53 research outputs found
Anthocyanin-functionalized contact lens sensors for ocular pH monitoring
Get PDFAnthocyanins are bioactive compounds naturally found in a variety of leaves, fruits, and vegetables. Anthocyanin pigments undergo a modification in their chemical structure when exposed to different concentrations of hydrogen ions, and they were extensively studied to be used as active elements in biocompatible pH sensors. The ocular pH is a significant parameter to assess the ocular physiology in cases of postocular surgery, keratoconjunctivitis, and ocular rosacea. Contact lenses have the potential to be used as medical diagnostic devices for in situ continuous monitoring of the ocular physiology. Here, anthocyanin-functionalized contact lenses were developed as wearable sensors to monitor the ocular pH. Anthocyanin pigments were extracted from Brassica oleracea and used to functionalize the polymeric matrices of commercial soft contact lenses by soaking and drop-casting processes. Contact lenses responded to the physiological ocular pH of 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5, exhibiting a systematic color shift from pink (pH 6.5) to purple (pH 7.0) and blue (pH 7.5). The functionalization of contact lens sensors was evaluated as a function of the dye concentration. Quantitative values were obtained by comparing the RGB triplets of the colors obtained with the naturally extracted dye and with delphinidin chloride dye in 0.0 to 1.5 mmol L–1 aqueous solution. The functionalization of contact lenses was studied as a function of the soaking time, resulting in best results when soaking for 24 h. The dye leakage from the contact lenses in deionized water was evaluated, and a negligible leakage after 18 h was observed. Poly-2-hydroxy ethylmethacrylate contact lenses were fabricated and cross-linked with anthocyanin dye, resulting in a slight color shift upon pH changes from 6.5 to 7.4. Contact lens pH sensors may be used to continuously monitor the ocular pH at point-of-care settings
Safety of niraparib-based regimens in patients with ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Niraparib is approved as a maintenance treatment for ovarian cancer due to its potential to prolong progression-free survival. However, its widespread use is challenged by concerns about its safety profile. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the safety profile of niraparib in ovarian cancer treatment. Methods: A thorough literature search was done from inception to August 2024 using Embase, Cochrane Central Library, MEDLINE, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohorts assessing the safety of niraparib in ovarian cancer were included. The primary outcome was adverse events. Review Manager was used to pool risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the Mantel-Haenszel method for a random-effects analysis. Results: Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis, consisting of 4 Phase III RCTs and 4 observational studies with 2344 patients. Niraparib was associated with a higher risk of adverse events (RR = 1.05; 95 % CI: 1.02–1.09). Although subgroup analyses for the primary outcome did not show significant variations, secondary outcomes revealed notable findings. It also increases the risk of hematological toxicities, including thrombocytopenia (RR 2.75, 95 % CI 0.62–12.20), anemia (RR 1.74, 95 % CI: 1.06–2.86), and neutropenia (RR 1.63, 95 % CI: 1.04–2.54) with increased rates of treatment interruptions (RR 2.05, 95 % CI: 0.85–4.96) and dose reductions (RR = 2.35, 95 % CI: 0.89–6.17). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that niraparib is associated with a tolerable safety profile in ovarian cancer maintenance treatment, with hematological toxicities being the primary concern. Further large-scale RCTs are essential to validate these findings and develop standardized safety protocols
Strategic Reforms for Accelerated Agricultural Growth in Pakistan
Get PDFAgricultural growth rates in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s show that strong growth during the 1960s was driven by several factors, including greater certainty in the use of irrigation water (as a result of an agreement with India), the introduction of productivityenhancing fertiliser-seed packages, the introduction of tubewells and the electrification of rural areas, and policy changes that improved the profitability of farming. Growth during the 1970s dropped to 2.3 percent as a result of the uncertainty created by land reforms in 1972 and 1977, severe climatic shocks, a cotton virus that depressed production for most of the decade, and political instability. The recovery in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to the introduction of new cotton varieties and improved management techniques, as well as to a gradual improvement in economic incentives. Closer inspection of the nature and sources of this growth raises concerns about its sustainability and casts doubt on the ability of the sector to grow by more than 3–4 percent a year in the future. Many of the past sources of agricultural growth in Pakistan appear to have been fully exploited. Strategy for the future must effectively address the followings. Allowing the market to Operate, policy reforms that support the ongoing structural adjustment should be given top priority. To address the crisis in irrigation management market-determined incentives must be allowed to determine resource allocation within the irrigation system. Reform in extension should include establishing closer links with research institutions and reducing the number of front-line extension workers and replacing them with fewer, bettertrained workers who are more responsive to the needs of farming systems. Full-fledged land reform is difficult to enact and can be considered only after a comprehensive study of costs and benefits. Some important measures can be implemented immediately, however. Foremost is providing security of tenure to many farmers, especially tenants-at-will, thereby improving responsiveness to incentives and creating better incentives for long-term investments.
