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Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-stabilized lipodisks have emerged as innovatiive, promising nanocarriers for several classes of drugs. Prior research underscores the important role of lipid composition and preparation method in determining the lipodisk size, uniformity, and drug loading capacity. In this study, we investigate dual centrifugation (DC) as a novel technique for the production of PEG-stabilized lipodisks. Moreover, we explore the potential use of DC for the encapsulation of two model drugs, curcumin and doxorubicin, within the disks. Our results show that by a considerate choice of experimental conditions, DC can be used as a fast and straightforward means to produce small and homogenous lipodisks with a hydrodynamic diameter of 20-30 nm. Noteworthy, the technique works well for the production of both cholesterol-free and cholesterol-containing disks and does not require pre-mixing of the lipids in organic solvent. Furthermore, our investigations confirm the efficacy of DC in formulating curcumin and doxorubicin within these lipodisks. For doxorubicin, careful control and optimization of the experimental conditions resulted in formulations displaying an encouraging encapsulation efficiency of 84 % and a favourable drug-to-lipid ratio of 0.13 in the disks.

Thermal photons produced in heavy-ion collision experiments are an important observable for understanding quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The thermal photon rate from the QGP at a given temperature can be calculated from the spectral function of the vector current correlator. Extraction of the spectral function from the lattice correlator is known to be an ill-conditioned problem, as there is no unique solution for a spectral function for a given lattice correlator with statistical errors. The vector current correlator, on the other hand, receives a large ultraviolet contribution from the vacuum, which makes the extraction of the thermal photon rate difficult from this channel. We therefore consider the difference between the transverse and longitudinal part of the spectral function, only capturing the thermal contribution to the current correlator, simplifying the reconstruction significantly. The lattice correlator is calculated for light quarks in quenched QCD at $T=470~$MeV ($\sim 1.5\, T_c$), as well as in 2+1 flavor QCD at $T=220~$MeV ($\sim 1.2 \, T_{pc}$) with $m_{\pi}=320$ MeV. In order to quantify the non-perturbative effects, the lattice correlator is compared with the corresponding $\text{NLO}+\text{LPM}^{\text{LO}}$ estimate of correlator. The reconstruction of the spectral function is performed in several different frameworks, ranging from physics-informed models of the spectral function to more general models in the Backus-Gilbert method and Gaussian Process regression. We find that the resulting photon rates agree within errors., Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures

A unique nanocomposite GO/AlCrO3/Mn3O4/SiO2/SnO2 synthesized through hydrothermal method serves as an electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitors. The material structural and optical characteristics were studied using various techniques. Interestingly, the average crystallite sizes were 16.88, 21.2, 20.81 nm for AlCrO3, GO, and GO@AlCrO3@SiO2@Mn3O4@SnO2 nanocomposite, respectively. The nanocomposite displayed 16 nm spherical grains due to particle aggregation on the graphene oxide surface causing structural deviations evident in the Raman spectrum slope around 1578 cm−1. FTIR spectra revealed distinctive bands at 2097 cm−1 and 1523 cm−1 indicating metal–oxygen bonds. UV-Vis spectra disclosed a band gap of 2.85 eV and a zeta potential of 27.9 mV signifying stability. The hybrid electrode exhibited remarkable electrochemical performance boasting a specific capacitance of 2495 Fg−1 for scan rate of 10 mVs−1. Given its robust performance under high current densities, enduring stability and energy efficiency the material holds significant promise as an energy storage material particularly for supercapacitors.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). These bacteria secrete various proteins involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of MTBC. Among the secretory proteins, MPT64 (Rv1980C) is highly conserved and is also known as a major culture filtrate that is used in rapid diagnosis of MTBC. In the current study, we aimed to find the mutation in this highly conserved protein in isolates from the Pashtun-dominant province of Pakistan. We analyzed 470 M. tuberculosis whole-genome sequences of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mutations in the MPT64 gene were screened through TB-Profiler and BioEdit software tools. The DynaMut web server was used to analyze the impact of the mutation on protein dynamics and stability. Among 470 MTB genomes, three non-synonymous mutations were detected in nine isolates, and one synonymous mutation (G208A) was found in four isolates. Mutation G211T (F159L), which was detected at the C-terminal domain of the protein in six isolates, was the most prominent. The second novel mutation, T480C (I70V), was detected in two isolates at the C-terminal side of the protein structure. The third novel mutation, A491C (L66R), was detected in a single isolate at the N-terminal side of the MPT64 protein. The effect of these three mutations was destabilizing on the protein structure. The molecular flexibility of the first two mutations increased, and the last one decreased. MPT64 is a highly conserved secretory protein, harboring only a few mutations. This study provides useful information for better managing the diagnosis of MTB isolates in high TB-burden countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). These bacteria secrete various proteins involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of MTBC. Among the secretory proteins, MPT64 (Rv1980C) is highly conserved and is also known as a major culture filtrate that is used in rapid diagnosis of MTBC. In the current study, we aimed to find the mutation in this highly conserved protein in isolates from the Pashtun-dominant province of Pakistan. We analyzed 470 M. tuberculosis whole-genome sequences of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mutations in the MPT64 gene were screened through TB-Profiler and BioEdit software tools. The DynaMut web server was used to analyze the impact of the mutation on protein dynamics and stability. Among 470 MTB genomes, three non-synonymous mutations were detected in nine isolates, and one synonymous mutation (G208A) was found in four isolates. Mutation G211T (F159L), which was detected at the C-terminal domain of the protein in six isolates, was the most prominent. The second novel mutation, T480C (I70V), was detected in two isolates at the C-terminal side of the protein structure. The third novel mutation, A491C (L66R), was detected in a single isolate at the N-terminal side of the MPT64 protein. The effect of these three mutations was destabilizing on the protein structure. The molecular flexibility of the first two mutations increased, and the last one decreased. MPT64 is a highly conserved secretory protein, harboring only a few mutations. This study provides useful information for better managing the diagnosis of MTB isolates in high TB-burden countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). These bacteria secrete various proteins involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of MTBC. Among the secretory proteins, MPT64 (Rv1980C) is highly conserved and is also known as a major culture filtrate that is used in rapid diagnosis of MTBC. In the current study, we aimed to find the mutation in this highly conserved protein in isolates from the Pashtun-dominant province of Pakistan. We analyzed 470 M. tuberculosis whole-genome sequences of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mutations in the MPT64 gene were screened through TB-Profiler and BioEdit software tools. The DynaMut web server was used to analyze the impact of the mutation on protein dynamics and stability. Among 470 MTB genomes, three non-synonymous mutations were detected in nine isolates, and one synonymous mutation (G208A) was found in four isolates. Mutation G211T (F159L), which was detected at the C-terminal domain of the protein in six isolates, was the most prominent. The second novel mutation, T480C (I70V), was detected in two isolates at the C-terminal side of the protein structure. The third novel mutation, A491C (L66R), was detected in a single isolate at the N-terminal side of the MPT64 protein. The effect of these three mutations was destabilizing on the protein structure. The molecular flexibility of the first two mutations increased, and the last one decreased. MPT64 is a highly conserved secretory protein, harboring only a few mutations. This study provides useful information for better managing the diagnosis of MTB isolates in high TB-burden countries.

Pirarubicin (PRB) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has shown equal or superior cytotoxicity compared to doxorubicin. However, the detailed toxicological profile for Pirarubicin has not yet been investigated. The present study was designed to access the acute and chronic toxicity of the nanoformulation coupled with in-flammatory and oxidative stress responses. PRB was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles and was physico-chemically evaluated. The nanoparticle size was found to be 420.0 +/- 8.2 nm with an encapsulation efficiency of 80.3 +/- 3.1%. The SEM images showed spherical nanoparticles while the drug release in PBS (pH 7.4) was estimated to be 72.5 +/- 3.5%. Acute toxicity in female albino rats was conducted for 14 days at two dosage levels (i.e., 5 and 300 mg/kg) once a week through an intravenous route. A repeated toxicity study was conducted for 28 days at 3 different dosage levels (i.e., 30, 60 and 100 mg/kg) weekly. No mortality was observed during the experimentation period. Toxicity assessment of body weights, hematological parameters, blood biochemistry, histopathological evaluation of internal organs and relative organ weight percentage was done. Inflammatory markers quantification (COX-II, TNF-alpha, IL-6) along with the generation of oxidative stress (SOD, GSH-ST, GSH-PX, MDA, and H2O2) was also investigated in a repeated 28 days toxicity study. The nanoformulation did not have any effect on the behavioral pattern, food, water consumption or body weights. The abnormalities in function and morphology of the organs produced by nano-formulated PRB were dose-dependent and reversible. The serum sample of rats treated with nanoparticles exhibited a non-significant difference in levels of COX-II, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 as compared to the normal saline (NS) group. Altogether the results offered us evidence about the safety profile of Pirarubicin loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PRB-NP) as compared to PRB alone.

