehensive keyword research on subject-related themes for mining pertinent research papers for quality SLR; second, SLR on QoS improvement in smart healthcare apps; third a review of several QoS techniques used in current smart healthcare apps; fourth, the examination of the most important QoS measures in contemporary smart healthcare apps; fifth, offering solutions to the problems encountered in delivering QoS in smart healthcare IoT applications to improve healthcare services.
  •  
29.
  • Abbafati, Cristiana, et al. (författare)
  • 2020
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
  •  
30.
  • Ahmad, Iftikhar, et al. (författare)
  • Drivers and Barriers for Efficient Energy Management Practices in Energy-Intensive Industries: A Case-Study of Iron and Steel Sector
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 12:18
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The two major reasons behind the worlds energy crisis are losses in energy transmission and less efficient energy use at sinks. The former flaw can be catered by changing the entire energy transmission system which requires investment and planning on a large scale, whereas the later deficiency can be overcome through proper management of energy utilizing systems. Energy-intensive industries have a substantial share in energy consumption and equally high energy saving potentials if they adopt some integrated and improved energy efficiency. This study investigates the energy management systems in the iron and steel sector of Pakistan, and compare it with findings of similar work in Sweden, Bangladesh, and Ghana. A systematic questionnaire was circulated in the iron and steel sector across the country and afterward the collected data was analyzed to find major barriers and drivers for efficient energy management practices. In addition, questions on non-energy benefits and information sources relevant to the energy efficiency were also part of the questionnaire. Cost reduction resulting from lowered energy use was rated as the most important driver for applying energy-efficient operation. On the other hand, the cost of production disruption was considered among high-level barriers to the implementation of improved energy efficiency. An increase in the life-time of equipment was labeled as the top non-energy benefits. Company peers and seminars/conferences were referred as the best information sources related to energy efficiency. The outcome of the study will be helpful to the decision-maker in the industry, as well as the government levels.
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31.
  • Ahsan, Hina, et al. (författare)
  • Potential diagnostic and drug target markers in glioblastoma
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - 2045-2322. ; 14:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) IDH-wildtype is the most prevalent brain malignancy in adults. However, molecular mechanisms, which leads to GBM have not been completely elucidated. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF), Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor GCSFR, and Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) have been involved in the occurrence and development of various cancers, but their role in GBM is little known. Herein, we have investigated the gene and protein expression of GCSF, GCSFR, and STAT3 in 21 tissue biopsy samples and also in tumor associated normal tissue (TANT) samples derived from glioblastoma patients, which revealed significantly differential expression of these genes. To validate our findings, we performed a comprehensive integrated analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of respective genes by retrieving GBM RNA-sequence data from Genome Atlas Databases. GO and KEGG analysis revealed enrichment in disease-related pathways, such as JAK/STAT pathway activation, which were associated with GBM progression. We further performed computational docking analysis of potential drug candidate Nisin against GCSF, and the results were validated in vitro through cytotoxic activity assay using a human glioblastoma cell line SF-767 in a dose-dependent manner. Our comprehensive analysis reveals that GCSF augments glioma progression, and its blockade with anticancer bacteriocin peptide Nisin can potentially inhibit the growth and metastasis of GBM.
  •  
32.
