Investigation of Cyber-Security and Cyber-Crimes in Oil and Gas Sectors Using the Innovative Structures of Complex Intuitionistic Fuzzy Relations.

Recently, there has been enormous development due to advancements in technology. Industries and enterprises are moving towards a digital system, and the oil and gas industries are no exception. There are several threats and risks in digital systems, which are controlled through cyber-security. For the first time in the theory of fuzzy sets, this research analyzes the relationships between cyber-security and cyber-crimes in the oil and gas sectors. The novel concepts of complex intuitionistic fuzzy relations (CIFRs) are introduced. Moreover, the types of CIFRs are defined and their properties are discussed. In addition, an application is presented that uses the Hasse diagram to make a decision regarding the most suitable cyber-security techniques to implement in an industry. Furthermore, the omnipotence of the proposed methods is explained by a comparative study.

Liraglutide in diabetes mellitus: More facts and findings.

Liraglutide exert favorable effects on most of the diabetes associated cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and this study was designed to further explore the benefits of liraglutide by observing its effect on plasma sialic acid (PSA) in diabetic rats. A total of 30 streptozotocin induced (50 mg/Kg; i.p.) diabetic rats were randomized into vehicle treated (1 ml/Kg s.c, twice daily) group I, liraglutide treated groups II and III (30 µg/Kg and 150 µg/Kg, twice daily respectively) and studied for 6 weeks. Liraglutide treated groups showed significant reductions in fructosamine levels (p≤0.05) from baseline. Between groups comparison revealed significant difference (p≤.05) at the end point. Similarly, at week 6, liraglutide treated groups showed significantly low levels of PSA compared to baseline (p<0.03 and p<0.005 for group II and III respectively) and control group I (p<0.002 and p<0.001 for group II and III respectively). However, the difference was non-significant between groups II and III (p<0.09). Other parameters including glucose tolerance, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), blood lipids, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and body weight also improved by liraglutide with the group III showing greater improvement. The study concludes that liraglutide produce favourable effects on PSA and may bea useful choice in protecting against diabetes associated CV complications.

Prioritization of thermal energy techniques by employing picture fuzzy soft power average and geometric aggregation operators.

Energy storage is a way of storing energy to reduce imbalances between demand and energy production. The ability to store electricity and use it later is one of the keys to reaching large quantities of renewable energy on the grid. There are several methods to store energy such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, electrochemical, and thermal energy. Regarding their operation, storage, and cost, the choice of these energy storage techniques appears to be interesting. This issue becomes very serious when there involves uncertainty. To consider this kind of uncertain information, a picture fuzzy soft set is found to be a more appropriate parameterization tool to deal with imprecise data. Based on the advanced structure of picture fuzzy soft set, here in this article, firstly, we have developed the notions of basic operational laws for picture fuzzy soft numbers. Then based on these developed operational laws, we have established the notions of picture fuzzy soft power average [Formula: see text], weighted picture fuzzy soft power average [Formula: see text] and ordered weighted picture fuzzy soft power average [Formula: see text] aggregation operators. Moreover, we have introduced the notions for picture fuzzy soft power geometric [Formula: see text], weighted picture fuzzy soft power geometric [Formula: see text] and ordered weighted picture fuzzy soft power geometric [Formula: see text] aggregation operators. Furthermore, we have established the application of picture fuzzy soft power aggregation operators for the selection of thermal energy storage techniques. For this, we have developed a decision-making approach along with an explanatory example to show the effective use of the developed theory. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the introduced work shows the advancement of developed notions.

Mathematical analysis of COVID-19 pandemic by using the concept of SIR model.

The health organizations around the world are currently facing one of the greatest challenges, to overcome the current global pandemic, COVID-19. It erupted in December 2019, in Wuhan City, China. It spreads rapidly throughout the world within couple of months. In this paper, the data of the COVID-19 have been collected, organized, analyzed and interpreted using the discrete-time model of SIR epidemic model. Moreover, results for several countries from different regions of the world have been obtained. Furthermore, comparative study has been carried out for the countries under consideration. The comparison was performed for the data of different countries on same dates of each month. However, the calculations are carried out for thirteen consecutive weeks, to investigate the rate of spread and the control of the disease in these countries. This guides us to some important concepts like factors favoring the spread of virus and those resisting the spread. Different regions are studied and their data have been evaluated to know which regions are the most effected. This study helps to know the important factors about the behavior of the coronavirus in different environments, such as lockdowns, temperatures, humidity and other restrictions. The proposed concepts and equations can be used to project the upcoming behavior of the pandemic.

Lessons from the development process of the Afghanistan integrated package of essential health services.