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Shaheer-Poetry-Lost Angel. pp. 153; Jawad, M.-Poetry-The Foggy Trees. pp. 154; Sadia Riaz-Poetry-Tears and Laughter. pp. 154; Hafiz Ali Aziz Khokhar-Poetry-I Shine Now. pp. 155; Nauman Ahmad-Poetry-Life is Ephemeral. pp. 155; Ramla Zaheer-Poetry-To Time and Fate. pp. 156; Muhammad Adeel Ahmad-Poetry-Death of Beauty. pp. 156; Hafiz Ali Aziz-Poetry-What Should I do? pp. 157; Shaheryar Khan-Poetry-What May I Think? pp. 157; Azzam Saddique-Poetry-The Smith. pp. 158; Rao Ayyaz Ahmad-Poetry-Assignment Girls College. pp. 159; Zeeshan Zaighum-Poetry-Divorce. pp. 159; Folio [Urdu]. 146 p.Editorial Board (English). before the Editorial page; Kennedy Hall, Forman Christian College (1959-60). after page 30; Folio team with the President of Pakistan. after page 30; Offices. page 160; Visitors. after page 160; Convocation. after page 160; Sports. after page 160; Societies. after page 160; Drama. after page 160; Music. after page 160; College Life. after page 160; Alumni. after page 160; Sundaisay. after page 16
Study on a Concentric Tube Bulb Manometer and its Performance Compared to U-shaped Manometer
No full textThis paper presents comparative study of a new type of manometer calledconcentric tube bulb (C.T.B) manometer. Its performance of measuring differential heightis studied against conventional U-shaped manometer. Pressure drops and mass flow ratesare calculated by taking various systems comprising of different flow measuring devicessuch as orifice and venturimeters using both U- shaped and C.T.B manometers.Comparison between the physically measured values of differential pressure drops andmass flow rates with the calculated values based on theoretical equations is also made.Experiments are carried out using mercury and CCl4 in these manometers as sensing fluids.Water is used as flowing fluid for mass flow rate and pressure drop measurements, whereasin gauge pressure measurements air is used
Development and Regression Modeling of Dirt Resistive Latex Façade Paint
No full textA highly dirt-resistant paint for building façades without chemicals harmful to nature and the environment would resolve the unattractive disfigurement of building walls caused by dirt. The current ranking of Pakistan in terms of air pollution is 139th. A set of dirt-resistant paint formulae was constructed with the aid of computer programming. From this set, the best dirt-resistant paint formula was explored and identified. The final determination of the optimum formulation was based on statistically planned experiments conducted in the laboratory and in a natural environment. In order to achieve high-quality results, the best available laboratory equipment were used. The results obtained were analyzed and conclusions were drawn using appropriate statistical techniques. The procedure started with the selection of appropriate raw materials and generation of a target population of 543,143 paint formulations by adopting Basic Language computer programming. The average pigment volume concentration (PVC) percentage was computed using theory and found to be 54.98% for the target population paint formulations, verifying the literature results. Experimentation and statistical analysis were performed to compare the classical conventional agitator with the latest lab equipment such as a nano mill, and it was concluded that the nano mill performs better on average than the conventional agitator in the preparation of paint formulations. Hence, the sample of paint formulations was prepared on a nano mill and tested in the laboratory using advanced available technology for the analysis and comparison of paint properties to determine the best paint formulation. The results were analyzed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique, and it was concluded that the newly developed paint has the highest dirt resistance on average. The final selected formula, No. 50 (the newly developed paint), was compared with the three best conventional paints available in the Pakistan market in a natural environment for a period of almost one year. A regression model was also constructed to study the effect of environmental factors like time, temperature, and humidity on the dirt resistance of paints. It was found that the newly developed paint formulation is the most environmentally friendly. It performs equally well as one conventional paint and has higher dirt resistance than two other conventional paint formulations containing harmful chemicals. The regression model of dirt resistance involving variables including time, temperature, and humidity shows that these factors significantly affect the dirt resistance of a given paint at a 5% level of significance. For a given paint, 95.34% of the variation in the dirt resistance is due to and explained by the given factors. The regression model is useful for predicting the average dirt resistance of a given paint with a certain level of confidence. The project exemplifies the work of applied research from conceptualization to successful commercialization in the paint industry
