14 research outputs found
Geospatial Mapping and Detection of Ferrous, Iron Oxides, and Clay Minerals in District Mohmand, Pakistan: Geospatial Mapping and Detection of Ferrous, Iron Oxides, and Clay Minerals in District Mohmand, Pakistan
No full textThe study focuses on the utilization of remote sensing techniques to effectively identify and detect ferrous,iron oxides, and clay minerals in Mohmand district, Pakistan, using LANDSAT 8 multispectral images. This studyfocuses on the increasing demand and importance of these minerals in mining and commercial activities. Mineralexploration in Mohmand district, utilizing remote sensing technology to identify mineral compositions using the bandratio is done. This technique allows for a more focused and precise approach to exploration and extraction techniques.Cloud-free LANDSAT 8 images with minimal vegetation cover were utilized for the analysis. The band ratio approachwas utilized to identify areas exhibiting diverse mineral compositions. The study highlights the effectiveness of thesuggested methodology in mapping and detecting ferrous, iron oxides, and clay minerals, indicating the significantpotential of remote sensing for mineral exploration. The results highlight the importance of developing distributionmaps to support more efficient methods for mining and mineral exploration. The study contributes to a more focusedand efficient assessment of mineral resources and extraction techniques in the Mohmand district and similar geologicalterrains, offering stakeholders a valuable tool for informed decision-making in mineral exploration and exploitationefforts
Fuzzy neural network with backpropagation for fuzzy quadratic programming problems and portfolio optimization problems
No full textThe study aspires to adopt back propagation fuzzy neural networks to solve fuzzy quadratic programming problems. The main motivation behind proposing a back propagation neural network is that it can easily adjust and fine-tune the weights of the network from the error rate obtained at the previous layer. The error rate customarily called the loss function is the dissimilarity between the desired and predicted outputs. The chain and power rules of the derivative allow back propagation and successively update the weights of the network to perform efficiently. Thus, the gradient of the loss function is calculated by iterating backward layer by layer but one at a time to reduce the difference between the desired and the predicted outputs. The research flow is such that first of all the quadratic programming problem is formulated in a fuzzy environment. The problem with fuzzy quadratic programming is formulated as a lower, central, and upper model. The formulated models are then solved with backpropagation fuzzy neural networks. The proposed method is then implemented in the capital market to identify the optimal portfolio for potential investors in the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Six leading stocks traded on the stock exchange from Jan 2016 to Oct 2020 were taken into consideration. At all three levels (lower, central, and upper), the results of identifying the best investment portfolio for investors are consistent. The proposed three models identify the investors to invest in ATHL, MCB and ARPL, whereas, the remaining three IGIHL, INIL and POL are not desirable for investment. In all three cases, the convergence is obtained at 475 iterations which is faster than the previously conducted studies. Moreover, another advantage of the proposed technique is that it brings an improvement of 28.77% in the objective function of mean variance optimization MVO model
Enhancement of Antibacterial Properties, Surface Morphology and In Vitro Bioactivity of Hydroxyapatite-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Coating by Electrophoretic Deposition Technique
No full textTo develop medical-grade stainless-steel 316L implants that are biocompatible, non-toxic and antibacterial, such implants need to be coated with biomaterials to meet the current demanding properties of biomedical materials. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is commonly used as a bone implant coating due to its excellent biocompatible properties. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are added to HA to increase its antibacterial and cohesion properties. The specimens were made of a stainless-steel grade 316 substrate coated with HA-ZnO using the electrophoretic deposition technique (EPD), and were subsequently characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), stylus profilometry, electrochemical corrosion testing and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Additionally, cross-hatch tests, cell viability assays, antibacterial assessment and in vitro activity tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) were performed. The results showed that the HA-ZnO coating was uniform and resistant to corrosion in an acceptable range. FTIR confirmed the presence of HA-ZnO compositions, and the in vitro response and adhesion were in accordance with standard requirements for biomedical materials. Cell viability confirmed the viability of cells in an acceptable range (>70%). In addition, the antibacterial activity of ZnO was confirmed on Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, the HA-ZnO samples are recommended for biomedical applications
Turkey, Syria And Iraq : old perceptions, new identities and hydropolitics
