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  1. Fulltext Extraction and characterization of pectin from grapefruit (Duncan cultivar) and its utilization as gelling agent
    Khan, A. A., Butt, M.S., Randhawa, M.A., Karim, R., Sultan, M.T., Ahmed, W.
    International Food Research Journal, 2014;21(6):2195-2199.
    MyJurnal
    Globally, agro-industrial by products such as fruit waste has attained immense recognition to be used for the extraction of valuable functional ingredients. Pectin is naturally occurring biopolymer that is widely recognized in food industry as well as in biotechnology. Keeping in view, current research was conducted for extraction, characterization and utilization of grapefruit peel pectin from Duncan cultivar. The extracted pectin was characterized for different parameters that explored its role in value added products. Acid extraction was carried out and then pectin was characterized for equivalent weight, ash content and methoxyl content. With the addition of extracted pectin, jam was prepared and analysed for physicochemical analysis and sensory attributes. The maximum extraction (22.55%) was done from grapefruit peel at temperature-120°C with pH-1.5, while minimum extraction (0.41%) was obtained at temperature-120°C with pH-2. Moreover, adding pectin in jam formulation resulted in significant effect on texture of the final product. Conclusively, pectin holds a great potential to be extracted and utilized in fruit based products for best quality and value addition.
  2. Managing plastic waste disposal by assessing consumers' recycling behavior: the case of a densely populated developing country
    Khan F, Ahmed W, Najmi A, Younus M
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Nov;26(32):33054-33066.
    PMID: 31512138 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06411-4
    The rapid increase in urbanization has given rise to the need of proper waste management. Within municipal waste, the plastic waste is a growing concern which is causing severe harm to our ecosystem. If ignored, this problem will have harmful effects on both human and wildlife. Therefore, this study aims to find out the factors that influence the recycling behavior patterns of consumers regarding plastic waste. The variables from the theory of planned behavior were adopted to study the behavior of consumers toward recycling plastic waste. The data was collected from 243 residents of Karachi-metropolitan city of Pakistan. The partial least square-structural equation modelling was applied to analyze the data. The findings of the current study reveal that different consumers' attributes and attitudes trigger different types of recycling behavior when it comes to waste disposal. Pressure from family and friends and perceived behavioral control trigger the behavior of reselling the waste plastic products while consumer's awareness of consequences and personal attitude toward proper waste disposal leads to reuse or donating that product to someone who can use that plastic product. The understanding of these consumer attributes may help to shape the behavioral outcomes in order to manage waste disposal. This study will be beneficial for business managers looking to improve reverse logistics as well as government/municipal policy makers and academics/researchers who are interested in a solution-oriented study.
  3. A child with elbow pain
    Mat Yudin ZA, Wan Ahmed WA, Chanmekun SB
    Malays Fam Physician, 2019;14(2):44-45.
    PMID: 31827738
    Elbow injuries are common in children. Supracondylar fractures occurred in 16% of all pediatric fractures. Supracondylar fractures can be classified into 4 types according to the Gartland classification, depending on the degree of the fracture present in the lateral radiograph. This case highlights the case of a child with a Gartland Type I fracture. A misdiagnosis of this fracture will compromise the management of the injury with regards to immobilization and subsequent care. As this injury can be managed on an outpatient basis, primary care frontliners need to be aware of the condition.
  4. Adsorptive behaviour of palm oil mill sludge biochar pyrolyzed at low temperature for copper and cadmium removal
    Goh CL, Sethupathi S, Bashir MJ, Ahmed W
    J Environ Manage, 2019 May 01;237:281-288.
    PMID: 30802752 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.103
    In this work, the influence of pyrolysis temperature on the physicochemical properties of palm oil mill sludge biochar (POSB) and its adsorption properties towards cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) was investigated. Characterization experiments suggested that POSBs' surface functional groups play the major role in the adsorption process. POSB pyrolyzed at 400 °C showed the best characteristics for Cu and Cd removal. Adsorption study indicated that contact time and shaking speed enhances the adsorption capacity of POSB. It was affirmed that pH adjustment is not necessary for POSB to adsorb Cu and Cd. Mechanism studies fitted well with Langmuir and Pseudo-Second Order model. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous, endothermic and correspond to chemical adsorption. The highest uptakes of Cu and Cd were recorded at 48.8 mg/g and 46.2 mg/g respectively. This work verifies that the temperature used for palm oil mill sludge (POS) pyrolysis and adsorption condition played the most prominent role in Cu and Cd removal from aqueous solutions.
