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1.
  • Lozano, Rafael, et al. (author)
  • Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
  • 2018
  • In: The Lancet. - : Elsevier. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 2091-2138
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-level estimates. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017), we measured progress on 41 of 52 health-related SDG indicators and estimated the health-related SDG index for 195 countries and territories for the period 1990–2017, projected indicators to 2030, and analysed global attainment. Methods: We measured progress on 41 health-related SDG indicators from 1990 to 2017, an increase of four indicators since GBD 2016 (new indicators were health worker density, sexual violence by non-intimate partners, population census status, and prevalence of physical and sexual violence [reported separately]). We also improved the measurement of several previously reported indicators. We constructed national-level estimates and, for a subset of health-related SDGs, examined indicator-level differences by sex and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile. We also did subnational assessments of performance for selected countries. To construct the health-related SDG index, we transformed the value for each indicator on a scale of 0–100, with 0 as the 2·5th percentile and 100 as the 97·5th percentile of 1000 draws calculated from 1990 to 2030, and took the geometric mean of the scaled indicators by target. To generate projections through 2030, we used a forecasting framework that drew estimates from the broader GBD study and used weighted averages of indicator-specific and country-specific annualised rates of change from 1990 to 2017 to inform future estimates. We assessed attainment of indicators with defined targets in two ways: first, using mean values projected for 2030, and then using the probability of attainment in 2030 calculated from 1000 draws. We also did a global attainment analysis of the feasibility of attaining SDG targets on the basis of past trends. Using 2015 global averages of indicators with defined SDG targets, we calculated the global annualised rates of change required from 2015 to 2030 to meet these targets, and then identified in what percentiles the required global annualised rates of change fell in the distribution of country-level rates of change from 1990 to 2015. We took the mean of these global percentile values across indicators and applied the past rate of change at this mean global percentile to all health-related SDG indicators, irrespective of target definition, to estimate the equivalent 2030 global average value and percentage change from 2015 to 2030 for each indicator. Findings: The global median health-related SDG index in 2017 was 59·4 (IQR 35·4–67·3), ranging from a low of 11·6 (95% uncertainty interval 9·6–14·0) to a high of 84·9 (83·1–86·7). SDG index values in countries assessed at the subnational level varied substantially, particularly in China and India, although scores in Japan and the UK were more homogeneous. Indicators also varied by SDI quintile and sex, with males having worse outcomes than females for non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality, alcohol use, and smoking, among others. Most countries were projected to have a higher health-related SDG index in 2030 than in 2017, while country-level probabilities of attainment by 2030 varied widely by indicator. Under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality, maternal mortality ratio, and malaria indicators had the most countries with at least 95% probability of target attainment. Other indicators, including NCD mortality and suicide mortality, had no countries projected to meet corresponding SDG targets on the basis of projected mean values for 2030 but showed some probability of attainment by 2030. For some indicators, including child malnutrition, several infectious diseases, and most violence measures, the annualised rates of change required to meet SDG targets far exceeded the pace of progress achieved by any country in the recent past. We found that applying the mean global annualised rate of change to indicators without defined targets would equate to about 19% and 22% reductions in global smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively; a 47% decline in adolescent birth rates; and a more than 85% increase in health worker density per 1000 population by 2030. Interpretation: The GBD study offers a unique, robust platform for monitoring the health-related SDGs across demographic and geographic dimensions. Our findings underscore the importance of increased collection and analysis of disaggregated data and highlight where more deliberate design or targeting of interventions could accelerate progress in attaining the SDGs. Current projections show that many health-related SDG indicators, NCDs, NCD-related risks, and violence-related indicators will require a concerted shift away from what might have driven past gains—curative interventions in the case of NCDs—towards multisectoral, prevention-oriented policy action and investments to achieve SDG aims. Notably, several targets, if they are to be met by 2030, demand a pace of progress that no country has achieved in the recent past. The future is fundamentally uncertain, and no model can fully predict what breakthroughs or events might alter the course of the SDGs. What is clear is that our actions—or inaction—today will ultimately dictate how close the world, collectively, can get to leaving no one behind by 2030.
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2.
  • Murray, Christopher J. L., et al. (author)
  • Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
  • 2018
  • In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 1995-2051
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Population estimates underpin demographic and epidemiological research and are used to track progress on numerous international indicators of health and development. To date, internationally available estimates of population and fertility, although useful, have not been produced with transparent and replicable methods and do not use standardised estimates of mortality. We present single-calendar year and single-year of age estimates of fertility and population by sex with standardised and replicable methods. Methods: We estimated population in 195 locations by single year of age and single calendar year from 1950 to 2017 with standardised and replicable methods. We based the estimates on the demographic balancing equation, with inputs of fertility, mortality, population, and migration data. Fertility data came from 7817 location-years of vital registration data, 429 surveys reporting complete birth histories, and 977 surveys and censuses reporting summary birth histories. We estimated age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs; the annual number of livebirths to women of a specified age group per 1000 women in that age group) by use of spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and used the ASFRs to estimate total fertility rates (TFRs; the average number of children a woman would bear if she survived through the end of the reproductive age span [age 10–54 years] and experienced at each age a particular set of ASFRs observed in the year of interest). Because of sparse data, fertility at ages 10–14 years and 50–54 years was estimated from data on fertility in women aged 15–19 years and 45–49 years, through use of linear regression. Age-specific mortality data came from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 estimates. Data on population came from 1257 censuses and 761 population registry location-years and were adjusted for underenumeration and age misreporting with standard demographic methods. Migration was estimated with the GBD Bayesian demographic balancing model, after incorporating information about refugee migration into the model prior. Final population estimates used the cohort-component method of population projection, with inputs of fertility, mortality, and migration data. Population uncertainty was estimated by use of out-of-sample predictive validity testing. With these data, we estimated the trends in population by age and sex and in fertility by age between 1950 and 2017 in 195 countries and territories. Findings: From 1950 to 2017, TFRs decreased by 49·4% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 46·4–52·0). The TFR decreased from 4·7 livebirths (4·5–4·9) to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·5), and the ASFR of mothers aged 10–19 years decreased from 37 livebirths (34–40) to 22 livebirths (19–24) per 1000 women. Despite reductions in the TFR, the global population has been increasing by an average of 83·8 million people per year since 1985. The global population increased by 197·2% (193·3–200·8) since 1950, from 2·6 billion (2·5–2·6) to 7·6 billion (7·4–7·9) people in 2017; much of this increase was in the proportion of the global population in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The global annual rate of population growth increased between 1950 and 1964, when it peaked at 2·0%; this rate then remained nearly constant until 1970 and then decreased to 1·1% in 2017. Population growth rates in the southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania GBD super-region decreased from 2·5% in 1963 to 0·7% in 2017, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, population growth rates were almost at the highest reported levels ever in 2017, when they were at 2·7%. The global average age increased from 26·6 years in 1950 to 32·1 years in 2017, and the proportion of the population that is of working age (age 15–64 years) increased from 59·9% to 65·3%. At the national level, the TFR decreased in all countries and territories between 1950 and 2017; in 2017, TFRs ranged from a low of 1·0 livebirths (95% UI 0·9–1·2) in Cyprus to a high of 7·1 livebirths (6·8–7·4) in Niger. The TFR under age 25 years (TFU25; number of livebirths expected by age 25 years for a hypothetical woman who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) in 2017 ranged from 0·08 livebirths (0·07–0·09) in South Korea to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·6) in Niger, and the TFR over age 30 years (TFO30; number of livebirths expected for a hypothetical woman ageing from 30 to 54 years who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) ranged from a low of 0·3 livebirths (0·3–0·4) in Puerto Rico to a high of 3·1 livebirths (3·0–3·2) in Niger. TFO30 was higher than TFU25 in 145 countries and territories in 2017. 33 countries had a negative population growth rate from 2010 to 2017, most of which were located in central, eastern, and western Europe, whereas population growth rates of more than 2·0% were seen in 33 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, less than 65% of the national population was of working age in 12 of 34 high-income countries, and less than 50% of the national population was of working age in Mali, Chad, and Niger. Interpretation: Population trends create demographic dividends and headwinds (ie, economic benefits and detriments) that affect national economies and determine national planning needs. Although TFRs are decreasing, the global population continues to grow as mortality declines, with diverse patterns at the national level and across age groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide transparent and replicable estimates of population and fertility, which can be used to inform decision making and to monitor progress. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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3.