In 2017, in the middle of the armed conflict with the Taliban, the Ministry of Public Health decided that the Afghan health system needed a well-defined priority package of health services taking into account the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and injuries and benefiting from the latest evidence published by DCP3. This leads to a 2-year process involving data analysis, modelling and national consultations, which produce this Integrated Package of Essential health Services (IPEHS). The IPEHS was finalised just before the takeover by the Taliban and could not be implemented. The Afghanistan experience has highlighted the need to address not only the content of a more comprehensive benefit package, but also its implementation and financing. The IPEHS could be used as a basis to help professionals and the new authorities to define their priorities.

Analysis of Communication and Network Securities Using the Concepts of Complex Picture Fuzzy Relations.

In our lives, we cannot avoid the uncertainty. Randomness, rough knowledge, and vagueness lead us to uncertainty. In mathematics, the fuzzy set (FS) theory and logics are used to model uncertain events. This article defines a new concept of complex picture fuzzy relation (CPFR) in the field of FS theory. In addition, the types of CPFRs are also discussed to make the paper more fruitful. Today's complex network architecture faces the ever-changing threats. The cyber-attackers are always trying to discover, catch, and exploit the weaknesses in the networks. So, the security measures are essential to avoid and dismantle such threats. The CPFR has a vast structure composed of levels of membership, abstinence, and nonmembership which models uncertainty better than any other structures in the theory. Moreover, a CPFR has the ability to cope with multivariable problems. Therefore, this article proposes modeling techniques based on the complex picture fuzzy information which are used to study the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of different network securities against several threats and cyber-attack practices. Moreover, the strength and preeminence of the proposed methods are verified by studying their comparison with the existing methods.

T-spherical fuzzy power aggregation operators and their applications in multi-attribute decision making.

The paper aims to present the concept of power aggregation operators for the T-spherical fuzzy sets (T-SFSs). T-SFS is a powerful concept, with four membership functions denoting membership, abstinence, non-membership and refusal degree, to deal with the uncertain information as compared to other existing fuzzy sets. On the other hand, the relationship between the different pairs of the attributes are well recorded in terms of power operators. Thus, keeping these advantages of T-SFSs and power operator, the objective of this work is to define several weighted averaging and geometric power aggregation operators. The stated operators named as T-spherical fuzzy weighted, ordered weighted, hybrid averaging and geometric operators for the collection of the T-SFSs. The various properties and the special cases of them are also derived. Further, the consequences of proposed new power aggregation operators are studied in view of some constraints. Finally, a multiple attribute decision making algorithm, based on the proposed operators, is established to solve the problems with uncertain information and illustrate with numerical examples. A comparative study, superiority analysis and discussion of the proposed approach are furnished to confirm the approach.

Efficacy and Safety of Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir Combination for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients With or Without Cirrhosis.

Background and aim For years, interferon-based treatment has been offered to patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; however, the complexity of the treatment, efficacy, and adverse effects were the primary concerns. All these concerns were addressed with the introduction of directly acting antivirals (DAAs) to treat chronic HCV. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir are second-generation DAAs used in combination for the treatment of chronic HCV infection. The aim of our study was to determine and compare the efficacy and safety profile of the sofosbuvir and velpatasvir combination in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis. Materials and methods This descriptive study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from March 15th to September 15th, 2021 after approval from the Institution Research and Ethical Review Board (IREB). Diagnosis of HCV was based on the detection of hepatitis C ribonucleic acid (RNA) fragments by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Liver status was assessed with liver function tests and imaging. Sofosbuvir (400 mg) and velpatasvir (100 mg) were administered once daily for 12 weeks, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HCV RNA after 12 weeks of completion of treatment for determination of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12). Patients with cirrhosis also received weight-based ribavirin. Adverse events experienced by the study participants during the course of treatment were recorded. Data were collected regarding patients' demographics, laboratory parameters, SVR12, and adverse events, and were then analyzed using SPSS, version 22 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY). Results A total of 58 patients with cirrhosis and 58 patients without cirrhosis with chronic HCV were enrolled. The rate of SVR12 in patients with cirrhosis was 89.7% (52 patients achieved SVR12), compared to 98.3% in patients without cirrhosis (57 patients achieved SVR12). Subgroup analysis of patients with cirrhosis revealed that patients who have failed to achieve SVR12 were mostly males, had prolonged disease duration, and low hemoglobin at baseline; however, the association of these factors with SVR12 was not significant. The incidence of adverse events among all study participants was 46.5%. Among the cirrhotic cohort, 37 (63.8%) patients experienced adverse events, while only 17 (29.3%) patients among the non-cirrhotic cohort had adverse events. A total of 24 patients with cirrhosis (41.37%) reported mild complaints. The most commonly reported adverse event was gastrointestinal (GI) upsets (46.2%), followed by fatigue (33.9%), while 19.9% developed miscellaneous adverse events such as headaches, rash, and insomnia. Conclusion The combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is highly effective and safe in patients with HCV with or without cirrhosis. However, this combination's efficacy was slightly higher in non-cirrhotic patients (98.3%) than in cirrhotic patients (89.7%).