  5. Fulltext Towards Efficient Wireless Body Area Network Using Two-Way Relay Cooperation
    Waheed M, Ahmad R, Ahmed W, Drieberg M, Alam MM
    Sensors (Basel), 2018 Feb 13;18(2).
    PMID: 29438278 DOI: 10.3390/s18020565
    The fabrication of lightweight, ultra-thin, low power and intelligent body-borne sensors leads to novel advances in wireless body area networks (WBANs). Depending on the placement of the nodes, it is characterized as in/on body WBAN; thus, the channel is largely affected by body posture, clothing, muscle movement, body temperature and climatic conditions. The energy resources are limited and it is not feasible to replace the sensor's battery frequently. In order to keep the sensor in working condition, the channel resources should be reserved. The lifetime of the sensor is very crucial and it highly depends on transmission among sensor nodes and energy consumption. The reliability and energy efficiency in WBAN applications play a vital role. In this paper, the analytical expressions for energy efficiency (EE) and packet error rate (PER) are formulated for two-way relay cooperative communication. The results depict better reliability and efficiency compared to direct and one-way relay communication. The effective performance range of direct vs. cooperative communication is separated by a threshold distance. Based on EE calculations, an optimal packet size is observed that provides maximum efficiency over a certain link length. A smart and energy efficient system is articulated that utilizes all three communication modes, namely direct, one-way relay and two-way relay, as the direct link performs better for a certain range, but the cooperative communication gives better results for increased distance in terms of EE. The efficacy of the proposed hybrid scheme is also demonstrated over a practical quasi-static channel. Furthermore, link length extension and diversity is achieved by joint network-channel (JNC) coding the cooperative link.
  6. Fulltext Identifying and Evaluating the Socioeconomic Factors of COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Through an Integrated Multicriteria Decision Analysis Approach
    Ahmed W, Ali S, Waqas H, Asghar M, Erum N
    Glob Soc Welf, 2023 Feb 22.
    PMID: 36846516 DOI: 10.1007/s40609-023-00268-9
    The governments have been facing the challenges to develop tailored strategies to decrease COVID vaccine hesitancy (CVH) and refusal and increase the acceptability and uptake to ensure the protection of public health. In Pakistan, it has been a great challenge for the government to increase the acceptability of the COVID vaccine. CVH has been a great hurdle to achieving this objective. The authors found it imperative to identify and evaluate the factors of CVH in Pakistan. For this purpose, the authors used an integrated multicriteria decision analysis method (MCDM) by combining Delphi and DEMATEL methods. The factors of CVH have been identified and finalized using the Delphi method. The experts' opinions were obtained to evaluate the factors. The DEMATEL method was used to find out the most critical factor(s) of CVH. Moreover, the cause/effect relationship was also developed to have a better understating of factors and their relationships. The analysis revealed "ineffective public awareness strategies" as the most critical factor of CVH followed by "misinformation and disinformation, conspiracy theories", and "acquired knowledge". The study also examined the cause-and-effect relationship between the prioritized factors. The government in Pakistan introduced successful efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the government could do more to increase vaccine acceptance. For this purpose to serve effective scientific and evidence-based public awareness strategies are needed to increase the acquired knowledge and deal with misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories to increase vaccine acceptance. The government could sue the media, especially social media to increase vaccination. The findings of the study provide a detailed understanding of the CVH in Pakistan and develop a comprehensive public health strategy to deal with any health-related potential issues in the future.
  7. Fulltext Flexural Strength of Internally Stiffened Tubular Steel Beam Filled with Recycled Concrete Materials
    Al Zand AW, Ali MM, Al-Ameri R, Badaruzzaman WHW, Tawfeeq WM, Hosseinpour E, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2021 Oct 23;14(21).
    PMID: 34771860 DOI: 10.3390/ma14216334
    The flexural strength of Slender steel tube sections is known to achieve significant improvements upon being filled with concrete material; however, this section is more likely to fail due to buckling under compression stresses. This study investigates the flexural behavior of a Slender steel tube beam that was produced by connecting two pieces of C-sections and was filled with recycled-aggregate concrete materials (CFST beam). The C-section's lips behaved as internal stiffeners for the CFST beam's cross-section. A static flexural test was conducted on five large scale specimens, including one specimen that was tested without concrete material (hollow specimen). The ABAQUS software was also employed for the simulation and non-linear analysis of an additional 20 CFST models in order to further investigate the effects of varied parameters that were not tested experimentally. The numerical model was able to adequately verify the flexural behavior and failure mode of the corresponding tested specimen, with an overestimation of the flexural strength capacity of about 3.1%. Generally, the study confirmed the validity of using the tubular C-sections in the CFST beam concept, and their lips (internal stiffeners) led to significant improvements in the flexural strength, stiffness, and energy absorption index. Moreover, a new analytical method was developed to specifically predict the bending (flexural) strength capacity of the internally stiffened CFST beams with steel stiffeners, which was well-aligned with the results derived from the current investigation and with those obtained by others.