  • Qureshi, Tayyab, et al. (author)
  • Structural and thermal investigation of lignocellulosic biomass conversion for enhancing sustainable imperative in progressive organic refinery paradigm for waste-to-energy applications
  • 2024
  • In: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 246
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The depletion of finite fossil fuel reserves and the severe environmental degradation resulting from human activities have compelled the expeditious development and application of sustainable waste to energy technologies. To encapsulate energy and environment in sustainability paradigm, bio waste based energy production is need to be forged in organic bio refinery setup. According to world bioenergy association, biomass can cover 50 % of the primary energy demand of the world. Therefore, the present study focuses on reforming the energy mix for a clean energy generation, where, sample composition of cotton stalk was acidified in dilute (5% wt.) hydrochloric acid (HCL) for analyzing material burnout patterns in biomass conversion systems utilized in organic bio refinery sector. Advanced thermochemical burning technique, which includes pyrolysis and combustion was applied at four different leaching times from 0 to 180 min under nitrogen environment from 0 degrees C to 500 degrees C and air from 500 degrees C to 900 degrees C, respectively. Different analyses including proximate, ultimate, gross calorific value (GCV), thermos-gravimetric, kinetic, XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDS were used for analyzing the degradation of demineralized cotton stalk at different treatment rates. Proximate study demonstrated that cotton stalk leaching for 180 min has efficiently infused HCL, leading in a significant increase in fixed carbon and higher heating value of 20.23 % and 12.48%, respectively, as well as a reduction in carbon footprint of around 54.80%. The findings of proximate was validated by GCV analysis and CHNS analysis as value of carbon and hydrogen has shown increasing behavior with the time delay in demineralization Thermo-gravimetric and derivative thermo-gravimetric data analyses shows an increasing trend of conversion efficiency, with the maximum increase of 98 % reported for sample 3H. TT.DEM. XRD characterization has reported 23 degrees to 25 degrees angle for all the observed peaks. Sample 3H.TT.DEM has shown maximum angle inclination along with matured crystalline peak. The latter observations has been validated by FTIR spectroscopy as sample 3H.TT.DEM has reported maximum O-H group formation. Sample 3H.TT. DEM has reported lowest activation energy of 139.51 kJ*mole-1 and lowest reactivity of 0.000293649%*min 0C, due to moderate and stable reactiveness. In SEM examination, increment in pore size and number of pores within the structural matrix of cotton stalk was observed with the enhancement in acidulation process. Furthermore, in EDS analysis, 3H.TT.DEM has shown most balanced distribution of the elements. In this research, sustainable transformation of biomass is envisioned to improve the waste bio refinery system, significantly contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 7, 12 and 13.
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4.
  • Ahsan, Hajra, et al. (author)
  • Photocatalysis and adsorption kinetics of azo dyes by nanoparticles of nickel oxide and copper oxide and their nanocomposite in an aqueous medium
  • 2022
  • In: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 10
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Azo dyes are recalcitrant organic pollutants present in textile industry effluents. Conventional treatment methods to remove them come with a range of disadvantages. Nanoparticles and their nanocomposites offer more efficient, less expensive and easy to handle wastewater treatment alternative. Methods. In this study, nanoparticles of nickel oxide (NiO-NPs), copper oxide (CuO-NPs) and their nanocomposite (NiO/CuO-NC) were synthesized using co- precipitation method. The functional groups present on the surface of synthesized nanomaterials were verified using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Surface morphology was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) whereas purity, shape and size of the crystallite were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The potential of these nanomaterials to degrade three dyes i.e., Reactive Red-2 (RR-2), Reactive Black-5 (RB-5) and Orange II sodium salt (OII) azo dyes, was determined in an aqueous medium under visible light (photocatalysis). The photodegradation effectiveness of all nanomaterials was evaluated under different factors like nanomaterial dose (0.02-0.1 g 10 mL-1), concentration of dyes (20-100 mg L-1), and irradiation time (60-120 min). They were also assessed for their potential to adsorb RR-2 and OII dyes. Results. Results revealed that at optimum concentration (60 mgL-1) of RR-2, RB-5, and OII dyes, NiO-NPs degraded 90, 82 and 83%, CuO-NPs degraded 49, 34, and 44%, whereas the nanocomposite NiO/CuO-NC degraded 92, 93, and 96% of the said dyes respectively. The nanomaterials were categorized as the efficient degraders of the dyes in the order: NiO/CuO-NC > NiO-NPs > CuO-NPs. The highest degradation potential shown by the nanocomposite was attributed to its large surface area, small particles size, and quick reactions which were proved by advance analytical techniques. The equilibrium and kinetic adsorption of RR-2 and OII on NiO-NPs, CuO-NPs, and NiO/CuO-NC were well explained with Langmuir and Pseudo second order model, respectively (R2 ≥0.96). The maximum RR-2 adsorption (103 mg/g) was obtained with NiO/CuO-NC. It is concluded that nanocomposites are more efficient and promising for the dyes degradation from industrial wastewater as compared with dyes adsorption onto individual NPs. Thus, the nanocomposite NiO/CuO-NC can be an excellent candidate for photodegradation as well as the adsorption of the dyes in aqueous media.
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5.
  • Jabbar, Abdul, et al. (author)
  • Epidemiology and antibiogram of common mastitis-causing bacteria in Beetal goats
  • 2020
  • In: Veterinary World. - : Veterinary World. - 0972-8988 .- 2231-0916. ; 13:12, s. 2596-2607
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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6.
  • Khalid, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Frontier molecular, natural bond orbital, UV-VIS spectral study, solvent influence on geometric parameters, vibrational frequencies and solvation energies of 8-hydroxyquinoline
  • 2017
  • In: International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. - : International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. - 0975-8232. ; 8:2, s. 457-469
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • N-heterocyclic compounds have extensive biological and pharmaceutical applications. 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) also plays a significant role in many fields of life. The excellent biological significance of the 8-HQ prompted us to extend the DFT based studies. The frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), UV-VIS and solvation model based studies remained unknown. Therefore, we intended to study the natural bond orbital, FMOs, UV-VIS, thermodynamic properties and medium influence on solvation energies, dipole moment, FTIR and FT-Raman using polarizable continuum model (PCM) and density-based solvation model (SMD). The electronic properties of molecule were calculated by M06-2X/6-31G (d,P) and B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) level of theories. The solvent influence on the geometric parameters, FT-IR and FT-Raman were studied by B3LYP /6-31G(d) method. A good correspondence is found between the optimized parameters and the reported X-ray data. Natural bond orbital reveals that the maximum stabilization energy reached up to 39.64kJ/mol which is responsible for extra stability of the molecule. In solvated 8-HQ, a significant medium effects on FT-IR and FT-Raman intensities is observed. The intensities enhanced from gas to solvent phase. The solvation free energies are found to be -28.710 and -39.456 kJ/mol in PCM and SMD models respectively. FMOs suggested that this molecule contain less hardness and larger softness values. These findings reveal that the molecule might be bioactive.
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7.
  • Stanaway, Jeffrey D., et al. (author)
  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
  • 2018
  • In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 1923-1994
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk-outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk-outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk- outcome associations. Methods We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk-outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017.
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8.
  • Farooq, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Thermodynamic Performance Analysis of Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) Refrigerants in Commercial Air-Conditioning Systems for Sustainable Environment
  • 2020
  • In: Processes. - : MDPI. - 2227-9717. ; 8:2
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Global warming is one of most severe environmental concerns that our planet is facing today. One of its causes is the previous generation of refrigerants that, upon release, remain in the atmosphere for longer periods and contribute towards global warming. This issue could potentially be solved by replacing the previous generation's high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants with environmentally friendly refrigerants. This scenario requires an analysis of new refrigerants for a comparison of the thermodynamic properties of the previously used refrigerants. In the present research, a numerical study was conducted to analyze the thermodynamic performance of specifically low GWP hydrofluoroolefens (HFO) refrigerants for an actual vapor compression refrigeration cycle (VCRC) with a constant degree of 3 K superheat. The output parameters included the refrigeration effect, compressor work input, the coefficient of performance (COP), and the volumetric refrigeration capacity (VRC), all of which were calculated by varying the condenser pressure from 6 to 12 bars and vapor pressure from 0.7 to 1.9 bars. Results showed that R1234ze(Z) clearly possessed the desired thermodynamic performance. The drop in refrigeration effect for R1234ze(Z) was merely 14.6% less than that of R134a at a 12 bar condenser pressure; this was minimum drop among candidate refrigerants. The drop in the COP was the minimum for R1234ze(Z)-5.1% less than that of R134a at a 9 bar condenser pressure and 4.7% less than that of R134a at a 1.9 bar evaporator pressure, whereas the COP values of the other refrigerants dropped more drastically at higher condenser pressures. R1234ze(Z) possessed favorable thermodynamic characteristics, with a GWP of 7, and it can serve as an alternative refrigerant for refrigeration systems for a sustainable environment.
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9.
  • Khan, Inayat Ali, et al. (author)
  • Stable and Efficient PtRu Electrocatalysts Supported on Zn-BTC MOF Derived Microporous Carbon for Formic Acid Fuel Cells Application
  • 2020
  • In: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2646. ; 8
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Highly efficient, well-dispersed PtRu alloy nanoparticles supported on high surface area microporous carbon (MPC) electrocatalysts, are prepared and tested for formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR). The MPC is obtained by controlled carbonization of a zincbenzenetricarboxylate metal-organic framework (Zn-BTC MOF) precursor at 950◦C, and PtRu (30 wt.%) nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared and deposited via a polyol chemical reduction method. The structural and morphological characterization of the synthesized electrocatalysts is carried out using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique, and gas adsorption analysis (BET). The FAOR performance of the catalysts is investigated through cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A correlation between high electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and high FAOR performance of the catalysts is observed. Among the materials employed, Pt1Ru2/MPC 950 with a high electrochemical surface area (25.3 m2 g −1 ) consequently showed superior activity of the FAOR (Ir = 9.50 mA cm−2 and Jm = 2,403 mA mg−1 Pt ) at room temperature, with improved tolerance and stability toward carbonaceous species. The superior electrochemical performance, and tolerance to CO-poisoning and long-term stability is attributed to the high surface area carbon support (1,455 m2 g −1 ) and high percentage loading of ruthenium (20 wt.%). The addition of Ru promotes the efficiency of electrocatalyst by offering FAOR via a bifunctional mechanism.