No full textAnkara : İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent Üniversitesi İktisadi, İdari ve Sosyal Bilimler Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü, 2015.This work is a student project of the The Department of History, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University.by Sheridan, Michael D
Biogenic synthesis of MoO3 nanoparticles using extract of Lactuca Serriola plant of Asteraceous flora: palynomorphological studies and environmental remediation applications
No full textThe development of environmental remedies using ecofriendly and green technologies is attracting increasing research attention. Herein, the green synthesis of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) nanoparticles (NPs) using extract of selected Asteraceous flora species is reported for the first time along with the investigation of the degradation ability for organic pollutants and pollen morphological characteristics of wetland species of the family Asteraceae. An X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation and crystalline structure of the MoO3 NPs. Fourier transform infrared spectra of Lactuca Serriola extract indicated the presence of capping agents, reducing agents, and phytochemicals. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the almost spherical shape of the MoO3 NPs. A qualitative and quantitative palynological investigation of 21 species belonging to 12 genera of the Asteraceae from different wetlands of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is also reported. The MoO3 NPs degraded 99% of crystal violet dye within 30 minutes with a degradation rate of 0.022 min−1. The cost-efficient and green synthesis method for MoO3 NPs with high catalytic activity provides a new platform for the development of photocatalysts
Temporal Trends in Mortality Location Among Patients With Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in the USA: A Retrospective Observational Analysis of National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Data
No full textABSTRACT Objectives Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a malignancy with rising incidence and mortality in the United States. This study aimed to investigate temporal trends in the place of death among patients with ICC and assess demographic disparities. Methods We used the CDC WONDER database (2003–2020) for a retrospective study of patients who died from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma identified through death certificates. Place of death was categorized as hospice, home, inpatient, nursing home, or other. Age‐adjusted mortality rates were calculated per 100 000. Temporal trends were assessed using the Mann‐Kendall trend test, and associations between demographic characteristics and place of death were examined using the χ2 test. Results Of 101 631 ICC‐related deaths (AAMR: 1.61; 95% CI 1.60–1.62), the AAMR rose from 1.19 (95% CI 1.15–1.23) in 2003 to 2.04 (95% CI 2.00–2.08) in 2020. Over the study period, home was the most frequent place of death (44.6%), followed by inpatient facilities (28.4%), hospice (11.1%), and nursing homes (9.5%). Deaths at home and in hospice increased significantly (p < 0.01), while inpatient and nursing home deaths declined (p < 0.01). Disparities were observed across race, sex, age groups, and urbanization. Younger patients more often died in inpatient facilities, and minority racial groups were less likely to die at home or utilize hospice. Conclusions ICC‐related deaths in the USA nearly doubled over the study period, with a marked shift from inpatient and nursing home deaths to hospice and home. Demographic disparities in end‐of‐life care underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve equitable access to palliative services
Biogenic synthesis of MoO<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles using extract of <i>Lactuca Serriola</i> plant of Asteraceous flora: palynomorphological studies and environmental remediation applications
No full textThe development of environmental remedies using ecofriendly and green technologies is attracting increasing research attention. Herein, the green synthesis of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) nanoparticles (NPs) using extract of selected Asteraceous flora species is reported for the first time along with the investigation of the degradation ability for organic pollutants and pollen morphological characteristics of wetland species of the family Asteraceae. An X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation and crystalline structure of the MoO3 NPs. Fourier transform infrared spectra of Lactuca Serriola extract indicated the presence of capping agents, reducing agents, and phytochemicals. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the almost spherical shape of the MoO3 NPs. A qualitative and quantitative palynological investigation of 21 species belonging to 12 genera of the Asteraceae from different wetlands of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is also reported. The MoO3 NPs degraded 99% of crystal violet dye within 30 minutes with a degradation rate of 0.022 min−1. The cost-efficient and green synthesis method for MoO3 NPs with high catalytic activity provides a new platform for the development of photocatalysts.</p
Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textChildhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study
No full textOBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally
