An IoT-Enabled Information System for Smart Navigation in Museums.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new paradigm that connects objects to provide seamless communication and contextual information to anyone, anywhere, at any time (AAA). These Internet-of-Things-enabled automated objects interact with visitors to present a variety of information during museum navigation and exploration. In this article, a smart navigation and information system (SNIS) prototype for museum navigation and exploration is developed, which delivers an interactive and more exciting museum exploration experience based on the visitor's personal presence. The objects inside a museum share the information that assist and navigate the visitors about the different sections and objects of the museum. The system was deployed inside Chakdara Museum and experimented with 381 users to achieve the results. For results, different users marked the proposed system in terms of parameters such as interesting, reality, ease of use, satisfaction, usefulness, and user friendly. Of these 381 users, 201 marked the system as most interesting, 138 marked most realistic, 121 marked it as easy-in-use, 219 marked it useful, and 210 marked it as user friendly. These statistics prove the efficiency of SNIS and its usefulness in smart cultural heritage, including smart museums, exhibitions and cultural sites.

Efficacy and safety of itopride SR for upper gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with diabetic gastroparesis: real-world evidence from Pakistan.

Background: Gastroparesis is a serious condition that can be caused by diabetes, surgery or infection, or can be idiopathic. When there is no mechanical obstruction, gastroparesis is characterized by delayed stomach emptying. Itopride, a prokinetic drug, inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity in addition to antagonizing dopamine D2 receptors. Methods: This prospective, multicentre study is based on real-world data from 988 patients with a diagnosis of diabetic gastroparesis for index (PAGI-SYM2) evaluation at baseline and week 4 of treatment for upper gastrointestinal disorder symptoms. Results: Upper gastrointestinal symptom severity scores improved significantly after 4 weeks of treatment (p<0.001), with significant improvement across all categories of gastroparesis (very mild (37-58.6%), mild degree (24.6-31.6%), moderate (29.3-7.3%) and severe (8.8-2.6%). Conclusion: Itopride SR (Nogerd SR) in a 150 mg once-daily dose showed promising results in reducing the severity of upper gastrointestinal disorder symptoms associated with diabetic gastroparesis. Both statistical and clinical effectiveness were observed. Moreover, the treatment demonstrated a favourable tolerability profile, with a low incidence of adverse effects.

Seasonal variations of vivax and falciparum malaria: an observation at a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major public health problem in the malaria endemic zones of the world. Various factors influence the prevalence of malaria. This study was conducted to determine the variation in frequency of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in different seasons of the year in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. METHODS: A total of 411 patients were included in the study. All these febrile patients were reported to have trophozoites of either Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium falciparum malaria on Giemsa stained thick and thin smears. The frequency of vivax and falciparum malaria was worked out and statistically analysed for different season of the year. The study was carried out from 2nd Jan 2004 till 31st December 2008. RESULTS: Out of total 411 diagnosed malaria cases, total 134 (32.60%) presented in the autumn season (vivax = 33.58%, and falciparum = 66.42%), 37 (9%) in winter season (vivax = 32.4%, and falciparum = 67.6%), 76 (18.49%) in spring season (vivax = 93.4% and falciparum 6.6%) and 164 (39.90%) in summer season (vivax = 89.6, and falciparum = 10.4%). The malaria showed a highly significant pattern in different seasons of the year (p = 0.00) in a way that Plasmodium falciparum malaria reached its highest frequency in autumn and winter seasons while Plasmodium vivax malaria reached its peak frequency in spring and summer seasons. CONCLUSION: There was highly significant seasonal variation of vivax and falciparum malaria. There is arrival of Plasmodium falciparum in autumn which peaks in winter followed by arrival of Plasmodium vivax in spring till the end of summer.

Bioinformatics Study of Aux/IAA Family Genes and Their Expression in Response to Different Hormones Treatments during Japanese Apricot Fruit Development and Ripening.

Auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) is a transcriptional repressor in the auxin signaling pathway that plays a role in several plant growth and development as well as fruit and embryo development. However, it is unclear what role they play in Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) fruit development and maturity. To investigate the role of Aux/IAA genes in fruit texture, development, and maturity, we comprehensively identified and expressed 19 PmIAA genes, and demonstrated their conserved domains and homology across species. The majority of PmIAA genes are highly responsive and expressed in different hormone treatments. PmIAA2, PmIAA5, PmIAA7, PmIAA10, PmIAA13, PmIAA18, and PmIAA19 showed a substantial increase in expression, suggesting that these genes are involved in fruit growth and maturity. During fruit maturation, alteration in the expression of PmIAA genes in response to 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment revealed an interaction between auxin and ethylene. The current study investigated the response of Aux/IAA development regulators to auxin during fruit ripening, with the goal of better understanding their potential application in functional genomics.

A Mini Review of Citrus Rootstocks and Their Role in High-Density Orchards.

Dwarfing is an important agricultural trait for intensive cultivation and effective orchard management in modern fruit orchards. Commercial citrus production relies on grafting with rootstocks that reduce tree vigor to control plant height. Citrus growers all over the world have been attracted to dwarfing trees because of their potential for higher planting density, increased productivity, easy harvest, pruning, and efficient spraying. Dwarfing rootstocks can be used to achieve high density. As a result, the use and development of dwarfing rootstocks are important. Breeding programs in several countries have led to the production of citrus dwarf rootstocks. For example, the dwarfing rootstocks 'Flying Dragon', 'FA 517', 'HTR-051', 'US-897', and 'Red tangerine' cultivated in various regions allow the design of dense orchards. Additionally, dwarf or short-stature trees were obtained using interstocks, citrus dwarfing viroid (CDVd) and various chemical applications. This review summarizes what is known about dwarf citrus rootstocks and the mechanisms underlying rootstock-scion interactions. Despite advances in recent decades, many questions regarding rootstock-induced scion development remain unanswered. Citrus rootstocks with dwarfing potential have been investigated regarding physiological aspects, hormonal communication, mineral uptake capacity, and horticultural performance. This study lays the foundation for future research into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying citrus dwarfing.

Bacteriological Profile And Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns In Diabetic Foot Infections, At Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the common complications of diabetes and is also the major cause of hospitalization across the world. To treat it properly, bacteriological profile is important to institute appropriate treatment. This study is done with the objective to determine the microbiological profile and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of organisms isolated from diabetic foot ulcers in Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar Pakistan. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2019. Swab samples were collected from 114 patients with diabetic foot infections and inoculated on appropriate media. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were done by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. RESULTS: E. coli were predominately isolated in the study, with ESBL in 41.6% of the cases. Strains of Pseudomonas with MDR and XDR were isolated in 21.8% and 6.25% of the patients respectively. Majority of Gram-positive isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, those were MRSA in 76.6% of samples. The commonly involved sites of DFU were the toes and forefoot, and the main causes were blister formation or trauma. Most of the patients were identified to have risk factors such as peripheral neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, over weight and poorly controlled diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, Gram negative aerobes were predominantly isolated in the diabetic foot infections. A significant number of MDR isolates were also observed. Lack of awareness about DFU and inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics may be the main cause of increase in the frequency of MDR isolates.