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10.
  • Shakir, Nida, et al. (author)
  • Pirarubicin loaded biodegradable nanoparticles downregulate IL-6, COX-II and TNF-alpha along with oxidative stress markers in comparison to conventional pirarubicin in healthy albino rats
  • 2023
  • In: Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. - : Elsevier. - 1773-2247. ; 84
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Pirarubicin (PRB) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has shown equal or superior cytotoxicity compared to doxorubicin. However, the detailed toxicological profile for Pirarubicin has not yet been investigated. The present study was designed to access the acute and chronic toxicity of the nanoformulation coupled with in-flammatory and oxidative stress responses. PRB was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles and was physico-chemically evaluated. The nanoparticle size was found to be 420.0 +/- 8.2 nm with an encapsulation efficiency of 80.3 +/- 3.1%. The SEM images showed spherical nanoparticles while the drug release in PBS (pH 7.4) was estimated to be 72.5 +/- 3.5%. Acute toxicity in female albino rats was conducted for 14 days at two dosage levels (i.e., 5 and 300 mg/kg) once a week through an intravenous route. A repeated toxicity study was conducted for 28 days at 3 different dosage levels (i.e., 30, 60 and 100 mg/kg) weekly. No mortality was observed during the experimentation period. Toxicity assessment of body weights, hematological parameters, blood biochemistry, histopathological evaluation of internal organs and relative organ weight percentage was done. Inflammatory markers quantification (COX-II, TNF-alpha, IL-6) along with the generation of oxidative stress (SOD, GSH-ST, GSH-PX, MDA, and H2O2) was also investigated in a repeated 28 days toxicity study. The nanoformulation did not have any effect on the behavioral pattern, food, water consumption or body weights. The abnormalities in function and morphology of the organs produced by nano-formulated PRB were dose-dependent and reversible. The serum sample of rats treated with nanoparticles exhibited a non-significant difference in levels of COX-II, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 as compared to the normal saline (NS) group. Altogether the results offered us evidence about the safety profile of Pirarubicin loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PRB-NP) as compared to PRB alone.
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11.
  • Wang, Haidong, et al. (author)
  • Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980-2015 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
  • 2016
  • In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 388:10053, s. 1459-1544
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • BACKGROUND: Improving survival and extending the longevity of life for all populations requires timely, robust evidence on local mortality levels and trends. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive assessment of all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015. These results informed an in-depth investigation of observed and expected mortality patterns based on sociodemographic measures.METHODS: We estimated all-cause mortality by age, sex, geography, and year using an improved analytical approach originally developed for GBD 2013 and GBD 2010. Improvements included refinements to the estimation of child and adult mortality and corresponding uncertainty, parameter selection for under-5 mortality synthesis by spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, and sibling history data processing. We also expanded the database of vital registration, survey, and census data to 14 294 geography-year datapoints. For GBD 2015, eight causes, including Ebola virus disease, were added to the previous GBD cause list for mortality. We used six modelling approaches to assess cause-specific mortality, with the Cause of Death Ensemble Model (CODEm) generating estimates for most causes. We used a series of novel analyses to systematically quantify the drivers of trends in mortality across geographies. First, we assessed observed and expected levels and trends of cause-specific mortality as they relate to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary indicator derived from measures of income per capita, educational attainment, and fertility. Second, we examined factors affecting total mortality patterns through a series of counterfactual scenarios, testing the magnitude by which population growth, population age structures, and epidemiological changes contributed to shifts in mortality. Finally, we attributed changes in life expectancy to changes in cause of death. We documented each step of the GBD 2015 estimation processes, as well as data sources, in accordance with Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER).FINDINGS: Globally, life expectancy from birth increased from 61·7 years (95% uncertainty interval 61·4-61·9) in 1980 to 71·8 years (71·5-72·2) in 2015. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa had very large gains in life expectancy from 2005 to 2015, rebounding from an era of exceedingly high loss of life due to HIV/AIDS. At the same time, many geographies saw life expectancy stagnate or decline, particularly for men and in countries with rising mortality from war or interpersonal violence. From 2005 to 2015, male life expectancy in Syria dropped by 11·3 years (3·7-17·4), to 62·6 years (56·5-70·2). Total deaths increased by 4·1% (2·6-5·6) from 2005 to 2015, rising to 55·8 million (54·9 million to 56·6 million) in 2015, but age-standardised death rates fell by 17·0% (15·8-18·1) during this time, underscoring changes in population growth and shifts in global age structures. The result was similar for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with total deaths from these causes increasing by 14·1% (12·6-16·0) to 39·8 million (39·2 million to 40·5 million) in 2015, whereas age-standardised rates decreased by 13·1% (11·9-14·3). Globally, this mortality pattern emerged for several NCDs, including several types of cancer, ischaemic heart disease, cirrhosis, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. By contrast, both total deaths and age-standardised death rates due to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, gains largely attributable to decreases in mortality rates due to HIV/AIDS (42·1%, 39·1-44·6), malaria (43·1%, 34·7-51·8), neonatal preterm birth complications (29·8%, 24·8-34·9), and maternal disorders (29·1%, 19·3-37·1). Progress was slower for several causes, such as lower respiratory infections and nutritional deficiencies, whereas deaths increased for others, including dengue and drug use disorders. Age-standardised death rates due to injuries significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, yet interpersonal violence and war claimed increasingly more lives in some regions, particularly in the Middle East. In 2015, rotaviral enteritis (rotavirus) was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to diarrhoea (146 000 deaths, 118 000-183 000) and pneumococcal pneumonia was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to lower respiratory infections (393 000 deaths, 228 000-532 000), although pathogen-specific mortality varied by region. Globally, the effects of population growth, ageing, and changes in age-standardised death rates substantially differed by cause. Our analyses on the expected associations between cause-specific mortality and SDI show the regular shifts in cause of death composition and population age structure with rising SDI. Country patterns of premature mortality (measured as years of life lost [YLLs]) and how they differ from the level expected on the basis of SDI alone revealed distinct but highly heterogeneous patterns by region and country or territory. Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes were among the leading causes of YLLs in most regions, but in many cases, intraregional results sharply diverged for ratios of observed and expected YLLs based on SDI. Communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases caused the most YLLs throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with observed YLLs far exceeding expected YLLs for countries in which malaria or HIV/AIDS remained the leading causes of early death.INTERPRETATION: At the global scale, age-specific mortality has steadily improved over the past 35 years; this pattern of general progress continued in the past decade. Progress has been faster in most countries than expected on the basis of development measured by the SDI. Against this background of progress, some countries have seen falls in life expectancy, and age-standardised death rates for some causes are increasing. Despite progress in reducing age-standardised death rates, population growth and ageing mean that the number of deaths from most non-communicable causes are increasing in most countries, putting increased demands on health systems.
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12.
  • Abdullah, Muhammad Imran, et al. (author)
  • Quantum Chemical Designing of Efficient Sensitizers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
  • 2013
  • In: Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society (Print). - : Korean Chemical Society. - 0253-2964 .- 1229-5949. ; 34:7, s. 2093-2098
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Density functional theory (DFT) was used to determine the ground state geometries of indigo and new design dyes (IM-Dye-1 IM-Dye-2 and IM-Dye-3). The time dependant density functional theory (TDDFT) was used to calculate the excitation energies. All the calculations were performed in both gas and solvent phase. The LUMO energies of all the dyes were above the conduction band of TiO2, while the HOMOs were below the redox couple (except IM-Dye-3). The HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of new design dyes were smaller as compared to indigo. All new design dyes were strongly red shifted as compared to indigo. The improved light harvesting efficiency (LHE) and free energy change of electron injection Delta G(inject) of new designed sensitizers revealed that these materials would be excellent sensitizers. The broken coplanarity between the benzene near anchoring group having LUMO and the last benzene attached to TPA unit in all new design dyes consequently would hamper the recombination reaction. This theoretical designing will the pave way for experimentalists to synthesize the efficient sensitizers for solar cells.
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13.