  • Ain, Noor U., et al. (författare)
  • Biallelic TMEM251 variants in patients with severe skeletal dysplasia and extreme short stature
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Human Mutation. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1059-7794 .- 1098-1004. ; 42:1, s. 89-101
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Skeletal dysplasias are a heterogeneous group of disorders ranging from mild to lethal skeletal defects. We investigated two unrelated families with individuals presenting with a severe skeletal disorder. In family NMD02, affected individuals had a dysostosis multiplex-like skeletal dysplasia and severe short stature (<-8.5 SD). They manifested increasingly coarse facial features, protruding abdomens, and progressive skeletal changes, reminiscent of mucopolysaccharidosis. The patients gradually lost mobility and the two oldest affected individuals died in their twenties. The affected child in family ID01 had coarse facial features and severe skeletal dysplasia with clinical features similar to mucopolysaccharidosis. She had short stature, craniosynostosis, kyphoscoliosis, and hip-joint subluxation. She died at the age of 5 years. Whole-exome sequencing identified two homozygous variants c.133C>T; p.(Arg45Trp) and c.215dupA; p.(Tyr72Ter), respectively, in the two families, affecting an evolutionary conserved gene TMEM251 (NM_001098621.1). Immunofluorescence and confocal studies using human osteosarcoma cells indicated that TMEM251 is localized to the Golgi complex. However, p.Arg45Trp mutant TMEM251 protein was targeted less efficiently and the localization was punctate. Tmem251 knockdown by small interfering RNA induced dedifferentiation of rat primary chondrocytes. Our work implicates TMEM251 in the pathogenesis of a novel disorder and suggests its potential function in chondrocyte differentiation.
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33.
  • Ali, Amjad, et al. (författare)
  • Effect of Manganese Catalysts on the Performance of Anodes in Direct Carbon Fuel Cells
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: ACS Applied Energy Materials. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2574-0962. ; 5:6, s. 6878-6885
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The efficiency of direct carbon fuel cells is higher than that of solid oxide fuel cells. The direct carbon fuel cell transforms chemical energy into electrical energy. In this work, the La0.4Sr0.6MnxTi1-xO3-delta (x = 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) anode material has been synthesized by the combustion method to examine the device performance. X-ray analysis confirmed the single-perovskite cubic structure with an average crystalline size of 80 nm. An electrical conductivity of 2.1 S cm-1 and fuel cell performance of 100 mW cm-2 at 600 degrees C are measured with sub-bituminous fuel. Theoretical results describe the minor contribution of manganese (Mn) in the valence band and the major one in the conduction band, and with minimum energy, the Mn electrons may jump in the conduction band. Moreover, density functional theory confirmed that with an increase in the Mn concentration, Mn and Ti energy states appear at the Fermi level, which reveals that the conductivity of the compound has improved, agreeing with the experimental results that the Mn concentration led to the enhancement of the conductivity.
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34.
  • Alsolai, Hadeel, et al. (författare)
  • A Systematic Review of Literature on Automated Sleep Scoring
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: IEEE Access. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2169-3536. ; 10, s. 79419-79443
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Sleep is a period of rest that is essential for functional learning ability, mental health, and even the performance of normal activities. Insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless legs are all examples of sleep-related issues that are growing more widespread. When appropriately analyzed, the recording of bio-electric signals, such as the Electroencephalogram, can tell how well we sleep. Improved analyses are possible due to recent improvements in machine learning and feature extraction, and they are commonly referred to as automatic sleep analysis to distinguish them from sleep data analysis by a human sleep expert. This study outlines a Systematic Literature Review and the results it provided to assess the present state-of-the-art in automatic analysis of sleep data. A search string was organized according to the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) strategy in order to determine what machine learning and feature extraction approaches are used to generate an Automatic Sleep Scoring System. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Rechtschaffen & Kales are the two main scoring standards used in contemporary research, according to the report. Other types of sensors, such as Electrooculography, are employed in addition to Electroencephalography to automatically score sleep. Furthermore, the existing research on parameter tuning for machine learning models that was examined proved to be incomplete. Based on our findings, different sleep scoring standards, as well as numerous feature extraction and machine learning algorithms with parameter tuning, have a high potential for developing a reliable and robust automatic sleep scoring system for supporting physicians. In the context of the sleep scoring problem, there are evident gaps that need to be investigated in terms of automatic feature engineering techniques and parameter tuning in machine learning algorithms.
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35.