  8. Sagittal sinus thrombosis in a patient with familial Protein C deficiency: Highlighting the impact of thrombophilia testing
    Wan Ab Rahman WS, Abdullah WZ, Hassan MN, Ahmed S, Zulkafli Z, Wan Ahmed WA, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2021 Dec;43(3):449-452.
    PMID: 34958066
    Plasma protein-C is a natural anticoagulant that inactivates factors Va and VIIIa. Familial protein C deficiency is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder. The homozygous or compound heterozygous type may present early as purpura fulminant, while the heterozygous type can present as thromboembolism later in life. Presented in this report is a case of a 21-year-old female patient with protein-C deficiency, confirmed by thrombophilia investigations. She experienced recurrent deep vein thrombosis and cerebral sinus thrombosis due to thrombotic occlusion. She had a family history of deep vein thrombosis. Hence, high-risk cases should be seriously considered for long term anticoagulation therapy. The utility versus futility of thrombophilia testing in a particular situation is discussed to address and ensure safe practice among patients with thromboembolism.
  9. The role of upper airway ultrasonography in tracheal necrosis diagnosis: a case report
    Fazlin Mohd Jailaini M, Jazman Che Rahim M, Aireene Wan Ahmed W, Farid Abdull Wahab S, Faisal Abdul Hamid M, Zara Mohammad Nasseri F
    Ultrasound J, 2024 Jul 12;16(1):35.
    PMID: 38995421 DOI: 10.1186/s13089-024-00385-2
    BACKGROUND: Tracheal necrosis post endotracheal intubation is a rare life-threatening disease that can compromise airway patency. We demonstrated a novel usage of upper airway ultrasonography (USG) to diagnose tracheal necrosis.

    CASE PRESENTATION: A middle-aged smoking male presented with productive cough, noisy breathing and exertional dyspnea for 2 weeks. He was intubated one month prior due to a traumatic brain injury. Upper airway USG findings showed irregular air-mucosal interface (AMI) and comet tail artefacts over the 1st and 2nd tracheal ring. A direct laryngoscopy in the operating room showed thick mucopus inferior to the vocal cords, with necrotic tracheal cartilages and debris obstructing the airway. He was successfully treated with parenteral antibiotics, wound debridement and tracheostomy.

    CONCLUSION: Our case highlights the first documented USG findings of tracheal necrosis. Upper airway USG serves as a potential diagnostic modality in managing the condition.

  10. Fulltext Nigella sativa fixed and essential oil modulates glutathione redox enzymes in potassium bromate induced oxidative stress
    Sultan MT, Butt MS, Karim R, Ahmed W, Kaka U, Ahmad S, et al.
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2015;15:330.
    PMID: 26385559 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0853-7
    Nigella sativa is an important component of several traditional herbal preparations in various countries. It finds its applications in improving overall health and boosting immunity. The current study evaluated the role of fixed and essential oil of Nigella sativa against potassium bromate induced oxidative stress with special reference to modulation of glutathione redox enzymes and myeloperoxidase.
  11. Engine performance and emission characteristics of palm biodiesel blends with graphene oxide nanoplatelets and dimethyl carbonate additives
    Razzaq L, Mujtaba MA, Soudagar MEM, Ahmed W, Fayaz H, Bashir S, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2021 Mar 15;282:111917.
    PMID: 33453625 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111917
    This study investigated the engine performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel blends with combined Graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GNPs) and 10% v/v dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as fuel additives as well as analysed the tribological characteristics of those blends. 10% by volume DMC was mixed with 30% palm oil biodiesel blends with diesel. Three different concentrations (40, 80 and 120 ppm) of GNPs were added to these blends via the ultrasonication process to prepare the nanofuels. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) surfactant was added to improve the stability of these blends. GNPs were characterised using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), while the viscosity of nanofuels was investigated by rheometer. UV-spectrometry was used to determine the stability of these nanoplatelets. A ratio of 1:4 GNP: SDS was found to produce maximum stability in biodiesel. Performance and emissions characteristics of these nanofuels have been investigated in a four-stroke compression ignition engine. The maximum reduction in BSFC of 5.05% and the maximum BTE of 22.80% was for B30GNP40DMC10 compared to all other tested blends. A reduction in HC (25%) and CO (4.41%) were observed for B30DMC10, while a reduction in NOx of 3.65% was observed for B30GNP40DMC10. The diesel-biodiesel fuel blends with the addition of GNP exhibited a promising reduction in the average coefficient of friction 15.05%, 8.68% and 3.61% for 120, 80 and 40 ppm concentrations compared to B30. Thus, combined GNP and DMC showed excellent potential for utilisation in diesel engine operation.