Traditional agrosystems, where humans, crops and microbes have coevolved over long periods, can serve as models to understand the ecoevolutionary determinants of disease dynamics and help the engineering of durably resistant agrosystems. Here, we investigated the genetic and phenotypic relationship between rice (Oryza sativa) landraces and their rice blast pathogen (Pyricularia oryzae) in the traditional Yuanyang terraces of flooded rice paddies in China, where rice landraces have been grown and bred over centuries without significant disease outbreaks. Analyses of genetic subdivision revealed that indica rice plants clustered according to landrace names. Three new diverse lineages of rice blast specific to the Yuanyang terraces coexisted with lineages previously detected at the worldwide scale. Population subdivision in the pathogen population did not mirror pattern of population subdivision in the host. Measuring the pathogenicity of rice blast isolates on landraces revealed generalist life history traits. Our results suggest that the implementation of disease control strategies based on the emergence or maintenance of a generalist lifestyle in pathogens may sustainably reduce the burden of disease in crops.

Light-matter interactions of defects in two-dimensional materials are expected to be profoundly impacted by strong coupling to phonons. In this work, we combine ab initio calculations of a defect in hBN with a fully quantum mechanical and numerically exact description of a cavity-defect system to elucidate this impact. We show that, even at weak light-matter coupling, the dynamical evolution of the cavity-defect system has clear signatures of non-Markovian phonon effects, and that linear absorption spectra show the emergence of hybridized light-matter-phonon states in regimes of strong light-matter coupling. We emphasise that our methodology is general, and can be applied to a wide variety of material-defect systems.

This work comprises facile synthesis of MXene/CuCr2O4 nanocomposite using co-precipitation method for studying unique and significant energy storage properties by triggering world to design and fabricate nano-electrode material with maximized specific capacitance, conductivity and stability. Average crystallite size were found to be 21.2 nm, 28.5 nm and 8.7 nm for CuCr2O4, Ti3C2Tx and Ti3C2Tx/CuCr2O4 nanocomposites whereas sandwich like morphology with an average grain size of 1.53 nm is evident from SEM micrographs. Further analysis by Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveals elemental distribution with complete aluminum removal showing MXene successful etching. Raman spectra confirms presence of both D and G band whereas PL spectra showing merged peak at 376 nm due to structural distortions. From FTIR spectra, presence of both copper chromite and MXene within nanocomposite is evident. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed decrease in bandgap value from 2.06 eV to 1.56 eV whereas zeta potential value of −13.8 mV for Ti3C2Tx/CuCr2O4 as compared to Ti3C2Tx zeta potential value of −23 mV confirmed nanocomposite stability. Nanocomposite based nano-electrode material shows maximum specific capacitance of 445.5 Fg-1 in acidic electrolyte (0.1M H2SO4) comparable to basic electrolyte possessing maximum stability over 500 cycles with no further decrease in current. This progress report acts as a reference and a scientific inspiration to design and fabricate Ti3C2Tx/CuCr2O4 nanocomposite based nano-electrode material to overcome increasing demand for next-generation energy storage systems.