  • Alsolai, Hadeel, et al. (författare)
  • Employing a Long-Short-Term Memory Neural Network to Improve Automatic Sleep Stage Classification of Pharmaco-EEG Profiles
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3417. ; 12:10
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • An increasing problem in today's society is the spiraling number of people suffering from various sleep disorders. The research results presented in this paper support the use of a novel method that employs techniques from the classification of sleep disorders for more accurate scoring. Applying this novel method will assist researchers with better analyzing subject profiles for recommending prescriptions or to alleviate sleep disorders. In biomedical research, the use of animal models is required to experimentally test the safety and efficacy of a drug in the pre-clinical stage. We have developed a novel LSTM Recurrent Neural Network to process Pharmaco-EEG Profiles of rats to automatically score their sleep-wake stages. The results indicate improvements over the current methods; for the case of combined channels, the model accuracy improved by 1% and 3% in binary or multiclass classifications, respectively, to accuracies of 93% and 82%. In the case of using a single channel, binary and multiclass LSTM models for identifying rodent sleep stages using single or multiple electrode positions for binary or multiclass problems have not been evaluated in prior literature. The results reveal that single or combined channels, and binary or multiclass classification tasks, can be applied in the automatic sleep scoring of rodents.
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36.
  • Amin, Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Life cycle assessment of iron-biomass supported catalyst for Fischer Tropsch synthesis
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2646. ; 12
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The iron-based biomass-supported catalyst has been used for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). However, there is no study regarding the life cycle assessment (LCA) of biomass-supported iron catalysts published in the literature. This study discusses a biomass-supported iron catalyst’s LCA for the conversion of syngas into a liquid fuel product. The waste biomass is one of the source of activated carbon (AC), and it has been used as a support for the catalyst. The FTS reactions are carried out in the fixed-bed reactor at low or high temperatures. The use of promoters in the preparation of catalysts usually enhances C5+ production. In this study, the collection of precise data from on-site laboratory conditions is of utmost importance to ensure the credibility and validity of the study’s outcomes. The environmental impact assessment modeling was carried out using the OpenLCA 1.10.3 software. The LCA results reveals that the synthesis process of iron-based biomass supported catalyst yields a total impact score in terms of global warming potential (GWP) of 1.235E + 01 kg CO2 equivalent. Within this process, the AC stage contributes 52% to the overall GWP, while the preparation stage for the catalyst precursor contributes 48%. The comprehensive evaluation of the iron-based biomass supported catalyst’s impact score in terms of human toxicity reveals a total score of 1.98E−02 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DB) equivalent.
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37.
  • Amjad, M., et al. (författare)
  • Efficacy of Quinapyramine Sulphate, Isometamedium Chloride and Diminazene Aceturate For Treatment of Surra
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences. - : Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum. - 1018-7081. ; 32:3, s. 663-669
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Trypanosomiasis (Surra) is a parasitic and zoonotic disease caused by Trypanosoama evansi, transmitted by insect vectors Tabanus and Stomoxys mechanically. The aim of the present study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of various trypanosidal drugs against trypanosomiasis in Thoroughbred horses. Horses having clinical signs of trypanosomiasis were diagnosed through blood smear through a microscope were selected for this study. The infected horses were divided into three experimental groups for therapeutic trials. Animals in group A were treated with a single dose of quinapyramine sulphate @ 3000mg/ml per 50/kg body weight; group B was treated with a single dose of isometamedium chloride Hydrochloride@ 0.5 mg/2.5 ml of 1% solution per 50/kg body weight; group C was treated with a single dose of diminazene aceturate@ 2360 mg/15 ml per 100/kg. Results revealed that significant (P<0.0001) de cline in the values of erythrocyte counts (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), platelets (PLT) and a significant (P<0.0001) increase in white blood cells (WBC), granulocytes, and monocytes in infected horses as compared to healthy ones. Therapeutic trials indicated that quinapyramine sulphate that showed 100% efficacy at 21th days had significantly higher than isometamedium chloride and diminazene aceturate (95.83 and 75% efficacy, respectively). The hematological parameters of recovered horses were significantly restored to normal values on day 21 after treatment. It is concluded that quinapyramine sulphate is the drug of choice against trypanosomiasis in Thoroughbred horses.