  • Abid, Nosheen, 1993-, et al. (author)
  • Burnt Forest Estimation from Sentinel-2 Imagery of Australia using Unsupervised Deep Learning
  • 2021
  • In: Proceedings of the Digital Image Computing: Technqiues and Applications (DICTA). - : IEEE. ; , s. 74-81
  • Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Massive wildfires not only in Australia, but also worldwide are burning millions of hectares of forests and green land affecting the social, ecological, and economical situation. Widely used indices-based threshold methods like Normalized Burned Ratio (NBR) require a huge amount of data preprocessing and are specific to the data capturing source. State-of-the-art deep learning models, on the other hand, are supervised and require domain experts knowledge for labeling the data in huge quantity. These limitations make the existing models difficult to be adaptable to new variations in the data and capturing sources. In this work, we have proposed an unsupervised deep learning based architecture to map the burnt regions of forests by learning features progressively. The model considers small patches of satellite imagery and classifies them into burnt and not burnt. These small patches are concatenated into binary masks to segment out the burnt region of the forests. The proposed system is composed of two modules: 1) a state-of-the-art deep learning architecture for feature extraction and 2) a clustering algorithm for the generation of pseudo labels to train the deep learning architecture. The proposed method is capable of learning the features progressively in an unsupervised fashion from the data with pseudo labels, reducing the exhausting efforts of data labeling that requires expert knowledge. We have used the realtime data of Sentinel-2 for training the model and mapping the burnt regions. The obtained F1-Score of 0.87 demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed model.
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14.
  • Ali, Muhammad Amjad, et al. (author)
  • Transcription factors WRKY11 and WRKY17 are involved in abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis
  • 2018
  • In: Journal of plant physiology (Print). - : Elsevier. - 0176-1617 .- 1618-1328. ; 226, s. 12-21
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Plant WRKY transcription factors play a vital role in abiotic stress tolerance and regulation of plant defense responses. This study examined AtWRKY11 and AtWRKY17 expression under ABA, salt, and osmotic stress at different developmental stages in Arabidopsis. We used reverse transcriptase PCR, quantitative real-time PCR, and promoter:GUS lines to analyze expression. Both genes were upregulated in response to abiotic stress. Next, we applied the same stressors to seedlings of T-DNA insertion wrky11 and 17 knock-out mutants (single and double). Under stress, the mutants exhibited slower germination and compromised root growth compared with the wild type. In most cases, double-mutant seedlings were more affected than single mutants. These results suggest that wrky11 and wrky17 are not strictly limited to plant defense responses but are also involved in conferring stress tolerance.
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15.
  • Asaf, Sajjad, et al. (author)
  • The complete chloroplast genome of wild rice (Oryza minuta) and its comparison to related species
  • 2017
  • In: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 8
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Oryza minuta, a tetraploid wild relative of cultivated rice (family Poaceae), possesses a BBCC genome and contains genes that confer resistance to bacterial blight (BB) and white-backed (WBPH) and brown (BPH) plant hoppers. Based on the importance of this wild species, this study aimed to understand the phylogenetic relationships of O. minuta with other Oryza species through an in-depth analysis of the composition and diversity of the chloroplast (cp) genome. The analysis revealed a cp genome size of 135,094 bp with a typical quadripartite structure and consisting of a pair of inverted repeats separated by small and large single copies, 139 representative genes, and 419 randomly distributed microsatellites. The genomic organization, gene order, GC content and codon usage are similar to those of typical angiosperm cp genomes. Approximately 30 forward, 28 tandem and 20 palindromic repeats were detected in the O. minuta cp genome. Comparison of the complete O. minuta cp genome with another eleven Oryza species showed a high degree of sequence similarity and relatively high divergence of intergenic spacers. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on the complete genome sequence, 65 shared genes and matK gene showed same topologies and O. minuta forms a single clade with parental O. punctata. Thus, the complete O. minuta cp genome provides interesting insights and valuable information that can be used to identify related species and reconstruct its phylogeny.
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16.
  • Asim, Muhammad Nabeel, et al. (author)
  • EL-RMLocNet : An explainable LSTM network for RNA-associated multi-compartment localization prediction
  • 2022
  • In: Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. - : Elsevier. - 2001-0370. ; 20, s. 3986-4002
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Subcellular localization of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) molecules provide significant insights into the functionality of RNAs and helps to explore their association with various diseases. Predominantly developed single-compartment localization predictors (SCLPs) lack to demystify RNA association with diverse biochemical and pathological processes mainly happen through RNA co-localization in multiple compartments. Limited multi-compartment localization predictors (MCLPs) manage to produce decent performance only for target RNA class of particular sub-type. Further, existing computational approaches have limited practical significance and potential to optimize therapeutics due to the poor degree of model explainability. The paper in hand presents an explainable Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network “EL-RMLocNet”, predictive performance and interpretability of which are optimized using a novel GeneticSeq2Vec statistical representation learning scheme and attention mechanism for accurate multi-compartment localization prediction of different RNAs solely using raw RNA sequences. GeneticSeq2Vec generates optimized statistical vectors of raw RNA sequences by capturing short and long range relations of nucleotide k-mers. Using sequence vectors generated by GeneticSeq2Vec scheme, Long Short Term Memory layers extract most informative features, weighting of which on the basis of discriminative potential for accurate multi-compartment localization prediction is performed using attention layer. Through reverse engineering, weights of statistical feature space are mapped to nucleotide k-mers patterns to make multi-compartment localization prediction decision making transparent and explainable for different RNA classes and species. Empirical evaluation indicates that EL-RMLocNet outperforms state-of-the-art predictor for subcellular localization prediction of 4 different RNA classes by an average accuracy figure of 8% for Homo Sapiens species and 6% for Mus Musculus species. EL-RMLocNet is freely available as a web server at (https://sds_genetic_analysis.opendfki.de/subcellular_loc/).
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17.
  • Farhan, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Pattern of neurosurgical cases and procedures in Gilgit Baltistan : two-year experience at a newly established neurosurgical department
  • 2022
  • In: Hospital Practice. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2154-8331 .- 2377-1003. ; 50:5, s. 368-372
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • BackgroundIn Pakistan, there are a total of 160 neurosurgeons that constitute a ratio of one neurosurgeon for a 5.5 million population. Gilgit Baltistan being a backward region does not have a single tertiary care facility. A new department of neurosurgery was established at Regional Headquarter City Hospital (RHQ) Gilgit with only one neurosurgeon. This study aimed to determine which neurosurgical diagnoses are common and which surgical interventions were performed at RHQ.MethodsThis is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Regional Headquarter Hospital (RHQ) Gilgit in which data of patients operated for neurosurgical diseases between January 2020 and January 2022 was collected from patient record books.ResultsOf the total of 223 patients, 148 (66.3%) were males and 75 (33.6%) were females. A total of 92(41.2%) belonged to the pediatric age group. The top most diagnosis included Neurotrauma (46.6%), NTDs (13.9%) and CSDH (10.3%) while the most routinely performed procedures were craniotomy & hematoma evacuation (22.9%), debridement & elevation of DSF (20.6%), and burrhole evacuation (13.9%). In the pediatric age group, the top diagnosis was Neurotrauma (43.5%), NTDs (32.6%), and Hydrocephalus (19.6%) while in adults, neurotrauma (48.9%) was the leading diagnosis followed by CSDH (17.6%). In the pediatric age group, repair of NTDs (32.6%) was the most frequently performed procedure.ConclusionThis study shows different kinds of neurosurgical cases but because of a lack of diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, very limited operations were performed and many cases were referred to metropolitan cities. The hospitals in the region need further up-gradation to cater to the presenting burden.
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18.
  • Fatima, Iza, et al. (author)
  • Individual and synergistic effects of different fertilizers and gibberellin on growth and morphology of chili seedlings
  • 2024
  • In: Acta Ecologica Sinica. - 1872-2032. ; 44:2, s. 275-281
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Gibberellins (GA3), as well as the basic elements phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K), are crucial to the growth of chili. This study investigates the effect of different fertilizers and plant growth regulator on the growth and morphology of chili seedlings. Soil application of NPK, urea, SOP, and DAP (2.5 g/L) was applied during sowing, and N in two splits at sowing and after twenty days of sowing while foliar application of GA3 (50 mg/L) was applied after fifteen days of germination. The result of five seedlings' traits plant height (PH), plant girth (PG), plant spread (PS), number of leaves (NOF), and root length (RL) demonstrated a significant difference among growth-related traits in chili seedlings owing to the use of fertilizers, GA3, and their combinations. An optimum level of K and P alone or in combination with GA3 had a significant effect on all traits. PH was particularly influenced by the combination of GA3 with K and P whereas other traits like PG, NOF, PS, and RL are greatly influenced by the application of NPK, urea, SOP, DAP, and their combination with GA3. The study results showed an increase in chili seedlings' growth and morphology in response to various fertilizers and GA3.
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19.