The rise of exascale supercomputers has fueled competition among GPU vendors, driving lattice QCD developers to write code that supports multiple APIs. Moreover, new developments in algorithms and physics research require frequent updates to existing software. These challenges have to be balanced against constantly changing personnel. At the same time, there is a wide range of applications for HISQ fermions in QCD studies. This situation encourages the development of software featuring a HISQ action that is flexible, high-performing, open source, easy to use, and easy to adapt. In this technical paper, we explain the design strategy, provide implementation details, list available algorithms and modules, and show key performance indicators for SIMULATeQCD, a simple multi-GPU lattice code for large-scale QCD calculations, mainly developed and used by the HotQCD collaboration. The code is publicly available on GitHub., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures

This paper discusses the charmonium and bottomonium correlators in the pseudoscalar channel and the corresponding spectral reconstruction on the lattice. The absence of a transport peak in the pseudoscalar channel spectral function allows for an easier study of the in-medium modification of bound states. However, extracting spectral information from Euclidean correlators is still a numerically ill-posed problem. To constrain the spectral reconstruction, we use an ansatz motivated from perturbation theory. The perturbative model spectral function has two main contributions: a thermal part around the threshold obtained from pNRQCD and the vacuum part well above the threshold. These two regions are matched continuously, and the model spectral function is obtained by introducing parameters that control the overall thermal shift of the peak and the overall amplitude. The lattice correlator data is computed using clover-improved Wilson valence fermions on large and fine gauge field configurations generated using $N_f=2+1$ flavors Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action with physical strange quark mass $m_s$, and slightly heavy degenerate up and down quark masses $m_l=m_s/5$ that corresponds to $m_\pi\simeq 320$ MeV. Our results obtained at $T=220$ MeV and $T=251$ MeV suggest that no resonance peaks are needed to describe the charmonium lattice data at these temperatures, while for bottomonium thermally broadened resonance peaks persist., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Contribution to a special issue of Few Body Systems: Emergence and Structure of Baryons - Selected Contributions from the International Conference Baryons 2022

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). These bacteria secrete various proteins involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of MTBC. Among the secretory proteins, MPT64 (Rv1980C) is highly conserved and is also known as a major culture filtrate that is used in rapid diagnosis of MTBC. In the current study, we aimed to find the mutation in this highly conserved protein in isolates from the Pashtun-dominant province of Pakistan. We analyzed 470 M. tuberculosis whole-genome sequences of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mutations in the MPT64 gene were screened through TB-Profiler and BioEdit software tools. The DynaMut web server was used to analyze the impact of the mutation on protein dynamics and stability. Among 470 MTB genomes, three non-synonymous mutations were detected in nine isolates, and one synonymous mutation (G208A) was found in four isolates. Mutation G211T (F159L), which was detected at the C-terminal domain of the protein in six isolates, was the most prominent. The second novel mutation, T480C (I70V), was detected in two isolates at the C-terminal side of the protein structure. The third novel mutation, A491C (L66R), was detected in a single isolate at the N-terminal side of the MPT64 protein. The effect of these three mutations was destabilizing on the protein structure. The molecular flexibility of the first two mutations increased, and the last one decreased. MPT64 is a highly conserved secretory protein, harboring only a few mutations. This study provides useful information for better managing the diagnosis of MTB isolates in high TB-burden countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). These bacteria secrete various proteins involved in the pathogenesis and persistence of MTBC. Among the secretory proteins, MPT64 (Rv1980C) is highly conserved and is also known as a major culture filtrate that is used in rapid diagnosis of MTBC. In the current study, we aimed to find the mutation in this highly conserved protein in isolates from the Pashtun-dominant province of Pakistan. We analyzed 470 M. tuberculosis whole-genome sequences of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Mutations in the MPT64 gene were screened through TB-Profiler and BioEdit software tools. The DynaMut web server was used to analyze the impact of the mutation on protein dynamics and stability. Among 470 MTB genomes, three non-synonymous mutations were detected in nine isolates, and one synonymous mutation (G208A) was found in four isolates. Mutation G211T (F159L), which was detected at the C-terminal domain of the protein in six isolates, was the most prominent. The second novel mutation, T480C (I70V), was detected in two isolates at the C-terminal side of the protein structure. The third novel mutation, A491C (L66R), was detected in a single isolate at the N-terminal side of the MPT64 protein. The effect of these three mutations was destabilizing on the protein structure. The molecular flexibility of the first two mutations increased, and the last one decreased. MPT64 is a highly conserved secretory protein, harboring only a few mutations. This study provides useful information for better managing the diagnosis of MTB isolates in high TB-burden countries.

