Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results in human body due to insulin deficiency, insulin resistance or both. In the management of diabetes, glucose monitoring technology has been used for the last three decades. The aim of this review article is to describe concise and organized information about different techniques of non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitoring. Many research groups have been working to develop wearable sensors for continuous blood glucose monitoring, but at present, there are to our knowledge no commercially successful non-invasive glucose monitors on the market. To achieve an acceptable sensor system, a glucose sensor should have accuracy better than 15mg/dl (0.8 mmol/l).In future development, continuous glucose sensor systems may become predictable, selective, reliable and acceptable for patient use.

The present study was conducted to investigate plasma macrominerals (Ca, P, Na, K, and Mg) in adult male and female quails according to different body weights in four close-bred flocks of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) maintained at the Avian Research and Training Center of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore. The results showed that mean plasma Na concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) different in female quails with respect to body size categories. The interaction between flocks and body size for plasma Ca levels was significant (P < 0.05) in both sexes of quails, whereas plasma Na was significant (P < 0.05) in female quails. The mean plasma P and K levels in imported and local flocks of Japanese quails were significantly (P < 0.05) different in female quails, whereas plasma Mg was significantly (P < 0.05) different in male quails. However, with respect to body size categories, plasma P, K, and Mg were significantly (P < 0.05) different in female quails only. The interaction between flocks and body size was significant for K and P in female quails and for plasma Mg levels in both sexes of quails.

WWe report a modeling framework for evaluating the performance of piezoelectrically actuated MEMS tunable lenses. It models the static opto-electromechanical coupling for symmetric configurations of piezoelectric actuators based on the laminated-plate theory, linear piezoelectricity, and ray tracing. With these assumptions, it helps to find geometrical parameters for actuators on clamped square or circular diaphragms that give a diffraction-limited tunable lens with minimum F-number. The tunable lens' optical performance and its focusing capability, alone and in combination with a paraxial fixed lens, were calculated in terms of object distance and actuation voltage. Using the modeling framework, we confirmed that the modulation transfer function for objects located at different distances remains the same after voltage adjustment.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge and antimicrobial use (AMU) in the livestock sector has been considered as one of the contributing factors towards the development of AMR in bacteria. This study summarizes the results of a point prevalence survey conducted to monitor farm-level AMU in commercial broiler chicken farms in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces of Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted to quantify AMU and to check seasonal variations of AMU in 12 commercial broiler chicken farms (six from each province) during the summer and winter seasons of the year 2020–2021. AMU was recorded using three AMU metrics: kg, mg per population correction unit (mg/PCU), and mg/kg of final flock weight. A total of 22 antimicrobial drugs (348.59 kg) were used for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes in surveyed broiler chicken farms. The total combined AMU for all the broiler chicken farms was 462.57 mg/PCU. The use of most of the antimicrobials increased during winter flocks compared to summer. The top three antimicrobial drugs used during the summer were neomycin (111.39 mg/PCU), doxycycline (91.91 mg/PCU), and tilmicosin (77.22 mg/PCU), whereas doxycycline (196.81 mg/PCU), neomycin (136.74 mg/PCU), and amoxicillin (115.04 mg/PCU) during the winter. Overall, 60% of the antibiotics used in broiler chicken were critically important antimicrobial classes (CIA) for human medicine as characterized by the World Health Organization. Our findings showed high AMU in broiler chicken production and a call for urgent actions to regulate CIA use in food animals in Pakistan. This baseline survey is critical for the design and implementation of a subsequent national level AMU surveys that can include additional farming types, animals’ species, and geographical locations over a longer period of time.

PURPOSE. To examine, in Norwegian adolescents, to what degree emmetropia and low hyperopia were maintained from 16 to 18 years of age, and if this was the case, whether it was associated with continued coordinated ocular growth.METHODS. Cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular biometry, including crystalline lens thickness, were measured in 93 Norwegian adolescents (mean age: 16.7 6 0.3 years; 63.4% females) and repeated after 2 years. Crystalline lens power was determined by ray tracing over a 1-mm pupil, based on the Gullstrand-Emsley model. Serum vitamin D 3 concentration was measured at follow-up.RESULTS. Emmetropia and low hyperopia (À0.50 diopters [D] < spherical equivalent refractive error [SER] < þ2.00 D) were present in 91.4% at baseline and 89.2% at follow-up. The emmetropes and low hyperopes who maintained their refractive error exhibited continued ocular axial growth (þ0.059 6 0.070 mm) together with a decrease in crystalline lens power (À0.064 6 0.291 D) and a deepening of the anterior chamber (þ0.028 6 0.040 mm). Thinning of the crystalline lens was found in 24%. Overall, the negative change in SER was larger in those with the most negative SER at baseline (R 2 ¼ 0.178, P < 0.001), and was associated with increases in vitreous chamber depth and in crystalline lens power (R 2 ¼ 0.752, P < 0.001), when adjusted for sex. There was no difference in vitamin D 3 level between those who exhibited negative versus positive changes in refractive error. CONCLUSIONS.The results show that emmetropic and low hyperopic eyes were still growing in late adolescence, with refractive errors being maintained through a coordinated decrease in crystalline lens power.

The current study aims to find out the determinants significantly affecting the firm's financial performance in textile sector of Pakistan for the period 2005-2010. The researcher used panel/longitudinal data set which are created with the help of State Bank of Pakistan's annual publication named as "Financial statement analysis of companies (non-financial) listed in KSE for the period 2005 to 2010 which is available at www.sbp.org.pk online. The researcher used one-way fixed effect model due the presence of cross-sectional fixed effect in the regression Business and Economic Research ISSN 2162-4860 2013 www.macrothink.org/ber 77 results. The dependent variable was profitability as a measure of firm's financial performance while the independent variables were leverage, growth, firm's size, risk, tax, tangibility, liquidity and non-debt tax shield. The firm's performance in textile sector is significantly affected by Short term leverage, Size, risk, tax and non-debt tax shield while taking long term leverage as first independent variable, the leverage becomes insignificant along with tax factor. The textile sector should consider the above said factors because these factors significantly increasing or decreasing firm's financial performance. The findings of the current research are limited and applicable to non-financial sector of Pakistan only. It is not applicable to financial sector due to their difference of capital structure. In addition, the researcher used ROI as measure of firm's financial performance while the future research can have ROA, ROE, EPS etc as firm's financial performance.

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