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Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a synthetic polymer that holds significance in various fields such as biomedical, medical, and electronics, due to its biocompatibility and exceptional dielectric properties. Electrospinning is the most commonly used tool to fabricate fibers because of its convenience and the wide choice of parameter optimization. Various parameters, including solution molarity, flow rate, voltage, needle gauge, and needle-to-collector distance, can be optimized to obtain the desired morphology of the fibers. Although PVP is commercially available in various molecular weights, PVP with a molecular weight of 130,000 g/mol is generally considered to be the easiest PVP to fabricate fibers with minimal challenges. However, the fiber diameter in this case is usually in the micron regime, which limits the utilization of PVP fibers in fields that require fiber diameters in the nano regime. Generally, PVP with a lower molecular weight, such as 10,000 g/mol and 55,000 g/mol, is known to present challenges in fiber preparation. In the current study, parameter optimization for PVP possessing molecular weights of 10,000 g/mol and 55,000 g/mol was carried out to obtain nanofibers. The electrospinning technique was utilized for fiber fabrication by optimizing the above-mentioned parameters. SEM analysis was performed to analyze the fiber morphology, and quantitative analysis was performed to correlate the effect of parameters on the fiber morphology. This research study will lead to various applications, such as drug encapsulation for sustained drug release and nanoparticles/nanotubes encapsulation for microwave absorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the socio-linguistic dimensions of flood semiotics and perceptions of climate change within Pakistani print media. The objective of the study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of how floods and climate change are portrayed and perceived in Pakistani media discourse, with implications for enhancing media awareness. The methodology employed was a qualitative approach grounded in eco-linguistic perspectives and guided by a comprehensive theoretical framework of Barthes and Kress and van Leeuwen encompassing semiotics, visual semiotics, rhetoric of image, and ecolinguistics. Analyzing images from Time Magazine depicting floods in Pakistan through semiotic analysis inspired by scholars such as Roland Barthes and Kress and van Leeuwen, the research uncovers social representations, effects of climate change, and linguistic strategies employed in media coverage. The findings revealed themes including devastation, emotional messaging, resilience, realism, and authenticity in the portrayal of Pakistani floods, offering insights into socio-cultural representations and perceptions of climate change. The study's implications extend to recommendations for enhancing media awareness and responsibility, improving journalist training, promoting diverse representation, and encouraging collaboration with environmental experts, advocating for continued research and global collaboration to foster a deeper understanding of climate change communication in the media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to uncover language and power relationships by looking into hidden ideologies present in President Barack Obama's political speech at Cairo University. Language has a significant impact on what and how people speak, and others' perceptions of this use of language in political discourse can be either positive or negative. In any system, politicians frequently use language as a tool to establish their authority and persuade the public of their beliefs. The paper focus on Mr. Obama's spoken political discourse qualitatively in order to understand his word choices and determine how they represent his intentions in the political sphere. For this reason, the Fairclough three-dimensional model served as the theoretical foundation for an analysis of Mr. Barack Obama's "A New Beginning" speech at Cairo University. The Investigation demonstrates a number of conclusions, including Mr. Obama's use of language and rhetoric to influence the audience, forge strong ties with the Muslim community, and assert US dominance over global affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the probiotics with placebo in preventing the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm newborns. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: Department of Pediatrics Unit-1, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Period: May 2022 to April 2023. Material & Methods: A total of 92 pre-term neonates with gestational age between 28-32 weeks gestation were included. Patients were randomly assigned to either probiotics or placebo groups (46 in each group). In probiotics group, probiotics named Bifidobacteria (hiflora/gutcare one sachet daily) were given for 5 days while in placebo group, neonates were given placebo for 5 days. All neonates were observed for feeding intolerance, abdominal distension, grossly bloody stools (naked eye blood in stool) and change in colour of skin of abdomen (erythema). Patients having three or more of these features in first 7 days of life were labeled as having NEC. Results: In a total of 92 newborns, maternal age ranged between 18 to 40 years with mean age of 29.30±5.27 years. The mean gestational age was 30.88±2.08 weeks while the mean weight was 2.06±0.71 kg. The NEC was found in 3 (6.52%) neonates in probiotics groups versus 11 (23.9%) in placebo group (p=0.020). In the probiotics group, NEC was found to have significant association with gestational age between 31-32 weeks (p=0.012), spontaneous vaginal delivery (p=0.028) and maternal educational status as educated (p=0.006). In the placebo group, NEC had significant association with birth weight between 1-1.5 kg (p=0.007). Conclusion: This study concluded that probiotics are better in preventing NEC in preterm neonates than placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dermatology Review / Przeglad Dermatologiczny is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: The organic dye pollution has become increasingly serious in recent years and removal of organic dyes from the water samples has received intense attention. In present work the acid modified purple knight (Alternanthera dentata) leaves powder (MALP) is used as an adsorbent in order to remove sodium 4-[(4-dimethylaamino) phenyldiazenyl) benzene sulphonate (methyl orange dye) from an aqueous solution. The absence of stretching vibrations (1008cm-1, 1400cm-1,1600cm-1 and 3184cm-1) of characteristic functional groups of modified purple knight plant in FTIR-analysis, as well as a significant decrease in the lambda max value from 600 to 420 in the electronic study, indicate that the texture of the purple knight (Alternanthera dentata) leaf is changed. The influences of pH and contact time on adsorption is also investigated at the actual experimental conditions as pH range of 2-4.5, a methyl orange concentration of 0.1M, and contact time of 5-60 minutes at 26 °C. Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models accurately described the kinetics experimental data for various solutions. The kinetic results indicate that adsorption process occurs in two or more steps. The adsorption models such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)and Dubinin -Radusshkevich (D-R) are used to explain adsorption process at different temperatures ranging from 26 to 60 °C. In comparison to others adsorption models, equilibrium data at 26°C provide clear information about the regression coefficient, adsorption capacity, (RL= 0 to 1) and Freundlich constant (1/n <1). These values indicate Langmuir, and Freundlich models fit very well, while other fit at >26 °C. Values for the free energy change, enthalpy change, and entropy change indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The negative value of ΔGo at different temperatures indicate that at low temperatures, physical adsorption occurs, whereas at higher temperatures, its value become more negative and chemisorption occurs, revealing the orbital interaction between adsorbate and adsorbent molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dermatology Review / Przeglad Dermatologiczny is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reticulate pigmentary dermatoses (RPDs) are group of uncommon genetic disorders which are inherited as an autosomal dominant pattern. Reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAK) and Dowling-degos disease (DDD) are considered to be a part of RPDs. A 23 year old female presented with bilaterally symmetrical multiple ephelid-like dark macules over dorsum of hands, forearms, dorsum of feet, shin, axillae and groin. The patient showed characteristic clinical and histopathological overlap of both the rare diseases (RAK and DDD), thus supporting the hypothesis that they represent two different features of a single entity with variable phenotypic expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alopecia areata is one of the common causes of nonscarring hair loss with autoimmune etiology. This study was designed to evaluate any added benefit of topical calcipotriol when combined with topical mometasone in the treatment of alopecia areata. To the best of our knowledge, no such study has been conducted in the past. Materials and Methods: It was a comparative analytical study done over 100 patients of clinically diagnosed alopecia areata. Group A patients (n = 50) were advised to apply topical mometasone 0.1% cream along with topical calcipotriol 0.005% ointment each once daily, whereas patients of Group B (n = 50) were advised to apply only topical mometasone 0.1% cream in the same amount, once a day. Follow-up of all patients was done at 6, 12, and 24 weeks, and the outcome was assessed according to the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score at every visit. Results: Both the groups were statistically comparable in terms of age (P = 0.694) and sex (P = 0.683) distribution. Baseline mean SALT score of Group A and Group B patients was 7.22 and 6.05, respectively (P = 0.145). At the end of 24 weeks, mean SALT score of Group A and Group B patients decreased by 4.24 and 3.39, respectively (P < 0.001). We also found that there was a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in mean SALT score at 24 weeks in patients of both groups when compared with baseline values. Conclusion: We found that adding topical calcipotriol 0.005% ointment with topical mometasone 0.1% cream has higher efficacy than topical mometasone alone, in the treatment of alopecia areata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the caries prevalence in Garrison schools of Lahore. This was a cross sectional study conducted in 10 public schools (n=12971). The students were checked by six calibrated examiners under natural light, with the student sitting on a chair using dental examination kit (dental mirror & probe). The findings of the study were charted on WHO assessment form. Mean decayed, missing filled teeth index DMFT was measured among students. The study reported a mean DMFT score of 2.46 (SD ± 3.07). The study showed a caries prevalence of 57.12% among students with mean age of 9.25 ± 3.11. High level of prevalence reported suggests a high level of unmet health care needs of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Machine Learning (ML) is a rapidly growing subfield of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is used for different purposes in our daily life such as face recognition, speech recognition, text translation in different languages, weather prediction, and business prediction. In parallel, ML also plays an important role in the medical domain such as in medical imaging. ML has various algorithms that need to be trained with large volumes of data to produce a well-trained model for prediction., Aim: The aim of this study is to highlight the most suitable Data Augmentation (DA) technique(s) for medical imaging based on their results., Methods: DA refers to different approaches that are used to increase the size of datasets. In this study, eight DA approaches were used on publicly available low-grade glioma tumor datasets obtained from the Tumor Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) repository. The dataset included 1961 MRI brain scan images of low-grade glioma patients. You Only Look Once (YOLO) version 3 model was trained on the original dataset and the augmented datasets separately. A neural network training/testing ecosystem named as supervisely with Tesla K80 GPU was used for YOLO v3 model training on all datasets., Results: The results showed that the DA techniques rotate at 180o and rotate at 90o performed the best as data enhancement techniques for medical imaging., Conclusion: Rotation techniques are found significant to enhance the low volume of medical imaging datasets., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2020 Muhammad Farhan Safdar, Shayma Saad Al Kobaisi, Fatima Tuz Zahra.)