  • Feigin, Valery L., et al. (author)
  • Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
  • 2019
  • In: Lancet Neurology. - : Elsevier. - 1474-4422 .- 1474-4465. ; 18:5, s. 459-480
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Background: Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of this analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 is to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date estimates of the global, regional, and national burden from neurological disorders.Methods: We estimated prevalence, incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] and years lived with disability [YLDs]) by age and sex for 15 neurological disorder categories (tetanus, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, brain and other CNS cancers, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron diseases, idiopathic epilepsy, migraine, tension-type headache, and a residual category for other less common neurological disorders) in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, was the main method of estimation of prevalence and incidence, and the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) was used for mortality estimation. We quantified the contribution of 84 risks and combinations of risk to the disease estimates for the 15 neurological disorder categories using the GBD comparative risk assessment approach.Findings: Globally, in 2016, neurological disorders were the leading cause of DALYs (276 million [95% UI 247–308]) and second leading cause of deaths (9·0 million [8·8–9·4]). The absolute number of deaths and DALYs from all neurological disorders combined increased (deaths by 39% [34–44] and DALYs by 15% [9–21]) whereas their age-standardised rates decreased (deaths by 28% [26–30] and DALYs by 27% [24–31]) between 1990 and 2016. The only neurological disorders that had a decrease in rates and absolute numbers of deaths and DALYs were tetanus, meningitis, and encephalitis. The four largest contributors of neurological DALYs were stroke (42·2% [38·6–46·1]), migraine (16·3% [11·7–20·8]), Alzheimer's and other dementias (10·4% [9·0–12·1]), and meningitis (7·9% [6·6–10·4]). For the combined neurological disorders, age-standardised DALY rates were significantly higher in males than in females (male-to-female ratio 1·12 [1·05–1·20]), but migraine, multiple sclerosis, and tension-type headache were more common and caused more burden in females, with male-to-female ratios of less than 0·7. The 84 risks quantified in GBD explain less than 10% of neurological disorder DALY burdens, except stroke, for which 88·8% (86·5–90·9) of DALYs are attributable to risk factors, and to a lesser extent Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (22·3% [11·8–35·1] of DALYs are risk attributable) and idiopathic epilepsy (14·1% [10·8–17·5] of DALYs are risk attributable).Interpretation: Globally, the burden of neurological disorders, as measured by the absolute number of DALYs, continues to increase. As populations are growing and ageing, and the prevalence of major disabling neurological disorders steeply increases with age, governments will face increasing demand for treatment, rehabilitation, and support services for neurological disorders. The scarcity of established modifiable risks for most of the neurological burden demonstrates that new knowledge is required to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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20.
  • Imran, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Exogenous Melatonin mediates the regulation of endogenous nitric oxide in Glycine max L. to reduce effects of drought stress
  • 2021
  • In: Environmental and Experimental Botany. - : Elsevier. - 0098-8472 .- 1873-7307. ; 188
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Drought stress retards plant growth and yield. Melatonin and nitric oxide (NO) have demonstrated their potential role against abiotic stresses; however, the underlying molecular mechanism by which they interact and extend drought stress tolerance has not been fully elucidated. Herein, the current study was performed to establish the optimum beneficial concentration of MT and NO in combating drought stress and later understand its responses at biochemical, and molecular levels. Results showed exogenous MT, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP as NO donor) have counteracted drought-induced growth inhibition of soybean (Glycine max L.) by increasing plant biomass, photosynthesis efficiency and water content and reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation. MT and NO treatments showed reduced lipid peroxidation and improved defense responses via significantly higher antioxidant enzyme activities than control during drought. Surprisingly, endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) contents and gene expression of its synthesis and ABA-responsive proteins and their promoters were significantly decreased in drought by MT + NO. This was coupled with an increase in endogenous MT levels. In endo-NO regulations, S-nitrosoglutathione was increased, but L-NAME (NO inhibitor) and cPTIO (NO scavenger) decreased the S-nitrosothiol (SNO) contents, which was followed by the increased expression of NO-synthesis-related-genes by MT + NO. Interestingly, MT + NO-induced drought stress tolerance was coupled with increased expression of transcription factors such as GmWRKY27 and GmMYB174. Conclusively, the physiological, antioxidant, and molecular analysis showed that MT triggers downregulated NO accumulation, promoting tolerance against drought stress.
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21.
  • Kamran, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Endophyte-mediated stress tolerance in plants : a sustainable strategy to enhance resilience and assist crop improvement
  • 2022
  • In: Cells. - : MDPI. - 2073-4409. ; 11:20
  • Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Biotic and abiotic stresses severely affect agriculture by affecting crop productivity, soil fertility, and health. These stresses may have significant financial repercussions, necessitating a practical, cost-effective, and ecologically friendly approach to lessen their negative impacts on plants. Several agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides, are used to improve plant health and protection; however, these chemical supplements have serious implications for human health. Plants being sessile cannot move or escape to avoid stress. Therefore, they have evolved to develop highly beneficial interactions with endophytes. The targeted use of beneficial plant endophytes and their role in combating biotic and abiotic stresses are gaining attention. Therefore, it is important to experimentally validate these interactions and determine how they affect plant fitness. This review highlights research that sheds light on how endophytes help plants tolerate biotic and abiotic stresses through plant–symbiont and plant–microbiota interactions. There is a great need to focus research efforts on this vital area to achieve a system-level understanding of plant–microbe interactions that occur naturally.
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22.
  • Kamran, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Hydroquinone; a novel bioactive compound from plant-derived smoke can cue seed germination of lettuce
  • 2017
  • In: Frontiers in Chemistry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2646. ; 5
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Plant-derived smoke has been known to play an important role in distribution and growth of vegetation. Using a proficiently designed furnace, we extracted smoke from the leaves of four plant viz. Helianthus annuus,Aloe vera,Ginkgo biloba, and Cymbopogon jwarancusa. Smoke dilutions obtained from these plants were obtained in different concentrations to identify potential lettuce growth promoting smoke solution. Results revealed that smoke obtained from G. biloba significantly enhanced the lettuce seed germination. This solution was then partitioned into ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, n-hexane, chloroform and ether fractions. Ethyl acetate fraction was found to be potent to enhance seed germination. This fraction was subjected to column chromatography and spectroscopic techniques to obtain compound 1. This compound was identified as hydroquinone using 1D and 2D NMR techniques. At low concentrations (5, 10, and 20 ppm), compound 1 enhanced the lettuce seed germination; however, higher concentrations inhibited its growth as compared to control.
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23.
  • Khalil, Ibrahim, et al. (author)
  • Burden of Diarrhea in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2013 : Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
  • 2016
  • In: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - : American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - 1476-1645 .- 0002-9637. ; 95:6, s. 1319-1329
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Diarrheal diseases (DD) are leading causes of disease burden, death, and disability, especially in children in low-income settings. DD can also impact a child's potential livelihood through stunted physical growth, cognitive impairment, and other sequelae. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, we estimated DD burden, and the burden attributable to specific risk factors and particular etiologies, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2013. For both sexes and all ages, we calculated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which are the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability. We estimate that over 125,000 deaths (3.6% of total deaths) were due to DD in the EMR in 2013, with a greater burden of DD in low- and middle-income countries. Diarrhea deaths per 100,000 children under 5 years of age ranged from one (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 0-1) in Bahrain and Oman to 471 (95% UI = 245-763) in Somalia. The pattern for diarrhea DALYs among those under 5 years of age closely followed that for diarrheal deaths. DALYs per 100,000 ranged from 739 (95% UI = 520-989) in Syria to 40,869 (95% UI = 21,540-65,823) in Somalia. Our results highlighted a highly inequitable burden of DD in EMR, mainly driven by the lack of access to proper resources such as water and sanitation. Our findings will guide preventive and treatment interventions which are based on evidence and which follow the ultimate goal of reducing the DD burden.
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24.
  • Khattak, Muhammad Irfan, et al. (author)
  • A Planar UWB Antenna with Tripple Notched Bands
  • 2017
  • In: 2017 9th International Confernce on Computational Intelligence and Communication Networks (CICN). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781509050017 ; , s. 1-5
  • Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • This paper presents a rectangular planar monopole antenna with triple stop bands for ultra-wide band Applications. The antenna is compact size (24mm x 24mm x 1.6mm) and is covering the entire UWB band with VSWR < 2 except the band of WiMAX range from 3.07 - 4.73 GHz, the WLAN band range from 5.14 - 5.97 GHz and the ITU frequency band range from of 7.92 - 8.61 GHz. The three slots are added to this antenna to stop various bands. Different shaped slots i.e. inverted Z, C and U are introduced in radiating element to stop WiMAX, WLAN and ITU respectively. The antenna is simulated using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) using FR4 as a substrate.
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25.
  • Muhammad, Dost, et al. (author)
  • A Generalized Deep Learning Approach to Seismic Activity Prediction
  • 2023
  • In: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3417. ; 13:3
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Seismic activity prediction has been a challenging research domain: in this regard, accurate prediction using historical data is an intricate task. Numerous machine learning and traditional approaches have been presented lately for seismic activity prediction; however, no generalizable model exists. In this work, we consider seismic activity predication as a binary classification problem, and propose a deep neural network architecture for the classification problem, using historical data from Chile, Hindukush, and Southern California. After obtaining the data for the three regions, a data cleaning process was used, which was followed by a feature engineering step, to create multiple new features based on various seismic laws. Afterwards, the proposed model was trained on the data, for improved prediction of the seismic activity. The performance of the proposed model was evaluated and compared with extant techniques, such as random forest, support vector machine, and logistic regression. The proposed model achieved accuracy scores of 98.28%, 95.13%, and 99.29% on the Chile, Hindukush, and Southern California datasets, respectively, which were higher than the current benchmark model and classifiers. In addition, we also conducted out-sample testing, where the evaluation metrics confirmed the generality of our proposed approach.
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26.
