Introduction Many countries including Pakistan are currently using face masks in their pandemic control plans. Being highly prevalent, the correct use of these masks is particularly important, as an incorrect use and disposal may actually increase the rate of transmission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare workers (HCWs) in wearing a surgical face mask to limit the spread of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods This survey was conducted by interviewing HCWs using a questionnaire consisting of the basic demographic characteristics, and the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the use of surgical face mask to limit the new COVID-19 exposure. Each correct answer was scored 1 and each incorrect answer scored 0. The total number of questions was 16, and the final score was calculated and then labeled according to the percentage (out of 16) of correct responses as good (>80%), moderate (60-80%), and poor (<60%). Results A total of 392 participants with a mean age of 42.37 ± 13.34 years (341 males and 51 females) were included in the study. The overall final results were good in 138 (35.2%), moderate in 178 (45.4%), and poor in 76 (19.3%). Around 43.6% of participants knew about the correct method of wearing the masks, 68.9% knew that there are three layers, 53% stated that the middle layer act as a filter media barrier, and 75.5% knew the recommended maximum duration of wearing it. The majority (88.2%) of participants knew that a cloth face mask is not much effective, around 79.8% knew that used face mask cannot be re-used, and 44.8% knew about the yellowcoded bag for disposal.

Summary A significant interest in the exploration of clean and renewable alternative energy resources has been observed in recent years to combat environmental pollution and energy shortages for a sustainable future. In this regard, hydrogen is clean, energy‐rich fuel with unlimited potential. It can be produced via water‐splitting process using the most abundant resources on earth, that is, water and solar/electrical energy. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are a category of porous crystalline materials with well‐organized structures and unique catalytic, optical, and electrical properties. MOFs and MOF‐derived materials have proved to be excellent catalysts for water‐splitting both by electrochemical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) routes. Furthermore, photochemical and electrochemical capabilities of these MOFs can be fine‐tuned to maximize their performance by modification in the bandgap, surface area, current density, electrochemical active surface area, and overpotential, through tailoring of the organic ligands and/or metal centers. A number of works have been dedicated to this quest resulting in promising and very effective results. Such as for photoelectrocatalysis, a composite nanorod array of TiO2/Co‐MOF acting as photoanode achieved one of the highest photocurrent densities of 2.93 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V (vs reverse hydrogen electrode [RHE]). In another study, MOF‐derived Co3C‐3/TiO2 photoanode attained the photocurrent density of 2.6 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs RHE. For electrocatalysis, Fe2O3/Ni‐MOF‐74 exhibited oxygen evolution reaction overpotential of 264 mV to reach 10 mA/cm2 of current density with a low Tafel plot of 48 mV/dec. Another novel material derived from MOF, MoO2‐PC‐rGO displayed a Tafel Plot of 41 mV/dec. Even though this field is in its infancy phase, it is attracting increased attention for promising results suggesting extraordinary potential for practical applications. Focus of this review article is on the overview of the development of MOFs for application in electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic water‐splitting for hydrogen production. This review intends to provide a timely reference and insight for the advancement in catalysts based on MOFs for practical electrochemical and PEC water‐splitting in a clear and comprehensive manner. Starting with the brief introduction, fundamentals, factors affecting catalytic efficiency and evaluation parameters of water‐splitting are summarized followed by synthesis strategies and recent progress made by MOF‐based catalysts for PEC and electrochemical water‐splitting.

Future energy security and environmental issues are major driving forces for increased biomass utilization globally and especially in developing countries like Pakistan. For efficient utilization of indigenous biomass resources in the future energy mix, it is important to gain knowledge of current energy system in various sectors. Some of the technologies and initiatives are under development to achieve transition from non-renewable resources to renewable resources, and reducing fossil fuel dependency and greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, number of proposals has been presented for the development of sustainable biofuels production methods for promise for accelerating a shift away from an unsustainable approach to possible sustainable production practices or a sustainable social, economic and environment. This article presents an extensive literature review of the biomass-based renewable energy potential in Pakistan based on current energy scenario and future perspectives. It also highlights the availability of the indigenous and local biomass resources and potential biomass conversion technologies to convert such resources to bioenergy. The drivers for utilization of indigenous biomass resources in future energy mix and challenges regarding awareness among stakeholders and R&D to fill knowledge gaps are economically restraints. The article concludes with suggestions on future directions and policies for effective implementation of biomass based renewable energy production.

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Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since the beginning has been a reason of fear among healthcare workers (HCWs) due to the increased mortality, especially in the HCWs themselves. In this survey study, we aimed to explore the predictive factors associated with fear faced by HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the areas which need to be addressed to reduce it. Methods On May 14, 2020, we conducted an observational, cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire, consisting of the following two parts: (1) focused on factors associated with HCWs' fear of getting an infection and being a source of carrying the infection to whom they care, and (2) focused on factors associated with HCWs' fear of uncertainty and lack of support from concerned health authorities. Results The mean age of the participants was 40.04 ± 12.92 years with 79.3% being males. More than half (51.1%) of the participants were consultants. The most important factors associated with fear included getting infected (84.8%), quarantined (69.6%), not getting medical treatment (62%), losing a life (56.8%), and infecting family members (94.2%). Another major factor associated with HCWs' fear was lack of support from concerned health authorities, 80.2% thought of solatium, and 71.7% believed that the job should be given to eligible family members of the deceased. More than 82.2% were concerned about health expenses and around 97.6% felt an additional health risk allowance should be given. Conclusion Our results indicate that the risk of getting infection to themselves and their families, along with a lack of support from concerned health authorities, was strongly associated with fear among HCWs. We hope through these findings that the concerned health authorities will take notice and do something in this regard by developing appropriate policies and measures to make sure that HCWs and their families are cared for if they get infected.

Wearable textile-based stretch sensors, for health-care monitoring, provide physiological and medical evaluation without inhibition in the daily routine life of the patient. In our previous work, we successfully coated viscose and polyester (PES) fibers with conjugated polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. In this paper, we have reported the possibility to produce large quantity of PEDOT-coated conductive fibers, which have acceptable mechanical strength and frictional properties so that the knitted stretch-sensors could be produced. By utilizing these knitted structures, we have showed the possibility to produce textile-based monitoring device, which has better integration properties in wearable clothing than metal containing structures. The performance of viscose and polyester knitted structures as stretch sensors was investigated on our own designed cyclic tester. For the imitation of respiratory and joint movement, the variation in electrical properties of knitted structures was examined at 5 to 50% elongations and then the performance of viscose and PES knitted structures was compared on the basis of cyclic testing results. In order to find out the washing effects on PEDOT coatings and the knitted structures, two washing cycles were performed. After washing, the persistence of PEDOT coating on knitted structures was investigated with FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. For PES fiber, it was revealed that stretch sensing behavior was still persisted even after the washing cycles. Thus, these structures have the potential to be utilized in medical textiles for monitoring the physiological activities of patients, such as breathing rate and joint movement.

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