Identification of selection criteria is a crucial initial step in aquifer storage and recovery (A... more Identification of selection criteria is a crucial initial step in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) projects. The lack of knowledge of suitable sites hydrological and geological characteristics could be limiting factors in the application of ASR technology. A total of 20 sites were evaluated in the eastern district of Abu Dhabi emirate, using available data at each site, based on 15 different criteria. The study area is an agricultural intense region, where groundwater is extensively used for irrigation. The developed framework is proven to be useful in terms of ASR planning. The framework is based on weighting factors assigned to each hydrogeological and additional characteristic based on its relative importance in the ASR site selection. The developed scoring scheme is used with the 20 sites to assess the possibility of finding a suitable site for potential ASR with promising aquifer performance. The total score was used to develop final ASR suitability maps. The highest score of 142 out of 160 (89% ASR suitability) was achieved in Al Khrair site followed by Al Dhahir with 138 out of 160 (86%), Al Shuwaib with 136 out of 160 (85%) and Al Bateen with 126 out of 160 (79%). The sites located at the eastern part of the study area had the highes scores. The score is decreased at the sites located at the western and southern parts of the study area, with the lowest score of 107 out of 160 at Abu Huraibah. The characterization of sites should be mainly based on the availability of pumping stations in the vicinity of the study area, that will be helpful in the future implementation of the ASR project. The detailed hydrogeological and operational data of the studied sites helped in the ASR assessment.
Abstract Background Spontaneous Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting is a cornerstone for a su... more Abstract Background Spontaneous Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting is a cornerstone for a successful pharmacovigilance program as under-reporting of ADRs remains a major issue around the globe. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge attitude and practices of health care professionals regarding pharmacovigilance along with barriers and factors to encourage ADR reporting at tertiary care hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted, using the convenience sampling method to collect the data from doctors, nurses, and pharmacists working in seven tertiary care hospitals from seven districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, between July 2019 and March 2020. Results During the study, a total of 830 questionnaires were distributed, out of which 669 were returned (response rate 80.6%). Overall, Healthcare professionals exhibited poor knowledge (79.5%) about ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance however, 73.5% of pharmacists were more knowledgeable as compared to 18.7% doctors and 13.8% nurses (p < .001). Moreover, poor reporting practices were displayed by 95.6% doctors, 94.4% nurses, 94.4 and 75.5% pharmacists (p < .001). However, the majority of healthcare professionals showed an overall positive attitude (94%) toward ADR reporting. The most frequently cited barriers were unavailability of reporting forms (92.5%), absence of a professional environment to discuss ADRs (82.5%), and lack of training (81.8%) whereas, most common factors to encourage ADR reporting were obligatory reporting (85.9%) and provision of ADR management guidelines and training (84.3%). A significant relation was found between the healthcare professionals and their professional status with the overall knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scores (p < .001) whereas a medium, positive correlation was found between the knowledge and practice of pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting by the healthcare professionals (r = 0.321, n = 669, p < .001). Conclusion There is an overall lack of knowledge and poor reporting practices among health care professionals on ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance. Hence the study suggests that strategies should be devised by all the stakeholders to properly educate and train the healthcare professionals in this area to enhance overall patient safety and safe use of medicines.
A novel technique for determining first arrival of shear wave signals based on idealized sine wav... more A novel technique for determining first arrival of shear wave signals based on idealized sine waves is proposed in this study. The four proposed methods are distinguishable by the chosen length of signal for calculating output frequency. Considering the frequency differences that are observed between input and output signals, first arrival times are estimated from peak-to-peak results. This technique is applied to bender element signals measured on compacted residual soil and Singapore Marine Clay. The results show close estimates to actual arrival times while the peak-to-peak often underestimates shear wave velocities. By incorporating signal quality and shape, these methods significantly reduce subjectivity and exhibit greater reliability in choosing specific arrival times, especially when the first arrival is hindered by signal noise and/or near-field effects. Moreover, the methods are still applicable even without frequency sweep.