  •  
38.
  • Azama, Asad Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Nanocarriers for the oral delivery of drugs with special focus on porous silicon : a review
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Pakistan Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research Series A: Physical Sciences. - : PCSIR-Scientific Information Centre. - 2221-6413 .- 2223-2559. ; 64:1, s. 84-96
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The focus concerning controlled drug release requires the growth of appropriate drug carriers that could move adequate amount of the drug to injured area with controlled and sustained manner. A variety of nanoparticles including magnetic nanoparticles, the staes, liposomes, polymers dendrimers, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and porous silicon have been investigated as drug carriers in drug delivery cases. Nanocarriers have achieved significant importance in the stabilization of proteins and peptides, anti-cancer drug camptothecin (CPT) and bone tissue engineering offering improved buccal access and protection according to the desired function. Moreover, tailored formulation along with functionalization and biocompatibility has importance in fabrication of nanoparticles for proteins or peptides via oral delivery systems, which has advantage over parenteric delivery systems because of their comfort running and observance to treatment. The review summarizes interesting approaches on existing publications for drugs such as proteins or peptides carrier nanoparticles with special focus on porous silicon for delivery systems. Fabricatioan of nanoparticles e.g. porous silicon nanocarriers for oral delivery, advantages and disadvantages, prospective use of porous silicon in drug delivery systems will be addressed.
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39.
  • Azeem, Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Chemical composition and antifeedant activity of some aromatic plants against pine weevil (Hylobius abietis)
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Annals of Applied Biology. - : Blackwell Publishing Ltd. - 0003-4746 .- 1744-7348.
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The pine weevil Hylobius abietis is an important pest causing severe damage to conifer seedlings in reforestation areas in Europe and Asia. Plants that have no evolutionary history with the pine weevil are of special interest in the search for compounds with a strong antifeedant activity. Thus, the essential oils of nine aromatic plants, viz Amomum subulatum, Cinnamomum tamala, Curcuma longa, Laurus nobilis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, Origanum vulgare, Syzygium aromaticum and Trachyspermum ammi were extracted by hydrodistillation. The essential oil constituents were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and antifeedant properties towards the pine weevil were assessed using choice feeding bioassay. The essential oils of C. longa, O. majorana, S. aromaticum and T. ammi showed an excellent antifeedant activity towards the pine weevil for 24 hr, whereas the essential oil of other plants showed the activity for 6 hr. There was a positive correlation between the amount of benzenoid compounds and the antifeedant activity of the essential oils. This study suggests that pine weevil non-host plant compounds have potential to be used for the protection of seedlings against pine weevil feeding. However, further study will be needed to explore the antifeedant activity of individual components and oils in the laboratory as well as in the field. 
  •  
40.
  • Baek, Jeanha, et al. (författare)
  • Engineered mesoporous silica reduces long-term blood glucose and HbA1c, and improves metabolic parameters in prediabetics
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Nanomedicine. - : Future Medicine Ltd. - 1743-5889 .- 1748-6963. ; 17:1, s. 9-22
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Aim: To investigate the effect of oral consumption of engineered mesoporous silica particles, SiPore15®, on long-term blood glucose levels and other metabolic parameters in individuals with prediabetes and newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Method: An open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial was conducted in which SiPore15 was consumed three times daily for 12 weeks. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, primary end point) and an array of metabolic parameters were measured at baseline and throughout the trial. Result: SiPore15 treatment significantly reduced HbA1c by a clinically meaningful degree and improved several disease-associated parameters with minimal side effects. Conclusion: The results from this study demonstrate the potential use of SiPore15 as a treatment for prediabetes that may also delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
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41.