  12. Fulltext Study of diesel engine characteristics by adding nanosized zinc oxide and diethyl ether additives in Mahua biodiesel-diesel fuel blend
    Soudagar MEM, Banapurmath NR, Afzal A, Hossain N, Abbas MM, Haniffa MACM, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 09 18;10(1):15326.
    PMID: 32948806 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72150-z
    This study deals with an experimental investigation to assess the characteristics of a modified common rail direct injection (CRDI) engine utilizing diesel, Mahua biodiesel, and their blends with synthesized zinc oxide (ZnO) nano additives. The physicochemical properties of diesel, diesel + 30 ppm ZnO nanoparticles (D10030), 20% Mahua biodiesel (MOME20), and Mahua biodiesel (20%) + 30 ppm ZnO nanoparticles (MOME2030) were measured in accordance to the American Society for Testing and Materials standards. The effects of modification of fuel injectors (FI) holes (7-hole FI) and toroidal reentrant combustion chamber (TRCC) piston bowl design on the performance of CRDI using different fuel blends were assessed. For injection timings (IT) and injection opening pressure (IOP) average increase in brake thermal efficiency for fuel blend D10030 and MOME2030 was 9.65% and 16.4%, and 8.83% and 5.06%, respectively. Also, for IT and IOP, the average reductions in brake specific fuel consumption, smoke, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions for D10030 and MOME2030 were 10.9% and 7.7%, 18.2% and 8.6%, 12.6% and 11.5%, 8.74% and 13.1%, and 5.75% and 7.79%, respectively and 15.5% and 5.06%, 20.33% and 6.20%, 11.12% and 24.8%, 18.32% and 6.29%, and 1.79% and 6.89%, respectively for 7-hole fuel injector and TRCC. The cylinder pressure and heat release rate for D10030 and MOME2030 were enhanced by 6.8% and 17.1%, and 7.35% and 12.28%. The 7-hole fuel injector with the nano fuel blends at an injection timing and pressure of 10° btdc and 900 bar demonstrated the overall improvement of the engine characteristics due to the better air quality for fuel mixing. Similarly, the TRCC cylinder bowl geometry illustrated advanced ignition due to an improved swirl and turbulence. Also, the engine test results demonstrated that 30 ppm of ZnO nanoparticles in Mahua biodiesel (MOME2030) and diesel (D10030) with diethyl ether resulted overall enhancement of CRDI engine characteristics.
  13. Combination of Measurements of the Top Quark Mass from Data Collected by the ATLAS and CMS Experiments at sqrt[s]=7 and 8 TeV
    Hayrapetyan A, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2024 Jun 28;132(26):261902.
    PMID: 38996325 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.261902
    A combination of fifteen top quark mass measurements performed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC is presented. The datasets used correspond to an integrated luminosity of up to 5 and 20  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. The combination includes measurements in top quark pair events that exploit both the semileptonic and hadronic decays of the top quark, and a measurement using events enriched in single top quark production via the electroweak t channel. The combination accounts for the correlations between measurements and achieves an improvement in the total uncertainty of 31% relative to the most precise input measurement. The result is m_{t}=172.52±0.14(stat)±0.30(syst)  GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.33 GeV.
  14. Evidence for the Higgs Boson Decay to a Z Boson and a Photon at the LHC
    Aad G, Abbott B, Abeling K, Abicht NJ, Abidi SH, Aboulhorma A, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2024 Jan 12;132(2):021803.
    PMID: 38277607 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.021803
    The first evidence for the Higgs boson decay to a Z boson and a photon is presented, with a statistical significance of 3.4 standard deviations. The result is derived from a combined analysis of the searches performed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations with proton-proton collision datasets collected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) from 2015 to 2018. These correspond to integrated luminosities of around 140  fb^{-1} for each experiment, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measured signal yield is 2.2±0.7 times the standard model prediction, and agrees with the theoretical expectation within 1.9 standard deviations.
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