The advancement of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials is accelerated by significant interest ... more The advancement of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials is accelerated by significant interest and their potential applications. The atomically thin 2D materials contribute a broad range of basic constituents with exclusive optical, electrical, and thermal properties, which cannot be found in their bulk forms. Conversion of three-dimensional (3D) materials to 2D material structure introduces the effect of quantum confinement, which leads to a broader bandgaps and narrower peak PL emission compared to their 3D analogues. 2D material structures provide unique optical and electrical properties that derive from the surface effects and quantum confinement arises during the conversion of indirect bandgap to a direct bandgap as a result of scaled down of bulk structure to monolayers. The present tunable bandgap is accompanied by a large exciton-binding energy and intensified PL, which make them a potential candidate for various optoelectronic devices like light-emitting diodes, light-emi...
Climate change has become a global issue affecting the environment and human health. Due to popul... more Climate change has become a global issue affecting the environment and human health. Due to population growth and their increased energy consumption, generation of greenhouse gases (GHG) has increased significantly. The transportation sector was proven to be the fastest growing major contributor to global climate change accounting for 20% of the total GHG emissions in the United Arab Emirates. The goal of this project is to make road projects in the city of Abu Dhabi more sustainable towards the environment. The project aims to estimate the carbon footprint associated with road projects in the city of Abu Dhabi following a comprehensive approach that considers all activities within the life cycle of roads. The objectives of the project are to: (1) conduct an extensive literature review of road construction; carbon footprint emissions from road projects; and review local sustainability initiatives that are related to road transport, (2) calculate the carbon footprint of road construc...
Proceedings of 4th International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences, 2019
Global Climate Model (GCM) downscaling projections of climate is important for future impact of c... more Global Climate Model (GCM) downscaling projections of climate is important for future impact of climate change. The impact of climate change on the precipitation is studied using modeling, and observations. The rainfall trend was examined across Pakistan using Global Climate Model (GCM) data from period of 1991 to 2012. Downscaling was done on the basis of ascertained relationships between historical observed precipitation records from 36 stations of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Mann-Kendall test and Taylor Diagrams were used to analyze the data. All of the selected precipitation products were validated at monthly, seasonal and annual time scales utilizing PMD data. The outcomes illustrated that: (1) the precipitation estimates from MIROC, ECHAM and CanESM products correlated well with the referenced PMD observations at monthly time scale. (2) Compared to the MIROC and CanESM, the precipitation estimates from ECHAM were more consistent in all seasons mainly in the winter season with lowest relative bias (2.61%) and highest Correlation Coefficient (0.92); (3) ECHAM showed an apparent dominance over MIROC and CanESM products in order to detain spatial distribution of precipitation over Pakistan. The results exposed a declining trend (-1.18 mm/decade) over southern part of the country, while northern area showed growing trends. The diminishing trend may be featured to the existence of drought period for next few years in various part of country. The results also indicate spatial and temporal change in precipitation.
Since the last decades, non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC), especially iron based electrocatalys... more Since the last decades, non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC), especially iron based electrocatalysts show sufficient activity, potentially applicant in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), however they only withstand considerable current densities at low operating potentials. On the other hand iron based electrocatalysts are not stable at elevated cathode potentials, which is essential for high energy competence, and its remains difficult to deal. Therefore, via this research a simple approach is demonstrated that allows synthesis of nanosize Fe-doped mayenite electride, [Ca24Al28O64]4+·(e−)4 (can also write as, C12A7−xFex:e−, where doping level, x = 1) (thereafter, Fe-doped C12A7:e−), consist of abundantly available elements with gram level powder material production, based on simple citrate sol-gel method. The maximum achieved conductivity of this first time synthesized Fe-doped C12A7:e− composite materials was 249 S/cm. Consequently, Fe-doped C12A7:e− composite is cost-effective, more...
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
For the quality control of cement mixing in clays, small-strain shear stiffness Gmax is now incre... more For the quality control of cement mixing in clays, small-strain shear stiffness Gmax is now increasingly being used due to enhanced repeatability in shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements. These stiff cemented clays have higher resonant frequencies that require the use of higher input frequencies in bender element testing for reliable Vs measurements. However, the practical requirements for suitable signals (with minimal near-field effects and wave reflections) can often be difficult to implement. To facilitate such Vs measurements, the current study proposes a methodology that can correct Vs values corresponding to lower wave propagation distance to wavelength ratios (Ltt/λ) to more reliable values of Vs at reference Ltt/λ criterion suggested in previous studies (e.g., 2, 3.33, and 4). Two clay types are mixed with ordinary Portland cement and various mix ratios are utilized to cover a wider range of soil stiffnesses. Based on the collected database, it is found that the resulting f...