  • Bilal, Muhammad, et al. (författare)
  • Exploring the potential of ligninolytic armory for lignin valorization : A way forward for sustainable and cleaner production
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 326
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Lignin is a key structural constituent of lignocellulosic biomasses that have substantial untapped potential to substitute environmentally unfriendly and non-renewable fossil-based resources. Unfortunately, multifaceted composition, heterogeneity, and structural recalcitrance of the lignin are the biggest technical challenges for its effective deconstruction and bioconversions to an array of bio-based products, e.g., specialty chemicals and biomaterials. Physicochemical methods for lignin depolymerization require strict reaction conditions, high en-ergy to execute processes, and environmental apprehensions. In contrast, biological platforms harnessing the catalytic potentiality of microorganisms and their robust enzymatic armory are thought to be efficient means for lignin decomposition. Enzymes, derived from natural origin, are highly proficient and eco-friendly biocatalysts that manifest high selectivity, require milder reaction conditions, and reduce resource requirements. The utili-zation of enzymes for lignin conversion and pre-treatment of biomass for detergent, textile, pulp and papers, and food sector applications has been investigated for decades. Herein, we reviewed lignin bioconversion by bio-logical means, focusing on ligninolytic enzyme-assisted pretreatment approaches. In the first half, we outlined the lignin as a multipurpose raw feedstock, fixation of CO2 to lignin biosynthesis and tailored lignin approach, and sources and types of lignin. The bio-based pre-treatment approaches for lignin depolymerization, including white-rot fungi, brown-rot fungi, bacteria, and ligninolytic enzymes, i.e., manganese peroxidase (MnP) lignin peroxidase (LiP), Laccase (Lac), versatile peroxidase (VP), and dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyP) are thor-oughly vetted in the second half.
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42.
  • Dogar, Attiq Ur Rahman, et al. (författare)
  • Experimental investigations on inelastic behaviour and modified Gerber joint for double-span steel trapezoidal sheeting
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Structures. - : Elsevier. - 2352-0124. ; 24, s. 514-525
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Cold-formed steel trapezoidal profiles provide efficient solutions for roofing and often use the Gerber joint to effectively utilize capacities. The previous design of Gerber joint was sensitive to uneven distribution of loads and accidental loads, which imposed bending moments in the joint and lead to its failure. In this experimental program, the design of Gerber joint has been modified to work as a hinge under service loads and carry moments in accidental conditions. Also, the design of CFS is based on elastic methods that underestimate their capacity, especially for multi-span systems. Full-scale tests were conducted on highly stiffened double-span trapezoidal sheeting profiles with modified Gerber joint to investigate elastic capacity, inelastic behaviour, moment redistribution in the post-elastic phase, ultimate load capacity and feasibility of modified Gerber joint. Comparison of elastic load capacity with EWM and DSM predictions revealed that EWM design predictions were conservative by 30% while DSM predictions were accurate. For multi-span application, residual moment capacity ratios of 0.76 and 0.81 in the post-elastic phase allowed for moment redistribution and increased ultimate load capacity by 7.14% and 8.80% for 0.85 mm and 1 mm thick profiles respectively. Performance of modified Gerber joint to behave as a hinge under service loads and as continuous in the post-elastic phase was also found to be satisfactory. The study concluded that the economy in design and capacity utilization of multi-span CFS profiles can be improved by allowing for moment redistribution and using the modified Gerber joint.
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43.