  • Munir, M. Adeel, et al. (author)
  • Blockchain Adoption for Sustainable Supply Chain Management : Economic, Environmental, and Social Perspectives
  • 2022
  • In: Frontiers in Energy Research. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-598X. ; 10
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Due to the rapid increase in environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, the focus of researchers is shifted from economic to socio-environmental problems. Blockchain is a disruptive technology that has the potential to restructure the entire supply chain for sustainable practices. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that provides a digital database for recording all the transactions of the supply chain. The main purpose of this research is to explore the literature relevant to blockchain for sustainable supply chain management. The focus of this review is on the sustainability of the blockchain-based supply chain concerning environmental conservation, social equality, and governance effectiveness. Using a systematic literature review, a total of 136 articles were evaluated and categorized according to the triple bottom-line aspects of sustainability. Challenges and barriers during blockchain adoption in different industrial sectors such as aviation, shipping, agriculture and food, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical, and textile industries were critically examined. This study has not only explored the economic, environmental, and social impacts of blockchain but also highlighted the emerging trends in a circular supply chain with current developments of advanced technologies along with their critical success factors. Furthermore, research areas and gaps in the existing research are discussed, and future research directions are suggested. The findings of this study show that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize the entire supply chain from a sustainability perspective. Blockchain will not only improve the economic sustainability of the supply chain through effective traceability, enhanced visibility through information sharing, transparency in processes, and decentralization of the entire structure but also will help in achieving environmental and social sustainability through resource efficiency, accountability, smart contracts, trust development, and fraud prevention. The study will be helpful for managers and practitioners to understand the procedure of blockchain adoption and to increase the probability of its successful implementation to develop a sustainable supply chain network.
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27.
  • Muzaffar, Nimra, et al. (author)
  • Designing of VCuS@MXene nanocomposite electrode for energy storage device and electrochemical glucose sensor
  • 2024
  • In: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics. - : Springer Nature. - 0957-4522 .- 1573-482X. ; 35:9
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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28.
  • Ullah, Muhammad Kaleem, et al. (author)
  • Tri-doped ceria (M0.2Ce0.8O2-δ, M= Sm0.1 Ca0.05 Gd0.05) electrolyte for hydrogen and ethanol-based fuel cells
  • 2019
  • In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-8388. ; 773, s. 548-554
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • In recent scientific research, an interest has been gained significantly by rare earth metals such as cerium (Ce), samarium (Sm) and gadolinium (Gd) due to their use in fuel cells as electrolyte and catalysts. When used in an electrolyte, these materials lower the fuel cell's operating temperature compared to a conventional electrolyte, for example, yittria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which operates at a high temperature (≥800 °C). In this paper, the tri-doped ceria, M0.2Ce0.8O2-δ(M = Sm0.1Ca0.05Gd0.05) electrolyte powders was synthesized using the co-precipitation method at 80 °C. These dopants were used for CeO2with a total molar ratio of 1 M. Dry-pressed powder technique was used to make fuel cell pellets from the powder and placed them in the furnace to sinter at 700 °C for 60 min. Electrical conductivity of such a pellet in air was 1.2 × 10−2S cm−1at 700 °C measured by the ProboStat-NorECs setup. The crystal structure was determined with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), which showed that all the dopants were successfully doped in CeO2. Raman spectroscopy and UV-VIS spectroscopy were also carried out to analyse the molecular vibrations and absorbance, respectively. The maximum open-circuit voltages (OCVs) for hydrogen and ethanol fuelled at 550 °C were observed to be 0.89 V and 0.71 V with power densities 314 mW cm−2and 52.8 mW cm−2, respectively.
  •  
29.
  • Wang, Haidong, et al. (author)
  • Estimates of global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980-2015 : the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.
  • 2016
  • In: The lancet. HIV. - : Elsevier. - 2352-3018. ; 3:8, s. e361-e387
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • BACKGROUND: Timely assessment of the burden of HIV/AIDS is essential for policy setting and programme evaluation. In this report from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we provide national estimates of levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and mortality for 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015.METHODS: For countries without high-quality vital registration data, we estimated prevalence and incidence with data from antenatal care clinics and population-based seroprevalence surveys, and with assumptions by age and sex on initial CD4 distribution at infection, CD4 progression rates (probability of progression from higher to lower CD4 cell-count category), on and off antiretroviral therapy (ART) mortality, and mortality from all other causes. Our estimation strategy links the GBD 2015 assessment of all-cause mortality and estimation of incidence and prevalence so that for each draw from the uncertainty distribution all assumptions used in each step are internally consistent. We estimated incidence, prevalence, and death with GBD versions of the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) and Spectrum software originally developed by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). We used an open-source version of EPP and recoded Spectrum for speed, and used updated assumptions from systematic reviews of the literature and GBD demographic data. For countries with high-quality vital registration data, we developed the cohort incidence bias adjustment model to estimate HIV incidence and prevalence largely from the number of deaths caused by HIV recorded in cause-of-death statistics. We corrected these statistics for garbage coding and HIV misclassification.FINDINGS: Global HIV incidence reached its peak in 1997, at 3·3 million new infections (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1-3·4 million). Annual incidence has stayed relatively constant at about 2·6 million per year (range 2·5-2·8 million) since 2005, after a period of fast decline between 1997 and 2005. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has been steadily increasing and reached 38·8 million (95% UI 37·6-40·4 million) in 2015. At the same time, HIV/AIDS mortality has been declining at a steady pace, from a peak of 1·8 million deaths (95% UI 1·7-1·9 million) in 2005, to 1·2 million deaths (1·1-1·3 million) in 2015. We recorded substantial heterogeneity in the levels and trends of HIV/AIDS across countries. Although many countries have experienced decreases in HIV/AIDS mortality and in annual new infections, other countries have had slowdowns or increases in rates of change in annual new infections.INTERPRETATION: Scale-up of ART and prevention of mother-to-child transmission has been one of the great successes of global health in the past two decades. However, in the past decade, progress in reducing new infections has been slow, development assistance for health devoted to HIV has stagnated, and resources for health in low-income countries have grown slowly. Achievement of the new ambitious goals for HIV enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the 90-90-90 UNAIDS targets will be challenging, and will need continued efforts from governments and international agencies in the next 15 years to end AIDS by 2030.
  •  
30.
  • Abid, Nosheen, 1993-, et al. (author)
  • UCL: Unsupervised Curriculum Learning for Water Body Classification from Remote Sensing Imagery
  • 2021
  • In: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. - : Elsevier. - 1569-8432 .- 1872-826X. ; 105
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • This paper presents a Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) based Unsupervised Curriculum Learning approach for the recognition of water bodies to overcome the stated challenges for remote sensing based RGB imagery. The unsupervised nature of the presented algorithm eliminates the need for labelled training data. The problem is cast as a two class clustering problem (water and non-water), while clustering is done on deep features obtained by a pre-trained CNN. After initial clusters have been identified, representative samples from each cluster are chosen by the unsupervised curriculum learning algorithm for fine-tuning the feature extractor. The stated process is repeated iteratively until convergence. Three datasets have been used to evaluate the approach and show its effectiveness on varying scales: (i) SAT-6 dataset comprising high resolution aircraft images, (ii) Sentinel-2 of EuroSAT, comprising remote sensing images with low resolution, and (iii) PakSAT, a new dataset we created for this study. PakSAT is the first Pakistani Sentinel-2 dataset designed to classify water bodies of Pakistan. Extensive experiments on these datasets demonstrate the progressive learning behaviour of UCL and reported promising results of water classification on all three datasets. The obtained accuracies outperform the supervised methods in domain adaptation, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
  •  
31.
  • Ahmad, Iftikhar, et al. (author)
  • Using algorithmic trading to analyze short term profitability of Bitcoin
  • 2021
  • In: PeerJ Computer Science. - : PeerJ Publishing. - 2376-5992. ; 7
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) have seen a surge in value in the recent past and appeared as a useful investment opportunity for traders. However, their short term profitability using algorithmic trading strategies remains unanswered. In this work, we focus on the short term profitability of BTC against the euro and the yen for an eight-year period using seven trading algorithms over trading periods of length 15 and 30 days. We use the classical buy and hold (BH) as a benchmark strategy. Rather surprisingly, we found that on average, the yen is more profitable than BTC and the euro; however the answer also depends on the choice of algorithm. Reservation price algorithms result in 7.5% and 10% of average returns over 15 and 30 days respectively which is the highest for all the algorithms for the three assets. For BTC, all algorithms outperform the BH strategy. We also analyze the effect of transaction fee on the profitability of algorithms for BTC and observe that for trading period of length 15 no trading strategy is profitable for BTC. For trading period of length 30, only two strategies are profitable. 
  •  
32.
  • Ahmed, Ejaz, et al. (author)
  • The role of big data analytics in Internet of Things
  • 2017
  • In: Computer Networks. - : Elsevier. - 1389-1286 .- 1872-7069. ; 129:2, s. 459-471
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The explosive growth in the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the exponential increase in data consumption only reflect how the growth of big data perfectly overlaps with that of IoT. The management of big data in a continuously expanding network gives rise to non-trivial concerns regarding data collection efficiency, data processing, analytics, and security. To address these concerns, researchers have examined the challenges associated with the successful deployment of IoT. Despite the large number of studies on big data, analytics, and IoT, the convergence of these areas creates several opportunities for flourishing big data and analytics for IoT systems. In this paper, we explore the recent advances in big data analytics for IoT systems as well as the key requirements for managing big data and for enabling analytics in an IoT environment. We taxonomized the literature based on important parameters. We identify the opportunities resulting from the convergence of big data, analytics, and IoT as well as discuss the role of big data analytics in IoT applications. Finally, several open challenges are presented as future research directions.