The insulation as the root source of failure and ageing assessor makes it a crucial point for any... more The insulation as the root source of failure and ageing assessor makes it a crucial point for any power equipment design. The transformer's insulation requires an efficient dielectric fluid that acts as an ideal electrical insulant and better thermal transporter. The objective of attaining that idealism in dielectric medium leads to the addition of solvents (i.e. additive and other fluids) in the conventional medium as one of its approach. This study presents addition of new magnetic nanoparticle iron phosphide (Fe 3 P) in insulating oil to achieve improved dielectric strength and withstand capability of the same conventional oil. A comparative study of nanofluids with different concentrations of nanofluids based on different insulating medium (i.e. synthetic ester and natural ester) has been performed. The concentration of additives and role of surfactant positively influences the dielectric characteristics of the base oil. The increase in breakdown strength is observed with a slight concentration of Fe 3 P nanoparticles added in the insulating medium.
Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials, 2018
The selection of insulant for any power system required its characterization in addition to its t... more The selection of insulant for any power system required its characterization in addition to its testing; the efficient and longeval span of the insulant is vital even under extreme conditions. This paper characterizes the Polymer-based solid insulant via Partial Discharge (PD) measurement using artificially created stress condition with the CIGRE-II based electrode system over the polymer-based insulation sheets having simulated cavities of different configuration. Assessment of insulation using PD features provides pre-breakdown situation and provide capability to comprehend the mechanism of insulant's debilitation. The digital PD system is modern diagnosis toolkit (MPD 540) based on IEC 60270 with the competency of filtering internal PD signals from external Interference and Discharges implement for collecting data. The evaluated PD voltages for artificially created voids vary in number and size in each polymer based dielectric sample to realize PD model. The controlled sized cavities significantly influenced the PD inception and extinction voltage with variable size and a different number of cavities extant in dielectric samples. The possibility of PD process continuum or extinction after each discharge event in insulation predicted using Weibull probability distribution for each distinct size cavity. The cylindrical cavity's diameter along the direction of the electric field significantly deteriorates the reliable operation of insulation as compared to its depth.
Patients admitted in coronary care units are susceptible to QT interval prolongation due to numer... more Patients admitted in coronary care units are susceptible to QT interval prolongation due to numerous risk factors. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of risk factors for QT interval prolongation; QT prolonging medications; drug-drug interactions; their predictors; and torsades de pointes risks of drugs. After obtaining approval, this cross-sectional study was carried out during one-year period in coronary care units of two major tertiary care hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics QT drugs lists and Micromedex DrugReax® were used to identify the QT prolonging medications and QT prolonging drug-drug interactions. Total 649 patients were included in this study. The most frequent QT prolonging risk factors included use of ≥1 QT prolonging drugs (74.9%) and myocardial infarction (61.3%). Total 181 patients were presented with 361 QT prolonging drug-drug interactions. There was significant association...
All-inorganic perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) has a high stability in ambient atmosphere,... more All-inorganic perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) has a high stability in ambient atmosphere, but it is a big challenge to achieve high performance of the device. Basically, device design, control of energy-level alignment, and reducing the energy barrier between adjacent layers in the architecture of PeLED are important factors to achieve high efficiency. In this study, we report a CsPbBr-based PeLED with an inverted architecture using lithium-doped TiO nanoparticles as the electron transport layer (ETL). The optimal lithium doping balances the charge carrier injection between the hole transport layer and ETL, leading to superior device performance. The device exhibits a current efficiency of 3 cd A, a luminance efficiency of 2210 cd m, and a low turn-on voltage of 2.3 V. The turn-on voltage is one of the lowest values among reported CsPbBr-based PeLEDs. A 7-fold increase in device efficiencies has been obtained for lithium-doped TiO compared to that for undoped TiO-based devices.
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi, Jan 16, 2018
Medical inpatients are at increased risk of QT interval prolongation due to multiple risk actors ... more Medical inpatients are at increased risk of QT interval prolongation due to multiple risk actors and QT prolonging drugs. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of risk factors for QT prolongation; QT prolonging medications; associated drug-drug interactions (QT-DDIs); their predictors; and TdP (torsades de pointes) risks of drugs. This cohort study was carried out in medical wards of two tertiary hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The QT-DDIs were identified using Micromedex DrugReax® and AZCERT (Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics) QT drugs lists. AZCERT QT drugs lists were used to identify TdP risks. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of QT-DDIs. Total 400 patients were included in this study. The most frequent QT prolonging risk factors included use of ≥1 QT prolonging drugs (74.5%), female gender (55%) and diabetes mellitus (36.3%). Total 487 QT prolonging drugs were identified. According to AZCERT classification...
Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 2016
Requirements although often taken in quite trivial perspective are extremely significant as they ... more Requirements although often taken in quite trivial perspective are extremely significant as they specify the functionality and scope of a system. Ambiguities and inconsistencies in requirements may affect the whole process as well as the final product. Therefore, it must be assured that they confirm their quality attributes. However, it has not been an easy task to achieve quality requirements in requirement elicitation and gathering activities. Therefore, they are processed in order to make them more clear and specific in requirements analysis activity. Conflicts identification and resolution are the most important activities at this stage. The focus of this research is on conflict identification and resolution in requirements analysis phase. Several techniques and theories have been discussed regarding conflict identification and resolution in order make the process automated. Finally, in the light of critical analysis and problem formulation two approaches has been declared well suited for identification of conflicts and resolving them respectively. Rules based iterative method has been used to identify conflicts of different types. Regarding resolving the identified conflicts, win-win approach (based on theory W) has been selected and formulated. Genetic algorithmic is made compatible to solve the problem. Requirements have been transformed into chromosomes such that operators (crossover and mutation) are to be applied. Using crossover, new chromosome are created and appropriate features are incorporated by mutation operator until the conflict has been resolved. The technique has been developed as a tool and demonstrated upon a case-study. At the end, future directions have been set for further research that may have promising impact on its quality and reliability.
Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 2015
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCV... more Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method was transferred onto the substrate covered with graphene layer obtained by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. The graphene buffer layer provides good electrical and thermal contact to the CNTs. The field emission characteristics of this hybrid structure were investigated in this study. Compared with the CNTs arrays directly grown on the silicon substrate, the hybrid emitter shows better field emission performance, such as high emission current and long-term emission stability. The presence of this graphene layer was shown to improve the field emission behavior of CNTs. This work provides an effective way to realize stable field emission from CNTs emitter and similar hybrid structures.
Identification of selection criteria is a crucial initial step in aquifer storage and recovery (A... more Identification of selection criteria is a crucial initial step in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) projects. The lack of knowledge of suitable sites hydrological and geological characteristics could be limiting factors in the application of ASR technology. A total of 20 sites were evaluated in the eastern district of Abu Dhabi emirate, using available data at each site, based on 15 different criteria. The study area is an agricultural intense region, where groundwater is extensively used for irrigation. The developed framework is proven to be useful in terms of ASR planning. The framework is based on weighting factors assigned to each hydrogeological and additional characteristic based on its relative importance in the ASR site selection. The developed scoring scheme is used with the 20 sites to assess the possibility of finding a suitable site for potential ASR with promising aquifer performance. The total score was used to develop final ASR suitability maps. The highest score of 142 out of 160 (89% ASR suitability) was achieved in Al Khrair site followed by Al Dhahir with 138 out of 160 (86%), Al Shuwaib with 136 out of 160 (85%) and Al Bateen with 126 out of 160 (79%). The sites located at the eastern part of the study area had the highes scores. The score is decreased at the sites located at the western and southern parts of the study area, with the lowest score of 107 out of 160 at Abu Huraibah. The characterization of sites should be mainly based on the availability of pumping stations in the vicinity of the study area, that will be helpful in the future implementation of the ASR project. The detailed hydrogeological and operational data of the studied sites helped in the ASR assessment.