We extend our analysis of bound states in $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory by the consideration of baryonic operators, which are composed of three gluino fields. The corresponding states are similar to the baryons in QCD, but due to the difference between gluino and quark fields, their properties and the fermion line contractions involved in their correlation functions are different from QCD. In this work, we first explain the derivation of these operators and the contractions needed in numerical calculations of their correlators. In contrast to QCD the correlators contain a spectacle piece, which requires methods for all-to-all propagators. We provide a first estimate of the two-point function and the mass of the lightest baryonic state in $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory.

Calculations of X-ray wave propagation in large objects are needed for modeling diffractive X-ray optics and for optimization-based approaches to image reconstruction for objects that extend beyond the depth of focus. We describe three methods for calculating wave propagation with large arrays on parallel computing systems with distributed memory: (1) a full-array Fresnel multislice approach, (2) a tiling-based short-distance Fresnel multislice approach, and (3) a finite difference approach. We find that the first approach suffers from internode communication delays when the transverse array size becomes large, while the second and third approaches have similar scaling to large array size problems (with the second approach offering about three times the compute speed).

Calculations of X-ray wave propagation in large objects are needed for modeling diffractive X-ray optics and for optimization-based approaches to image reconstruction for objects that extend beyond the depth of focus. We describe three methods for calculating wave propagation with large arrays on parallel computing systems with distributed memory: (1) a full-array Fresnel multislice approach, (2) a tiling-based short-distance Fresnel multislice approach, and (3) a finite difference approach. We find that the first approach suffers from internode communication delays when the transverse array size becomes large, while the second and third approaches have similar scaling to large array size problems (with the second approach offering about three times the compute speed).

Gilgit-Baltistan possesses a complex history of crustal evolution and rich diversity of geological environments, and is favorable for various types of mineralization and production of gemstone all over GB. Two batholiths; Kohistan Batholith and Karakorum Batholith which are hosting gemstones mineralization. This investigation reveals that thirty-two precious and semi-precious stones are mined, 95% of the total gemstones produced in Pakistan come from GB. These varieties of gemstones come from 2150 mines which are in working conditions scattered all over GB and number of miners involved is 25000. Miners face problems like lighting, ventilation and drilling. They lack the basic safety equipment like helmets, mining shoes, gloves, googles and masks. Due to the fumes of explosives, miners are suffering from different diseases like Silicosis. The main gemstone-producing areas are Hunza valley, Sumayar (Nager Valley), Shengus and Haramosh (District Gilgit), Bulachi and Mir Malik (District Astore), Istak Nalah and Shiger Valley. The common gemstones mined are ruby, pargasite, spinel, corundum, sapphire, calcite, aquamarine, tourmaline, beryl, quartz, topaz, albite, microcline, apatite, fluorite, emerald, marganite, diopside, tanzanite, axinite, felsite, kunzite, emerald and garnet.

Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.

Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.

Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.

Cardiac catheterization is a severe health condition that needs standardized care strategies as well as qualified and skilled healthcare professionals to manage it effectively. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of educational training on nurses to improve knowledge about patient safety practices after cardiac catheterization. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was accomplished among nurses working at cardiac units of both genders from March 2021 to September 2021. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was performed for the collection of data. The data was collected by utilizing the open-access structured tool of knowledge and practice. Results: Regarding the level of knowledge, pre-implementation of educational training, the majority of the participant had poor knowledge 15 (30%) and post-educational training, the knowledge level reached good knowledge (70.0 %) and it was also found statistically significant p-value ≤0.000. Similarly, a significant difference between nurses’ practice after the implementation of the educational training shows (66.7%) inadequate practice before the intervention, while (83.3%) of them had an adequate level of practice after the intervention; it is also found to be a significant p-value ≤0.000. Conclusion: The implementation of the educational training for nurses improved knowledge about practices regarding patients’ safety after cardiac catheterization.

Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.

We present charmonium and bottomonium correlators and corresponding reconstructed spectral functions from full QCD calculations in the pseudoscalar channel. Correlators are obtained using a mixed-action approach, clover-improved Wilson valence quarks on gauge field configurations generated with $N_f=2+1$ HISQ sea quarks, with physical strange quark masses and light quark masses corresponding to $m_\pi=315$ MeV. The charm and bottom quark masses are tuned to reproduce the experimental mass spectrum of the spin averaged quarkonium vector mesons from the particle data group. For the spectral reconstruction, we use models based on perturbative spectral functions from different frequency regions like resummed thermal contributions around the threshold from pNRQCD and vacuum contributions well above the threshold. We show preliminary results of the reconstructed spectral function obtained for the first time in our study for full QCD.

Thermal photons from the QGP provide important information about the interaction among plasma constituents. The photon production rate from a thermally equilibrated system is proportional to the transverse spectral function $\rho_T(\omega=|\vec k|, \vec k)$. One can also calculate the photon production rate from the difference between $\rho_T(\omega,\vec k)$ (transverse) and $\rho_L(\omega,\vec k)$ (longitudinal) projections, as $\rho_L$ vanishes on the photon point. Because the UV part of $\rho_T-\rho_L$ is suppressed, the corresponding Euclidean correlator receives most of its contribution from the IR part. We calculate the $T\!-\!L$ correlator on $N_f=2+1$ flavour HISQ configurations with $m_l=m_s/5$ at temperature of about $1.15\,T_{pc}$ (220 MeV). We have used two ans\"{a}tze for the spectral function: 1) A polynomial connected to the UV region consistent with OPE expansion and 2) a hydro-inspired spectral function. We have also applied the Backus-Gilbert method to estimate the spectral function. All these different approaches are combined to estimate the photon production rate., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, Contribution to the 39th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 8th-13th August 2022, Bonn, Germany

Thermal photons from the QGP provide important information about the interaction among plasma constituents. The photon production rate from a thermally equilibrated system is proportional to the transverse spectral function $\rho_T(\omega=|\vec k|, \vec k)$. One can also calculate the photon production rate from the difference between $\rho_T(\omega,\vec k)$ (transverse) and $\rho_L(\omega,\vec k)$ (longitudinal) projections, as $\rho_L$ vanishes on the photon point. Because the UV part of $\rho_T-\rho_L$ is suppressed, the corresponding Euclidean correlator receives most of its contribution from the IR part. We calculate the $T\!-\!L$ correlator on $N_f=2+1$ flavour HISQ configurations with $m_l=m_s/5$ at temperature of about $1.15\,T_{pc}$ (220 MeV). We have used two ans\"{a}tze for the spectral function: 1) A polynomial connected to the UV region consistent with OPE expansion and 2) a hydro-inspired spectral function. We have also applied the Backus-Gilbert method to estimate the spectral function. All these different approaches are combined to estimate the photon production rate., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, Contribution to the 39th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 8th-13th August 2022, Bonn, Germany