Formulation of Aceclofenac Tablets Using Nanosuspension as Granulating Agent: An Attempt to Enhance Dissolution Rate and Oral Bioavailability.

PURPOSE: The aim of the studies was to fabricate aceclofenac (AC) tablets using nanosuspension as granulating fluid to boost its rate of in vitro dissolution and eventually its oral bioavailability. METHODS: The optimized nanosuspension with particle size of 112±2.01 nm was fabricated using HPMC 1% (w/v), PVP-K30 1% (w/v) and SLS 0.12% (w/v) at 400 watts of ultrasonication energy for 15 min duration and 3 sec pause. Then, the optimized aceclofenac nanosuspension was used as granulating fluid for aceclofenac tablets formulation. The characterization was performed using Malvern zetasizer, SEM, TEM, DSC and P-XRD. The granules were evaluated for the bulk and tapped densities, Hausner's ratio, angle of repose and their resulted values were found within limit. The prepared tablets were tested for average weight, hardness, friability, disintegration, dissolution and in vivo bioavailability in rabbits. RESULTS: The in vitro dissolution data showed the boosted rate of nanosuspension-based tablets compared to the microsuspension-based tablets. The in vivo bioavailability (in rabbits model) of aceclofenac nanosuspension-based tablets (ACN-1, ACN-2) proved an improved absorption as in comparison to the marketed formulation. The Cmax and AUC0→24 of ACN-1 and ACN-2 were 1.53-fold, 1.48-fold and 2.23-fold, 2.0-fold greater than that of the marketed drug, and were 1.74-fold, 1.68-fold and 2.3-fold, 2.21-fold greater in comparison to raw drug. CONCLUSION: This boosted in vitro and in vivo bioavailability may be attributed to reduced particle size of aceclofenac nanoformulations used in tablets. Finally, this will result in faster absorption of these fabricated tablets.

Steroidal alkaloids efficient aromatase inhibitors with potential for the treatment of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Plant-derived natural products are of great interest due to their diversity in modern drug discovery. Sarcococca saligna has been used for the treatment of different diseases. The present study was aimed at isolating phytochemical constituents including Alkaloid-C (a), Dictyophlebine (b), Sarcovagine-D (c) and Saracodine (d) Holaphylline (e) from Sarcococca saligna to investigate the anticancer effect of these compounds. These compounds were evaluated for inhibition of aromatase enzyme of breast cancer in assistance by molecular docking simulations to understand molecular interaction between the enzyme and ligands. The IC50 values of compound 1 and 5 were found 138.27 ± 0.01 µl and 12.91 ± 0.01 µl, respectively, and both were found active due to their bulky structures in comparison to the active site of aromatase enzyme. The standard drug exemestane showed potent activity in comparison with the test compounds, having IC50 values of 0.052 ± 0.01 µl. Both compounds showed favorable electrostatic interactions with the active site of aromatase enzyme but the shape and steric bulk of the compounds was the limiting factor in their inhibitory effects. New lead compounds could be generated after extensive modifications guided by computational and experimental tools as a possible anticancer agents by targeting aromatase enzyme.

Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In health outcomes terms, the poorest countries stand to lose the most from these disruptions. In this paper, we make the case for a rational approach to public sector health spending and decision making during and in the early recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on ethics and equity principles, it is crucial to ensure that patients not infected by COVID-19 continue to get access to healthcare and that the services they need continue to be resourced. We present a list of 120 essential non-COVID-19 health interventions that were adapted from the model health benefit packages developed by the Disease Control Priorities project.

Evaluation of antidiabetic potential of steroidal alkaloid of Sarcococca saligna.

The demand for natural medicines has increased because of their limited adverse effects. The aim of study is to explore the antidiabetic potential of isolated steroidal alkaloid from Sarcococca saligna in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. To determine the antidiabetic activity of steroidal alkaloids, diabetes was induced in rats by injecting streptozotocin intraperitoneally at a dose of 40 mg/Kg. After a week of STZ injection the treatment were started and the 8th day was considered as the 1st day of treatment and up to four weeks the rats were treated with steroidal alkaloids. Animals were divided into five groups, group 1 considered as a control group by receiving normal saline (1 ml/Kg) twice daily and group 2, 3, 4 were treated with active compound sarcovagine-D, saracodine and holaphylline at the dose of 5 mg/Kg subcutaneously twice a day while group 5 was treated with a standard drug glibenclamide at a dose of 1 mg/Kg/day. The result showed that treated group 2 and 4 reduced the glucose level in blood significantly while group 3 showed moderate glucose reduction. The fructosamine level reduced significantly in treating group 4 from the 2nd week of treatment while group 2 and 3 decreased the level significantly in week 4 in diabetic rats. The treated groups showed gradual decreases the glucose level in 1st and 2nd week of oral glucose tolerance test compared to control group. The group receiving holaphylline (4) and sarcovagine-D (2) showed good improvements in blood lipids while the effect of compound on body weight showed less significant improvement. The present study concluded that steroid alkaloids from isolated Sarcococca saligna possess hypoglycemic effect and improve others diabetes associated complications. Together these finding further research is needed using a range of doses to explore the other possible beneficial effects in diabetes mellitus and its molecular mechanism.