Abstract Background Spontaneous Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting is a cornerstone for a su... more Abstract Background Spontaneous Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting is a cornerstone for a successful pharmacovigilance program as under-reporting of ADRs remains a major issue around the globe. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge attitude and practices of health care professionals regarding pharmacovigilance along with barriers and factors to encourage ADR reporting at tertiary care hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted, using the convenience sampling method to collect the data from doctors, nurses, and pharmacists working in seven tertiary care hospitals from seven districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, between July 2019 and March 2020. Results During the study, a total of 830 questionnaires were distributed, out of which 669 were returned (response rate 80.6%). Overall, Healthcare professionals exhibited poor knowledge (79.5%) about ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance however, 73.5% of pharmacists were more knowledgeable as compared to 18.7% doctors and 13.8% nurses (p < .001). Moreover, poor reporting practices were displayed by 95.6% doctors, 94.4% nurses, 94.4 and 75.5% pharmacists (p < .001). However, the majority of healthcare professionals showed an overall positive attitude (94%) toward ADR reporting. The most frequently cited barriers were unavailability of reporting forms (92.5%), absence of a professional environment to discuss ADRs (82.5%), and lack of training (81.8%) whereas, most common factors to encourage ADR reporting were obligatory reporting (85.9%) and provision of ADR management guidelines and training (84.3%). A significant relation was found between the healthcare professionals and their professional status with the overall knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scores (p < .001) whereas a medium, positive correlation was found between the knowledge and practice of pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting by the healthcare professionals (r = 0.321, n = 669, p < .001). Conclusion There is an overall lack of knowledge and poor reporting practices among health care professionals on ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance. Hence the study suggests that strategies should be devised by all the stakeholders to properly educate and train the healthcare professionals in this area to enhance overall patient safety and safe use of medicines.
A novel technique for determining first arrival of shear wave signals based on idealized sine wav... more A novel technique for determining first arrival of shear wave signals based on idealized sine waves is proposed in this study. The four proposed methods are distinguishable by the chosen length of signal for calculating output frequency. Considering the frequency differences that are observed between input and output signals, first arrival times are estimated from peak-to-peak results. This technique is applied to bender element signals measured on compacted residual soil and Singapore Marine Clay. The results show close estimates to actual arrival times while the peak-to-peak often underestimates shear wave velocities. By incorporating signal quality and shape, these methods significantly reduce subjectivity and exhibit greater reliability in choosing specific arrival times, especially when the first arrival is hindered by signal noise and/or near-field effects. Moreover, the methods are still applicable even without frequency sweep.
The advancement of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials is accelerated by significant interest ... more The advancement of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials is accelerated by significant interest and their potential applications. The atomically thin 2D materials contribute a broad range of basic constituents with exclusive optical, electrical, and thermal properties, which cannot be found in their bulk forms. Conversion of three-dimensional (3D) materials to 2D material structure introduces the effect of quantum confinement, which leads to a broader bandgaps and narrower peak PL emission compared to their 3D analogues. 2D material structures provide unique optical and electrical properties that derive from the surface effects and quantum confinement arises during the conversion of indirect bandgap to a direct bandgap as a result of scaled down of bulk structure to monolayers. The present tunable bandgap is accompanied by a large exciton-binding energy and intensified PL, which make them a potential candidate for various optoelectronic devices like light-emitting diodes, light-emi...
Climate change has become a global issue affecting the environment and human health. Due to popul... more Climate change has become a global issue affecting the environment and human health. Due to population growth and their increased energy consumption, generation of greenhouse gases (GHG) has increased significantly. The transportation sector was proven to be the fastest growing major contributor to global climate change accounting for 20% of the total GHG emissions in the United Arab Emirates. The goal of this project is to make road projects in the city of Abu Dhabi more sustainable towards the environment. The project aims to estimate the carbon footprint associated with road projects in the city of Abu Dhabi following a comprehensive approach that considers all activities within the life cycle of roads. The objectives of the project are to: (1) conduct an extensive literature review of road construction; carbon footprint emissions from road projects; and review local sustainability initiatives that are related to road transport, (2) calculate the carbon footprint of road construc...
Proceedings of 4th International Electronic Conference on Water Sciences, 2019
Global Climate Model (GCM) downscaling projections of climate is important for future impact of c... more Global Climate Model (GCM) downscaling projections of climate is important for future impact of climate change. The impact of climate change on the precipitation is studied using modeling, and observations. The rainfall trend was examined across Pakistan using Global Climate Model (GCM) data from period of 1991 to 2012. Downscaling was done on the basis of ascertained relationships between historical observed precipitation records from 36 stations of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Mann-Kendall test and Taylor Diagrams were used to analyze the data. All of the selected precipitation products were validated at monthly, seasonal and annual time scales utilizing PMD data. The outcomes illustrated that: (1) the precipitation estimates from MIROC, ECHAM and CanESM products correlated well with the referenced PMD observations at monthly time scale. (2) Compared to the MIROC and CanESM, the precipitation estimates from ECHAM were more consistent in all seasons mainly in the winter season with lowest relative bias (2.61%) and highest Correlation Coefficient (0.92); (3) ECHAM showed an apparent dominance over MIROC and CanESM products in order to detain spatial distribution of precipitation over Pakistan. The results exposed a declining trend (-1.18 mm/decade) over southern part of the country, while northern area showed growing trends. The diminishing trend may be featured to the existence of drought period for next few years in various part of country. The results also indicate spatial and temporal change in precipitation.