We present charmonium and bottomonium correlators and corresponding reconstructed spectral functions from full QCD calculations in the pseudoscalar channel. Correlators are obtained using a mixed-action approach, clover-improved Wilson valence quarks on gauge field configurations generated with $N_f=2+1$ HISQ sea quarks, with physical strange quark masses and light quark masses corresponding to $m_\pi=315$ MeV. The charm and bottom quark masses are tuned to reproduce the experimental mass spectrum of the spin averaged quarkonium vector mesons from the particle data group. For the spectral reconstruction, we use models based on perturbative spectral functions from different frequency regions like resummed thermal contributions around the threshold from pNRQCD and vacuum contributions well above the threshold. We show preliminary results of the reconstructed spectral function obtained for the first time in our study for full QCD.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional free trade agreement aimed to remove tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, increase trade facilitation, liberalise investment, and promote global value chains among the member countries. The study aims to know the importance of RCEP regarding trade, foreign direct investment and other economic affairs for China and its potential economic benefits for members. It has provided for a 90% tariff reduction on trade among its 15 members. It can potentially increase trade and FDI inflow to China through the trade and FDI creation effects. Establishing a business-friendly market in the Asia Pacific region and the tariff reduction provisions of this agreement have many advantages for the Chinese economy. Among its members, China is the leading economic power. Therefore, she will get maximum economic benefits as, according to statistical simulations, it will increase her international trade, exports, services, and FDI inflow. The current 2.2% tariff imposed on Chinese exports in the RCEP market will be decreased to 0.4%. The expected economic profit to China from this agreement is 214 billion dollars, equal to 2.2% of its GDP and a 13.4% increase in FDI inflow.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional free trade agreement aimed to remove tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, increase trade facilitation, liberalise investment, and promote global value chains among the member countries. The study aims to know the importance of RCEP regarding trade, foreign direct investment and other economic affairs for China and its potential economic benefits for members. It has provided for a 90% tariff reduction on trade among its 15 members. It can potentially increase trade and FDI inflow to China through the trade and FDI creation effects. Establishing a business-friendly market in the Asia Pacific region and the tariff reduction provisions of this agreement have many advantages for the Chinese economy. Among its members, China is the leading economic power. Therefore, she will get maximum economic benefits as, according to statistical simulations, it will increase her international trade, exports, services, and FDI inflow. The current 2.2% tariff imposed on Chinese exports in the RCEP market will be decreased to 0.4%. The expected economic profit to China from this agreement is 214 billion dollars, equal to 2.2% of its GDP and a 13.4% increase in FDI inflow.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional free trade agreement aimed to remove tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, increase trade facilitation, liberalise investment, and promote global value chains among the member countries. The study aims to know the importance of RCEP regarding trade, foreign direct investment and other economic affairs for China and its potential economic benefits for members. It has provided for a 90% tariff reduction on trade among its 15 members. It can potentially increase trade and FDI inflow to China through the trade and FDI creation effects. Establishing a business-friendly market in the Asia Pacific region and the tariff reduction provisions of this agreement have many advantages for the Chinese economy. Among its members, China is the leading economic power. Therefore, she will get maximum economic benefits as, according to statistical simulations, it will increase her international trade, exports, services, and FDI inflow. The current 2.2% tariff imposed on Chinese exports in the RCEP market will be decreased to 0.4%. The expected economic profit to China from this agreement is 214 billion dollars, equal to 2.2% of its GDP and a 13.4% increase in FDI inflow.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional free trade agreement aimed to remove tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, increase trade facilitation, liberalise investment, and promote global value chains among the member countries. The study aims to know the importance of RCEP regarding trade, foreign direct investment and other economic affairs for China and its potential economic benefits for members. It has provided for a 90% tariff reduction on trade among its 15 members. It can potentially increase trade and FDI inflow to China through the trade and FDI creation effects. Establishing a business-friendly market in the Asia Pacific region and the tariff reduction provisions of this agreement have many advantages for the Chinese economy. Among its members, China is the leading economic power. Therefore, she will get maximum economic benefits as, according to statistical simulations, it will increase her international trade, exports, services, and FDI inflow. The current 2.2% tariff imposed on Chinese exports in the RCEP market will be decreased to 0.4%. The expected economic profit to China from this agreement is 214 billion dollars, equal to 2.2% of its GDP and a 13.4% increase in FDI inflow.

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials are ideal host systems for quantum defects as they offer easier characterisation, manipulation and read-out of defect states as compared to bulk defects. Here we introduce the Quantum Point Defect (QPOD) database with more than 1900 defect systems comprising various charge states of 503 intrinsic point defects (vacancies and antisites) in 82 different 2D semiconductors and insulators. The Atomic Simulation Recipes (ASR) workflow framework was used to perform density functional theory (DFT) calculations of defect formation energies, charge transition levels, Fermi level positions, equilibrium defect and carrier concentrations, transition dipole moments, hyperfine coupling, and zero-field splitting. Excited states and photoluminescence spectra were calculated for selected high-spin defects. In this paper we describe the calculations and workflow behind the QPOD database, present an overview of its content, and discuss some general trends and correlations in the data. We analyse the degree of defect tolerance as well as intrinsic dopability of the host materials and identify promising defects for quantum technological applications. The database is freely available and can be browsed via a web-app interlinked with the Computational 2D Materials Database (C2DB).