  • Feigin, Valery L., et al. (författare)
  • Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990-2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Lancet Neurology. - : Elsevier. - 1474-4422 .- 1474-4465. ; 20:10, s. 795-820
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Background Regularly updated data on stroke and its pathological types, including data on their incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability, risk factors, and epidemiological trends, are important for evidence-based stroke care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) aims to provide a standardised and comprehensive measurement of these metrics at global, regional, and national levels. Methods We applied GBD 2019 analytical tools to calculate stroke incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and the population attributable fraction (PAF) of DALYs (with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals [UIs]) associated with 19 risk factors, for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. These estimates were provided for ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, and all strokes combined, and stratified by sex, age group, and World Bank country income level. Findings In 2019, there were 12.2 million (95% UI 11.0-13.6) incident cases of stroke, 101 million (93.2-111) prevalent cases of stroke, 143 million (133-153) DALYs due to stroke, and 6.55 million (6.00-7.02) deaths from stroke. Globally, stroke remained the second-leading cause of death (11.6% [10.8-12.2] of total deaths) and the third-leading cause of death and disability combined (5.7% [5.1-6.2] of total DALYs) in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, the absolute number of incident strokes increased by 70.0% (67.0-73.0), prevalent strokes increased by 85.0% (83.0-88.0), deaths from stroke increased by 43.0% (31.0-55.0), and DALYs due to stroke increased by 32.0% (22.0-42.0). During the same period, age-standardised rates of stroke incidence decreased by 17.0% (15.0-18.0), mortality decreased by 36.0% (31.0-42.0), prevalence decreased by 6.0% (5.0-7.0), and DALYs decreased by 36.0% (31.0-42.0). However, among people younger than 70 years, prevalence rates increased by 22.0% (21.0-24.0) and incidence rates increased by 15.0% (12.0-18.0). In 2019, the age-standardised stroke-related mortality rate was 3.6 (3.5-3.8) times higher in the World Bank low-income group than in the World Bank high-income group, and the age-standardised stroke-related DALY rate was 3.7 (3.5-3.9) times higher in the low-income group than the high-income group. Ischaemic stroke constituted 62.4% of all incident strokes in 2019 (7.63 million [6.57-8.96]), while intracerebral haemorrhage constituted 27.9% (3.41 million [2.97-3.91]) and subarachnoid haemorrhage constituted 9.7% (1.18 million [1.01-1.39]). In 2019, the five leading risk factors for stroke were high systolic blood pressure (contributing to 79.6 million [67.7-90.8] DALYs or 55.5% [48.2-62.0] of total stroke DALYs), high body-mass index (34.9 million [22.3-48.6] DALYs or 24.3% [15.7-33.2]), high fasting plasma glucose (28.9 million [19.8-41.5] DALYs or 20.2% [13.8-29.1]), ambient particulate matter pollution (28.7 million [23.4-33.4] DALYs or 20.1% [16.6-23.0]), and smoking (25.3 million [22.6-28.2] DALYs or 17.6% [16.4-19.0]). Interpretation The annual number of strokes and deaths due to stroke increased substantially from 1990 to 2019, despite substantial reductions in age-standardised rates, particularly among people older than 70 years. The highest age-standardised stroke-related mortality and DALY rates were in the World Bank low-income group. The fastest-growing risk factor for stroke between 1990 and 2019 was high body-mass index. Without urgent implementation of effective primary prevention strategies, the stroke burden will probably continue to grow across the world, particularly in low-income countries.
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44.
  • Gan, Dianne, et al. (författare)
  • Effect of airborne-particle abrasion with a novel spherical abrasive on the zirconia surface
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: The Journal of prosthetic dentistry (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3913 .- 1097-6841. ; 130:6, s. 866-876
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Statement of problem. A novel zirconia-alumina composite (ZAC) particle has yet to be studied for airborne-particle abrasion in a bonding protocol for the zirconia surface.Purpose. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the shear bond force of resin cement to yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) when using spherical ZAC particles to conduct airborne-particle abrasion and modify the topography of Y-TZP.Material and methods. Spherical 30- to 70-μm ZAC particles were fabricated by using a hybrid gel technique. A total of 160 Ø6.6×4.0-mm zirconia disks were fabricated from 4 commercially available zirconia blanks, e.max ZirCAD zirconia (EM), NexxZr T zirconia (NE), Lava Plus High Translucency zirconia (LP), and Imagine High Translucency Zirconia (IM), by using computer-aided manufacturing technology. As-sintered specimens without further surface treatment were used as controls (ZR0). Surface treatment groups included sharp-edged alumina airborne-particle abrasion (ABC), 50 μm, 0.2 MPa; airborne-particle abrasion with ZAC particle at 0.2 MPa (2ZA); and airborne-particle abrasion with spherical ZAC particle at 0.4 MPa (4ZA). All surface treatment groups were airborne-particle abraded at the specified pressures for 10 seconds at a standardized distance of 10 mm. The surface roughness (Ra) and area roughness (Sa) of specimens from each group were measured. Following the application of an adhesive (Scotchbond Universal), Ø6.6×4.0-mm resin cement (RelyX Ultimate) buttons were fabricated for shear bond testing by using a universal testing machine at a 5-mm/min crosshead speed (n=10). The data were analyzed by using a 2-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD test, and regression analysis (α=0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to observe changes of the zirconia surface and the failure modes of each group before and after shear bond testing.Results. The mean ±standard deviation shear bond force values ranged from 272.6 ±41.4 N to 686.7 ±152.8 N. Statistically significant higher force values than those of the controls (P<.05) were obtained by using airborne-particle abrasion. No significant differences were found among any of the airborne-particle abrasion treatment groups (P>.05). The mean of Ra values ranged from 0.27 μm to 0.74 μm, and the mean of Sa values, from 0.48 μm to 1.48 μm. SEM observation revealed that the zirconia surface was made jagged by abrasion with sharp-edged alumina particles. The spherical ZAC particles create microcraters on the zirconia surface. Fractographic observation disclosed that failures were adhesive-cohesive failure modes with residual resin cement attached on the zirconia surface.Conclusions. The surface treatment of zirconia with sharp-edged alumina or the spherical ZAC abrasives improved the bonding force between the zirconia and resin cement. No statistically significant differences in shear bond force values were found between airborne-particle abrasion surface treatment groups.
  •  
45.
  • Hagman, Emilia, et al. (författare)
  • Oral intake of mesoporous silica is safe and well tolerated in male humans
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 15:10
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Background Precisely engineered mesoporous silica has been shown to induce weight loss in mice, but whether it is safe to use in humans have not investigated.Objective The aim was to determine whether oral dosing, up to 9 grams/day, of precisely engineered mesoporous silica as a food additive can be used safely in male humans.Design This single blinded safety study consisted of two study arms including 10 males each (18-35 years). One arm consisted of participants with normal weight and one with obesity. After a placebo run-in period, all subjects were given porous silica three times daily, with increasing dose up to 9 grams/day (Phase 1). Subjects with obesity continued the study with highest dose for additional 10 weeks (Phase 2).Results All participants completed Phase 1 and 90% completed Phase 2, with approximately 1% missed doses. Participants reported no abdominal discomfort, and changes in bowel habits were minor and inconsistent. The side effects observed were mild and tolerable, biomarkers did not give any safety concern, and no severe adverse events occurred.Conclusion Mesoporous silica intake of up to 9 grams/day can be consumed by males without any major adverse events or safety concerns.
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46.
  • Hakim, M. Waqas, et al. (författare)
  • Ni-intercalated Mo2TiC2Tx free-standing MXene for excellent gravimetric capacitance prepared via electrostatic self-assembly
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Journal of Energy Storage. - : Elsevier. - 2352-152X .- 2352-1538. ; 61
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • MXenes and composite belonging to the family of 2D material offer promising applications in the field of energy storage owing to their unique structure, metallic conductivity, and surface tunability. Herein, we have reported a simple approach for the synthesis of pristine Mo2TIC2Tx and Ni-intercalated Mo2TiC2Tx free-standing film. The prepared films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for the electrochemical measurements. A binder-free, flexible, and chemically stable structure of synthesized Ni-Mo2TiC2Tx films shows a high gravimetric capacitance of 682 F g-1, compared to the pristine Mo2TiC2Tx free-standing film which exhibited a gravimetric capacitance of 310 F g-1 at 5 mV s-1. Synthesized Ni-Mo2TiC2Tx electrode exhibited an energy density of 59.77 W h kg- 1 and power density of 0.4 kW kg- 1 along with long-term cyclic ability and stability of over 5000 cycles which makes it a good candidate material for energy storage devices.
  •  
47.