Since the last decades, non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC), especially iron based electrocatalys... more Since the last decades, non-precious metal catalysts (NPMC), especially iron based electrocatalysts show sufficient activity, potentially applicant in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), however they only withstand considerable current densities at low operating potentials. On the other hand iron based electrocatalysts are not stable at elevated cathode potentials, which is essential for high energy competence, and its remains difficult to deal. Therefore, via this research a simple approach is demonstrated that allows synthesis of nanosize Fe-doped mayenite electride, [Ca24Al28O64]4+·(e−)4 (can also write as, C12A7−xFex:e−, where doping level, x = 1) (thereafter, Fe-doped C12A7:e−), consist of abundantly available elements with gram level powder material production, based on simple citrate sol-gel method. The maximum achieved conductivity of this first time synthesized Fe-doped C12A7:e− composite materials was 249 S/cm. Consequently, Fe-doped C12A7:e− composite is cost-effective, more...
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
For the quality control of cement mixing in clays, small-strain shear stiffness Gmax is now incre... more For the quality control of cement mixing in clays, small-strain shear stiffness Gmax is now increasingly being used due to enhanced repeatability in shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements. These stiff cemented clays have higher resonant frequencies that require the use of higher input frequencies in bender element testing for reliable Vs measurements. However, the practical requirements for suitable signals (with minimal near-field effects and wave reflections) can often be difficult to implement. To facilitate such Vs measurements, the current study proposes a methodology that can correct Vs values corresponding to lower wave propagation distance to wavelength ratios (Ltt/λ) to more reliable values of Vs at reference Ltt/λ criterion suggested in previous studies (e.g., 2, 3.33, and 4). Two clay types are mixed with ordinary Portland cement and various mix ratios are utilized to cover a wider range of soil stiffnesses. Based on the collected database, it is found that the resulting f...
The insulation as the root source of failure and ageing assessor makes it a crucial point for any... more The insulation as the root source of failure and ageing assessor makes it a crucial point for any power equipment design. The transformer's insulation requires an efficient dielectric fluid that acts as an ideal electrical insulant and better thermal transporter. The objective of attaining that idealism in dielectric medium leads to the addition of solvents (i.e. additive and other fluids) in the conventional medium as one of its approach. This study presents addition of new magnetic nanoparticle iron phosphide (Fe 3 P) in insulating oil to achieve improved dielectric strength and withstand capability of the same conventional oil. A comparative study of nanofluids with different concentrations of nanofluids based on different insulating medium (i.e. synthetic ester and natural ester) has been performed. The concentration of additives and role of surfactant positively influences the dielectric characteristics of the base oil. The increase in breakdown strength is observed with a slight concentration of Fe 3 P nanoparticles added in the insulating medium.
Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials, 2018
The selection of insulant for any power system required its characterization in addition to its t... more The selection of insulant for any power system required its characterization in addition to its testing; the efficient and longeval span of the insulant is vital even under extreme conditions. This paper characterizes the Polymer-based solid insulant via Partial Discharge (PD) measurement using artificially created stress condition with the CIGRE-II based electrode system over the polymer-based insulation sheets having simulated cavities of different configuration. Assessment of insulation using PD features provides pre-breakdown situation and provide capability to comprehend the mechanism of insulant's debilitation. The digital PD system is modern diagnosis toolkit (MPD 540) based on IEC 60270 with the competency of filtering internal PD signals from external Interference and Discharges implement for collecting data. The evaluated PD voltages for artificially created voids vary in number and size in each polymer based dielectric sample to realize PD model. The controlled sized cavities significantly influenced the PD inception and extinction voltage with variable size and a different number of cavities extant in dielectric samples. The possibility of PD process continuum or extinction after each discharge event in insulation predicted using Weibull probability distribution for each distinct size cavity. The cylindrical cavity's diameter along the direction of the electric field significantly deteriorates the reliable operation of insulation as compared to its depth.