Steroidal Alkaloids as an Emerging Therapeutic Alternative for Investigation of Their Immunosuppressive and Hepatoprotective Potential.

The compounds, sarcovagine-D, alkaloid-C, and holaphylline isolated from Sarcococca saligna were found to possess immunosuppressive activities. These compounds were characterized for in vitro inhibition on human T-cells proliferation and IL-2 production. The compounds showed significant immunosuppressive effect on IL-2 production as well as on phytohemagglutinin stimulated T-cell proliferation in a dose dependent manner. Of all the tested compounds holaphylline was found to be less toxic and safe. These compounds were then evaluated for their in vivo hepatoprotective potential against CCl4, in which alkaloid-C and holaphylline showed markedly reduced liver inflammation and biochemical parameter (ALT, AST, and ALP) of liver injury. The decrease in the activity of hepatic antioxidant enzyme (SOD) was significantly prevented by holaphylline, likewise gradually the levels of MDA and GSH were also normalized compared to silymarin. The CCl4 induced inflammation and necrosis around the central vein of liver was reduced by sarcovagine-D, alkaloid-C and holaphylline, to 8%, 4% to 1% respectively as assessed by histopathology, thus having better hepatoprotective effect compared to positive control. Steroidal alkaloids attenuated the inflammation of liver around the injured central vein region by down regulating the CCl4 induced activation of hepatic macrophages as well as their number respectively. Therefore, the in vitro and in vivo results suggest that steroidal alkaloids from S. saligna could be excellent immunosuppressive and hepatoprotective agents.

Hypoglycemic potential of herbal product dolabi compared with pioglitazone in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate and compare the hypoglycemic potential of commonly used polyherbal formulation dolabi with pioglitazone in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: A total of 24 adult male Wistar rats were randomized into diabetic control group, diabetic group receiving dolabi (17.6 mg kg-1 day-1), diabetic group receiving dolabi (35.2 mg kg-1 day-1) and diabetic group receiving pioglitazone (2.7 mg kg-1 day-1), with 6 rats in each group. The study was conducted for 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected for fructosamine estimation, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were measured at different time points. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the groups receiving dolabi (35.2 mg kg-1 day-1) and pioglitazone showed signififi cant reductions (P<0.05) in fructosamine levels at the end point and same was the case for FPG and OGTT with pioglitazone showing greater hypoglycemic potential. However, the group receiving dolabi (17.6 mg kg-1 day-1) showed significant reduction (P<0.05) only in FPG level and failed to achieve significant changes either in fructosamine level or OGTT. Moreover, signififi cant differences (P<0.05) in FPG and fructosamine levels were observed between groups receiving dolabi (17.6 mg kg-1 day-1) and pioglitazone at the end point. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed sluggish hypoglycemic effects of dolabi at manufacturer's recommended doses. At a higher dose however, good glycemic control was achieved with dolabi and the results were comparable to pioglitazone. The shorter duration of study (4 weeks) might be the reason of poor glycemic control associated with dolabi at a normal dose.

A comparison of the effect of glitazones on serum sialic acid in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Although management of hyperglycaemia represents one of the principal treatment goals of diabetes therapy, the high incidence of cardiovascular (CV) complications in diabetes also needs effective management. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine and compare the effect of glitazones on serum sialic acid (SSA), a known risk marker for CV disease, along with fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycohaemoglobin (HbA1-c) and blood lipids, in overweight, previously only diet-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (n=60). The study was conducted for a period of 12 months. Significant improvement in FPG and HbA1-c were shown by both rosiglitazone (p<0.003 and p<0.001, respectively) and pioglitazone (p<0.005 and p<0.001, respectively), compared with baseline, and pioglitazone showed greater beneficial effects on other parameters monitored, significantly reducing total cholesterol (TC) (p≤0.05). Both the drugs showed a decrease in SSA and no significant differences were observed between the groups. However, the decrease was significant only in the pioglitazone-treated group at month 12 (p≤0.05), compared with baseline. A significant decrease in SSA by pioglitazone indicates its greater cardioprotective effect compared with rosiglitazone.