  •  
33.
  • Akbar, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Effect of sintering temperature on properties of LiNiCuZn-Oxide: a potential anode for solid oxide fuel cell
  • 2019
  • In: Materials Research Express. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 2053-1591. ; 6:10
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Crystal structure and surface morphology play vital role in the performance of Solid Oxide Fuel cells (SOFCs) anode. Sufficient electrocatalytic activity and high conductivity are the key requirements for anode to enhance the electrochemical capability. In current work, sintering temperature effects are investigated on the properties of advanced LiNiCuZn-Oxide based electrode for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The powders were prepared by simple solid-state reaction method was followed by sintering at different temperatures (700 degrees C-1200 degrees C). Moreover, various characterization techniques have been employed to investigate the sintering temperatures effects on the crystallite size, morphology, particle size, energy band gap and absorption peaks. The energy gap (Eg) was observed to increase from 2.94 eV to 3.32 eV and dc conductivity decreased from 9.084 Scm(-1) to 0.46 Scm(-1) by increasing sintering temperature from 700 degrees C to 1200 degrees C. Additionally, the best fuel cell performance of 0.90 Wcm(-2) was achieved for LiNiCuZn-Oxide sintered at 700 degrees C using H-2/air as a fuel and oxidant and it decreased to 0.17 Wcm(-2) for powders sintered at 1200 degrees C. Based on these results, we can conclude that 700 degrees C is the best optimum temperature for these chemical compositions, where all parameters of electrode are as per SOFCs requirement.
  •  
34.
  • Akbar, Mariam, et al. (author)
  • Efficient Data Gathering in 3D Linear Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Using Sink Mobility
  • 2016
  • In: Sensors. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 16:3
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Due to the unpleasant and unpredictable underwater environment, designing an energy-efficient routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) demands more accuracy and extra computations. In the proposed scheme, we introduce a mobile sink (MS), i.e., an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and also courier nodes (CNs), to minimize the energy consumption of nodes. MS and CNs stop at specific stops for data gathering; later on, CNs forward the received data to the MS for further transmission. By the mobility of CNs and MS, the overall energy consumption of nodes is minimized. We perform simulations to investigate the performance of the proposed scheme and compare it to preexisting techniques. Simulation results are compared in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss, transmission loss and packet drop ratio. The results show that the proposed technique performs better in terms of network lifetime, throughput, path loss and scalability
  •  
35.
  • Al Azzawi, Tiba Nazar Ibrahim, et al. (author)
  • Evaluation of Iraqi Rice Cultivars for Their Tolerance to Drought Stress
  • 2020
  • In: Agronomy. - : MDPI. - 2073-4395. ; 10:11
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Drought stress is a serious problem around the globe and particularly in the Republic of Iraq. Rice is the third most consumed crop for the Iraqi people; however, its cultivation and production is very low due to several challenges including drought. The current study was performed to evaluate five Iraqi rice cultivars along with relevant (drought-tolerant and drought-susceptible) controls under drought stress, either by treatment with 10% PEG (polyethylene glycol) or through water withholding to induce natural drought stress. The phenotypes of all the cultivars were evaluated and the transcriptional responses of key drought-responsive candidate genes, identified through the EST-SSR marker-based approach, were studied. We also studied transcript accumulation of drought-related transcriptional factors, such as OsGRASS23, OsbZIP12, and OsDREB2A. Moreover, the reference cultivars also included a drought-tolerant inter-specific cultivar Nerica 7 (a cross between Oryza sativa ssp. indica X O. glaberrima). Among the cultivars, the more drought-tolerant phenotypic characteristics and higher transcript accumulation of drought-related marker genes OsE647 and OsE1899 and transcriptional factors OsGRASS23, OsbZIP12, and OsDREB2A were observed in four (out of five) significantly drought-tolerant Iraqi cultivars; Mashkab, followed by Furat, Yasmen, and Amber 33. On another note, Amber Barka was found to be significantly drought susceptible. Mashkab and Amber Barka were found to be the most drought-tolerant and-susceptible cultivars, respectively. The identified tolerant cultivars may potentially serve as a genetic source for the incorporation of drought-tolerant phenotypes in rice.
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36.
  •  
37.
  • Ali, Amjad, et al. (author)
  • Promising electrochemical study of titanate based anodes in direct carbon fuel cell using walnut and almond shells biochar fuel
  • 2019
  • In: Journal of Power Sources. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-7753 .- 1873-2755. ; 434
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) is an efficient device that converts the carbon fuel directly into electricity with 100% theoretical efficiency contrary to practical efficiency around 60%. In this paper four perovskite anode materials La0.4Sr0.6M0.09Ti0.91O3-delta (M = Ni, Fe, Co, Zn) have been prepared using sol-gel technique to measure the performance of the device using solid fuel. These materials have shown reasonable stability and conductivity at 700 degrees C. Further structural analysis of as-prepared anode material using XRD technique reveals a single cubic perovskite structure with average crystallite size roughly 47 nm. Walnut and almond shells biochar have also been examined as a fuel in DCFC at the temperature range 400-700 degrees C. In addition, Elemental analysis of walnut and almond shells has shown high carbon content and low nitrogen and sulfur contents in the obtained biochar. Subsequently, the superior stability of as-prepared anode materials is evident by thermogravimetric analysis in pure N-2 gas atmosphere. Conversely, the LSFT anode has shown the highest electronic conductivity of 7.53Scm(-1) at 700 degrees C. The obtained power density for LSFTO3-delta composite anode mixed in sub-bituminous coal, walnut and almond shells biochar is of 68, 55, 48 mWcm(-2) respectively. A significant improvement in performance of DCFC (78 mWcm(-2)) was achieved.
  •  
38.
  • Ali, Subhan, et al. (author)
  • The enlightening role of explainable artificial intelligence in medical & healthcare domains : A systematic literature review
  • 2023
  • In: Computers in Biology and Medicine. - : Elsevier. - 0010-4825 .- 1879-0534. ; 166
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • In domains such as medical and healthcare, the interpretability and explainability of machine learning and artificial intelligence systems are crucial for building trust in their results. Errors caused by these systems, such as incorrect diagnoses or treatments, can have severe and even life-threatening consequences for patients. To address this issue, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) has emerged as a popular area of research, focused on understanding the black-box nature of complex and hard-to-interpret machine learning models. While humans can increase the accuracy of these models through technical expertise, understanding how these models actually function during training can be difficult or even impossible. XAI algorithms such as Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) can provide explanations for these models, improving trust in their predictions by providing feature importance and increasing confidence in the systems. Many articles have been published that propose solutions to medical problems by using machine learning models alongside XAI algorithms to provide interpretability and explainability. In our study, we identified 454 articles published from 2018- 2022 and analyzed 93 of them to explore the use of these techniques in the medical domain.
  •  
39.
  • Amin, Muhammad Umair, et al. (author)
  • Co-delivery of carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitor and doxorubicin as a promising approach to address hypoxia-induced chemoresistance
  • 2022
  • In: Drug Delivery. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1071-7544 .- 1521-0464. ; 29:1, s. 2072-2085
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.
  •  
40.
  • Amin, Muhammad Umair, et al. (author)
  • Ultrasound-Responsive Smart Drug Delivery System of Lipid Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
  • 2021
  • In: Pharmaceutics. - : MDPI. - 1999-4923. ; 13:9
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The immediate release of chemotherapeutics at the target site, along with no premature release in circulation is always challenging. The purpose of this study was to develop a stimuli responsive drug delivery system, composed of lipid supported mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for triggered drug release at the target site and simultaneously avoiding the premature release. MSNPs with a higher drug loading capacity and very slow release were designed so as to enhance release by FDA approved US-irradiation. Doxorubicin, as a model drug, and perfluoropentane (PFP) as a US responsive material, were entrapped in the porous structure of MSNPs. Lipid coating enhanced the cellular uptake and in addition provided a gatekeeping effect at the pore opening to reduce premature release. The mechanical and thermal effects of US induced the conversion of liquid PFP to a gaseous form that was able to rupture the lipid layer, resulting in triggered drug release. The prolonged stability profile and non-toxic behavior made them suitable candidate for the delivery of anticancer drugs. This smart system, with the abilities of better cellular uptake and higher cytotoxic effects on US-irradiation, would be a good addition to the applied side of chemotherapeutic advanced drug delivery systems.
  •  
41.