  • Haneef, Tahir, et al. (författare)
  • Recent progress in two dimensional Mxenes for photocatalysis : a critical review
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: 2D Materials. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2053-1583. ; 10:1
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Transition metal carbides and nitrides, generally known as MXenes have emerged as an alternative to improve photocatalytic performance in renewable energy and environmental remediation applications because of their high surface area, tunable chemistry, and easily adjustable elemental compositions. MXenes have many interlayer groups, surface group operations, and a flexible layer spacing that makes them ideal catalysts. Over 30 different members of the MXenes family have been explored and successfully utilized as catalysts. Particularly, MXenes have achieved success as a photocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction, nitrogen fixation, hydrogen evolution, and photochemical degradation. The structure of MXenes and the presence of hydrophilic functional groups on the surface results in excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. In addition, MXenes' surface defects provide abundant CO2 adsorption sites. Moreover, their highly efficient catalytic oxidation activity is a result of their excellent two-dimensional nanomaterial structure and high-speed electron transport channels. This article comprehensively discusses the structure, synthesis techniques, photocatalytic applications (i.e. H-2 evolution, N-2 fixation, CO2 reduction, and degradation of pollutants), and recyclability of MXenes. This review also critically evaluates the MXene-based heterostructure and composites photocatalyst synthesis process and their performance for organic pollutant degradation. Finally, a prospect for further research is presented in environmental and energy sciences.
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48.
  •  
49.
  • Ilyas, Muhammad Tasaduq, et al. (författare)
  • Substantial performance of copper sulfide nanotubes at high current densities for energy storage applications
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Journal of Energy Storage. - : Elsevier. - 2352-152X .- 2352-1538. ; 85
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This study presents the direct growth of CuS nanotubes (NTs) on nickel foam using a facile solution synthesis route. The structural, elemental and morphological analyses of CuS NTs grown Ni foam were conducted through X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and field emission scanning electron microscope. The electrochemical performance of the prepared electrodes was comprehensively characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The CuS NTs grown electrodes delivered a specific capacitance of 1539 Fg−1 at 1 mVs−1 and 1365 Fg−1 at 5 Ag−1, demonstrating a remarkable rate capability of 66 % at an extremely high current density of 25 Ag−1. Notably, the CuS NTs electrode demonstrated good cyclic stability, as evidenced by a charge retention of 75.5 % after 3000 cycles at a high current density of 20 Ag−1. The charge storage mechanism was predominantly diffusion controlled, accomplished by analyzing CV data. Overall, this work evinces that the as-synthesized CuS NTs hold a significant promise as electrode materials for high-performance electrochemical energy storage applications.
  •  
50.
  • Iqbal, Asifa, et al. (författare)
  • Design of external shading devices in Mansehra, Pakistan and their role in climate change
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Frontiers in Energy Efficiency. - : Frontiers. - 2813-6799. ; 1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • With the rising global temperatures, developing countries are one of the most adversely affected countries by climate change. Furthermore, changes in lifestyle and unsustainable ways of development have resulted in a shift away from passive strategies in the construction industry, which contribute to excessive energy consumption. This demands immediate action to use passive strategies and one of the most widely used passive strategies is shading devices, which can significantly lower the indoor temperature and give the structure the most efficient energy performance. Shading devices were a dominant identity of traditional architecture in Pakistan; however, it has been evident during the past decade the use of such devices has become obsolete due to modernized solutions. This study aims to examine the performance and effectiveness of shading devices in terms of heat gain and daylight levels in residential areas. A comparative case study methodology has been used. The fixed overhanging shading devices of six residential units in Mansehra City, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, have been used. Sun angles are calculated through the SketchUp tool Curic Sun to analyze and determine the performance of overhanging in both summers and winters. This article reveals south shading devices as an essential part of houses built before 2,000 in Mansehra City. Though, houses built after 2,000 do not consider using south shading devices to maximize energy use. This study emphasizes considering the type, design, and use of shading devices according to the building’s orientation to improve building performance and energy efficiency.
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