Study on a Concentric Tube Bulb Manometer and its Performance Compared to U-shaped Manometer
No full textAbstract: This paper presents comparative study of a new type of manometer called concentric tube bulb (C.T.B) manometer. Its performance of measuring differential height is studied against conventional U-shaped manometer. Pressure drops and mass flow rates are calculated by taking various systems comprising of different flow measuring devices such as orifice and venturimeters using both U- shaped and C.T.B manometers. Comparison between the physically measured values of differential pressure drops and mass flow rates with the calculated values based on theoretical equations is also made. Experiments are carried out using mercury and CCl4 in these manometers as sensing fluids. Water is used as flowing fluid for mass flow rate and pressure drop measurements, whereas in gauge pressure measurements air is used
Effect of Medium of Instruction on Students’ Motivation Towards Learning at Secondary Level
Get PDFThe present study aimed to investigate the effect of medium of instruction on students’ motivation towards learning at secondary level. It comprised of 1456 respondents as a sample of the study which were conveniently selected from public and private sector secondary schools from the district Kasur of Punjab province.Motivation scale towards learning by Sultana, (2014) having 20 Likert type items with a reliability coefficient value 0.85 was used for data collection.Findings of the study revealed that the medium of instruction had no significant effect on motivation level of students towards learning. On the basis of gender there was found no significant effect on motivation level. There was significant difference between English and Urdu mediums urban respondents’ motivation level as urban English medium students had significantly higher motivation level than urban Urdu medium students. There was significant difference between English and Urdu mediums rural respondents’ motivation level as rural Urdu medium students had significantly higher motivation level than rural English medium students. It was recommended that the findings of the study should be refined for further implications through further longitudinal studies with more data from other provinces of Pakistan
Development of Algae Guard Façade Paint with Statistical Modeling under Natural Phenomena
No full textAlgaecides are chemicals that cause serious health problems. Conventional paints contain algaecides to improve the algae resistance on the paint film. Present research has suggested an environment-friendly paint formulation that focuses on developing algae resistance without having algaecides. In this research, algae growth on newly developed paint is modeled by incorporating dirt resistance of paint and natural phenomena including humidity, temperature, and time, respectively. The fitted Model revealed explained variation of 59.65% in the average algae growth, of which, dirt resistance, humidity, temperature, and some of their interactions play significant role in this variation. The model suggests that the proposed newly developed paint without algaecides is more resistant to algae growth and significantly decreased the average algae growth rate by 0.53% as compared to conventional paints. Keeping the effect of all other factors constant, if dirt resistance of paint (Dc value) increases by one percent, average algae growth decreases by 12.98%; when temperature increases by 1 °C, average algae growth decreases by 22.4%; a positive unit change in the joint linear effect of dirt resistance, temperature, and humidity caused a decrease in average algae growth by 0.0031%. It was also observed that the individual effect of the humidity variable was inversely related with average algae growth. However, the combination of humidity and temperature, humidity and dirt resistance, humidity and time, and the quadratic effect of humidity were found to increase the average algae growth rate. The cubic effect of temperature variable by one degree centigrade resulted in decrease of average algae growth by 0.000907%
Factors Affecting Dermatological Manifestations In Patients With End Stage Renal Disease
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