  • Asaf, Sajjad, et al. (author)
  • Comparative analysis of complete plastid genomes from wild soybean (Glycine soja) and nine other Glycine species
  • 2017
  • In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library Science (PLOS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:8
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • The plastid genomes of different plant species exhibit significant variation, thereby providing valuable markers for exploring evolutionary relationships and population genetics. Glycine soja (wild soybean) is recognized as the wild ancestor of cultivated soybean (G. max), representing a valuable genetic resource for soybean breeding programmes. In the present study, the complete plastid genome of G. soja was sequenced using Illumina paired-end sequencing and then compared it for the first time with previously reported plastid genome sequences from nine other Glycine species. The G. soja plastid genome was 152,224 bp in length and possessed a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (IRa/IRb; 25,574 bp) separated by small (178,963 bp) and large (83,181 bp) single-copy regions, with a 51-kb inversion in the large single-copy region. The genome encoded 134 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 39 transfer RNA genes, and possessed 204 randomly distributed microsatellites, including 15 forward, 25 tandem, and 34 palindromic repeats. Whole-plastid genome comparisons revealed an overall high degree of sequence similarity between G. max and G. gracilis and some divergence in the intergenic spacers of other species. Greater numbers of indels and SNP substitutions were observed compared with G. cyrtoloba. The sequence of the accD gene from G. soja was highly divergent from those of the other species except for G. max and G. gracilis. Phylogenomic analyses of the complete plastid genomes and 76 shared genes yielded an identical topology and indicated that G. soja is closely related to G. max and G. gracilis. The complete G. soja genome sequenced in the present study is a valuable resource for investigating the population and evolutionary genetics of Glycine species and can be used to identify related species.
  •  
42.
  • Asaf, Sajjad, et al. (author)
  • Osmoprotective functions conferred to soybean plants via inoculation with Sphingomonas sp. LK11 and exogenous trehalose
  • 2017
  • In: Microbiology Research. - : Elsevier. - 0944-5013 .- 1618-0623. ; 205, s. 135-145
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Osmotic stress induced by drought can hinder the growth and yield of crop plants. To understand the eco-physiological role of osmoprotectants, the combined utilization of endophytes and osmolytes (trehalose) can be an ideal strategy used to overcome the adverse effects of drought. Hence, in the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of Sphingomonas sp. LK11, which produces phytohormones and synthesizes trehalose, in improving soybean plant growth under drought-induced osmotic stress (−0.4, −0.9, and −1.2 MPa). The results showed that the inoculation of soybean plants with Sphingomonas sp. LK11 significantly increased plant length, dry biomass, photosynthetic pigments, glutathione, amino acids (proline, glycine, and glutamate), and primary sugars as compared to control plants under varying drought stresses. Trehalose applied to the plant with or without endophyte-inoculation also showed similar plant growth-promoting attributes under stress. Stress exposure significantly enhanced endogenous jasmonic (JA) and abscisic (ABA) acid contents in control plants. In contrast, Sphingomonas sp. LK11-inoculation significantly lowered ABA and JA levels in soybean plants, but these phytohormones increased in response to combined treatments during stress. The drought-induced osmotic stress resistance associated with Sphingomonas sp. LK11 and trehalose was also evidenced by increased mRNA gene expression of soybean dehydration responsive element binding protein (DREB)-type transcription factors (GmDREBa and GmDREB2) and the MYB (myeloblastosis) transcription factor (GmMYBJ1) as compared to the control. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that inoculation with this endophyte and trehalose improved the negative effects of drought-induced osmotic stress, and it enhanced soybean plant growth and tolerance.
  •  
43.
  • Asim, Muhammad, et al. (author)
  • Experimental analysis of solar thermal integrated MD system for cogeneration of drinking water and hot water for single family villa in Dubai using flat plate and evacuated tube solar collectors
  • 2017
  • In: Desalination and Water Treatment. - : DESALINATION PUBL. - 1944-3994 .- 1944-3986. ; 92, s. 46-59
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • This paper presents the experimental analysis performed on solar thermal integrated membrane distillation (MD) system using flat plate and evacuated tube collectors. The system will be utilized for cogeneration of drinking water and domestic hot water for single family in Dubai comprising of four to five members. Experiments have been performed in Ras Al Khaimah Research and Innovation Centre (RAKRIC) facility. The experimental setup has been installed to achieve the required production of 15-25 L/d of drinking water and 250 L/d of hot water for domestic purposes. Experiments have been performed on MD setup at optimized flow rates of 6 L/min on hot side and 3 L/min on cold side for producing the desired distillate. The hot side and cold side MD temperature has been maintained between 60 degrees C and 70 degrees C, and 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C. The total annual energy demand comes out to be 8,223 kWh (6,000 kWh is for pure water and 2,223 kWh for hot water). The optimum aperture areas for flat plate and evacuated tube collector field have been identified as 8.5 and 7.5 m(2), respectively. Annual energy consumption per liter for pure water production is 1, 0.85 and 0.7 kWh/L for different MD hot and cold inlet temperatures.
  •  
44.
  • Asim, Muhammad Nabeel, et al. (author)
  • A robust and precise convnet for small non-coding rna classification (rpc-snrc)
  • 2021
  • In: IEEE Access. - 2169-3536. ; 9, s. 19379-19390
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are attracting increasing attention as they are now considered potentially valuable resources in the development of new drugs intended to cure several human diseases. A prerequisite for the development of drugs targeting ncRNAs or the related pathways is the identification and correct classification of such ncRNAs. State-of-the-art small ncRNA classification methodologies use secondary structural features as input. However, such feature extraction approaches only take global characteristics into account and completely ignore co-relative effects of local structures. Furthermore, secondary structure based approaches incorporate high dimensional feature space which is computationally expensive. The present paper proposes a novel Robust and Precise ConvNet (RPC-snRC) methodology which classifies small ncRNAs into relevant families by utilizing their primary sequence. RPC-snRC methodology learns hierarchical representation of features by utilizing positioning and information on the occurrence of nucleotides. To avoid exploding and vanishing gradient problems, we use an approach similar to DenseNet in which gradient can flow straight from subsequent layers to previous layers. In order to assess the effectiveness of deeper architectures for small ncRNA classification, we also adapted two ResNet architectures having a different number of layers. Experimental results on a benchmark small ncRNA dataset show that the proposed methodology does not only outperform existing small ncRNA classification approaches with a significant performance margin of 10% but it also gives better results than adapted ResNet architectures. To reproduce the results Source code and data set is available at https://github.com/muas16/small-non-coding-RNA-classification.
  •  
45.
  • Asim, Muhammad Nabeel, et al. (author)
  • MirLocPredictor : A ConvNet-Based Multi-Label MicroRNA Subcellular Localization Predictor by Incorporating k-Mer Positional Information
  • 2020
  • In: Genes. - : MDPI. - 2073-4425. ; 11:12
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNA sequences consisting of about 22 nucleotides that are involved in the regulation of almost 60% of mammalian genes. Presently, there are very limited approaches for the visualization of miRNA locations present inside cells to support the elucidation of pathways and mechanisms behind miRNA function, transport, and biogenesis. MIRLocator, a state-of-the-art tool for the prediction of subcellular localization of miRNAs makes use of a sequence-to-sequence model along with pretrained k-mer embeddings. Existing pretrained k-mer embedding generation methodologies focus on the extraction of semantics of k-mers. However, in RNA sequences, positional information of nucleotides is more important because distinct positions of the four nucleotides define the function of an RNA molecule. Considering the importance of the nucleotide position, we propose a novel approach (kmerPR2vec) which is a fusion of positional information of k-mers with randomly initialized neural k-mer embeddings. In contrast to existing k-mer-based representation, the proposed kmerPR2vec representation is much more rich in terms of semantic information and has more discriminative power. Using novel kmerPR2vec representation, we further present an end-to-end system (MirLocPredictor) which couples the discriminative power of kmerPR2vec with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for miRNA subcellular location prediction. The effectiveness of the proposed kmerPR2vec approach is evaluated with deep learning-based topologies (i.e., Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN)) and by using 9 different evaluation measures. Analysis of the results reveals that MirLocPredictor outperform state-of-the-art methods with a significant margin of 18% and 19% in terms of precision and recall.
  •  
46.
  • Bentham, James, et al. (author)
  • A century of trends in adult human height
  • 2016
  • In: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.522.7) and 16.5 cm (13.319.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
  •  
47.
  • Bentham, James, et al. (author)
  • A century of trends in adult human height
  • 2016
  • In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
  •  
48.
  • Bibi, Uzma, et al. (author)
  • Graphene-Based Strain Sensing of Cementitious Composites with Natural and Recycled Sands
  • 2023
  • In: Sensors. - : MDPI. - 1424-8220. ; 23:16
  • Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
    • Structural health monitoring is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of civil infrastructures. Traditional monitoring methods involve installing sensors across large regions, which can be costly and ineffective due to the sensors damage and poor compliance with structural members. This study involves systematically varying the graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) concentration and analyzing the strength performance and piezoresistive behavior of the resulting composites. Two different composites having natural and recycled sands with varying percentages of GNPs as 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% were prepared. Dispersion of GNPs was performed in superplasticizer and then ultrasonication was employed by using an ultrasonicator. The four-probe method was utilized to establish the piezoresistive behavior. The results revealed that the compressive strength of mortar cubes with natural sand was increased up to a GNP content of 6%, beyond which it started to decline. In contrast, specimens with recycled sand showed a continuous decrease in the compressive strength. Furthermore, the electrical resistance stability was observed at 4% for both natural and recycled sands specimens, exhibiting linearity between the frictional change in the resistivity and compressive strain values. It can be concluded from this study that the use of self-sensing sustainable cementitious composites could pave their way in civil infrastructures.
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