Patients admitted in coronary care units are susceptible to QT interval prolongation due to numer... more Patients admitted in coronary care units are susceptible to QT interval prolongation due to numerous risk factors. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of risk factors for QT interval prolongation; QT prolonging medications; drug-drug interactions; their predictors; and torsades de pointes risks of drugs. After obtaining approval, this cross-sectional study was carried out during one-year period in coronary care units of two major tertiary care hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics QT drugs lists and Micromedex DrugReax® were used to identify the QT prolonging medications and QT prolonging drug-drug interactions. Total 649 patients were included in this study. The most frequent QT prolonging risk factors included use of ≥1 QT prolonging drugs (74.9%) and myocardial infarction (61.3%). Total 181 patients were presented with 361 QT prolonging drug-drug interactions. There was significant association...
All-inorganic perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) has a high stability in ambient atmosphere,... more All-inorganic perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) has a high stability in ambient atmosphere, but it is a big challenge to achieve high performance of the device. Basically, device design, control of energy-level alignment, and reducing the energy barrier between adjacent layers in the architecture of PeLED are important factors to achieve high efficiency. In this study, we report a CsPbBr-based PeLED with an inverted architecture using lithium-doped TiO nanoparticles as the electron transport layer (ETL). The optimal lithium doping balances the charge carrier injection between the hole transport layer and ETL, leading to superior device performance. The device exhibits a current efficiency of 3 cd A, a luminance efficiency of 2210 cd m, and a low turn-on voltage of 2.3 V. The turn-on voltage is one of the lowest values among reported CsPbBr-based PeLEDs. A 7-fold increase in device efficiencies has been obtained for lithium-doped TiO compared to that for undoped TiO-based devices.
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi, Jan 16, 2018
Medical inpatients are at increased risk of QT interval prolongation due to multiple risk actors ... more Medical inpatients are at increased risk of QT interval prolongation due to multiple risk actors and QT prolonging drugs. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of risk factors for QT prolongation; QT prolonging medications; associated drug-drug interactions (QT-DDIs); their predictors; and TdP (torsades de pointes) risks of drugs. This cohort study was carried out in medical wards of two tertiary hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The QT-DDIs were identified using Micromedex DrugReax® and AZCERT (Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics) QT drugs lists. AZCERT QT drugs lists were used to identify TdP risks. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of QT-DDIs. Total 400 patients were included in this study. The most frequent QT prolonging risk factors included use of ≥1 QT prolonging drugs (74.5%), female gender (55%) and diabetes mellitus (36.3%). Total 487 QT prolonging drugs were identified. According to AZCERT classification...
Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 2016
Requirements although often taken in quite trivial perspective are extremely significant as they ... more Requirements although often taken in quite trivial perspective are extremely significant as they specify the functionality and scope of a system. Ambiguities and inconsistencies in requirements may affect the whole process as well as the final product. Therefore, it must be assured that they confirm their quality attributes. However, it has not been an easy task to achieve quality requirements in requirement elicitation and gathering activities. Therefore, they are processed in order to make them more clear and specific in requirements analysis activity. Conflicts identification and resolution are the most important activities at this stage. The focus of this research is on conflict identification and resolution in requirements analysis phase. Several techniques and theories have been discussed regarding conflict identification and resolution in order make the process automated. Finally, in the light of critical analysis and problem formulation two approaches has been declared well suited for identification of conflicts and resolving them respectively. Rules based iterative method has been used to identify conflicts of different types. Regarding resolving the identified conflicts, win-win approach (based on theory W) has been selected and formulated. Genetic algorithmic is made compatible to solve the problem. Requirements have been transformed into chromosomes such that operators (crossover and mutation) are to be applied. Using crossover, new chromosome are created and appropriate features are incorporated by mutation operator until the conflict has been resolved. The technique has been developed as a tool and demonstrated upon a case-study. At the end, future directions have been set for further research that may have promising impact on its quality and reliability.
Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 2015
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCV... more Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method was transferred onto the substrate covered with graphene layer obtained by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. The graphene buffer layer provides good electrical and thermal contact to the CNTs. The field emission characteristics of this hybrid structure were investigated in this study. Compared with the CNTs arrays directly grown on the silicon substrate, the hybrid emitter shows better field emission performance, such as high emission current and long-term emission stability. The presence of this graphene layer was shown to improve the field emission behavior of CNTs. This work provides an effective way to realize stable field emission from CNTs emitter and similar hybrid structures.
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