Hypoxia, an oxygen-deprived condition of the tumor, is one of the major reasons for resistance to chemotherapy. Carbonic anhydrases are generally involved in pH homeostasis in normal conditions, but in solid tumors having a strong relation with hypoxia, the carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) enzyme is overexpressed and results in an extracellular acidic environment. For most weakly basic anticancer drugs, including doxorubicin (Dox), the ionization in an acidic environment limits their cellular uptake, and consequently, the tumor exposure to the drug at sub-therapeutic concentration comes out as chemoresistance. Herein, a combined drug delivery system of liposomes and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) was developed for the co-delivery of the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor and Dox in hypoxic condition. The unique structure of MSNPs with higher surface area was utilized for higher drug loading and sustained release of Dox. Additionally, the biocompatible nature of liposomal coating as a second loading site for the CA-IX enzyme inhibitor has provided gatekeeping effects at pore opening to avoid premature drug release. Lipid coated MSNPs as a co-delivery system for Dox and the CA-IX inhibitor have synergistic cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells in hypoxic conditions. These findings assure the potential of this drug delivery system to overcome hypoxia-related chemoresistance.

In this paper, the steady-state and transient heat transfer processes of functionally graded materials (FGMs) are analyzed using a coupled thermo-mechanical model in a GPU parallel multiphysics finite–discrete element software, namely MultiFracS. First, the coupled model to handle the heat transfer problem of heterogeneous materials is verified. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of FGMs and composite materials in response to thermal shock loads are compared and the results indicate that FGMs can overcome extreme environments better than composite materials. Finally, the influence of the geometric distribution characteristics of the double-edge cracks in the gradient material plate on the crack propagation is analyzed. The simulation results show that the interaction between the cracks affects the crack propagation path under the thermal load. The inclination angle and spacing of double-edge cracks greatly influence crack propagation. Specifically, a larger inclination angle and spacing can lead to a smaller crack propagation angle. The approach in this paper provides a new quantitative tool for investigating the thermal, elastic, and cracking of functionally graded materials. © 2022 by the authors.

Persimmon fruits are often affected by large postharvest losses due to rapid ripening and the early onset of senescence. To reduce such losses in fresh fruits, the application of hydrocolloid-based edible coatings was conducted. Therefore, a plant hydrocolloid-based gum, tragacanth gum (TCG), was applied to persimmon fruits at 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% TCG concentrations, and stored at 20 ± 2 °C and 80–85% relative humidity for 20 days (analysis at 0, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th day). As a result of TCG application on persimmon fruits, there were greatly suppressed respiration rates, ethylene production, weight loss, decay incidence, and H2O2 and malondialdehyde content. In addition, TCG-coated persimmon fruits had higher concentrations of bioactive compounds including phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and soluble tannin. Higher enzymatic antioxidant activities and lower softening enzyme activities were also recorded for TCG-coated persimmon fruits. Uncoated persimmon fruits quickly lost fruit quality attributes like color, firmness, taste, and aroma during storage compared to coated ones. Based on our findings, the use of TCG, especially at the concentration of 1% TCG, can be recommended to be applied as the edible coating to maintain the nutritional, biochemical, and commercial quality of persimmon fruits during ambient storage. © 2022 by the authors.

$\mathcal{N} = 1$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory describes gluons interacting with gluinos, which are spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Majorana particles in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. In addition to glueballs and mesonic bound states, the theory contains color neutral bound states of three gluinos, which are analogous to baryons in QCD. We calculate their correlation functions, involving ``sunset diagrams'' and ``spectacle diagrams'', numerically for gauge group SU(2) and present an update on the estimates for the lowest masses., Comment: Proceeding of Science

Sajid Ali,1 Muhammad Umair Amin,1,2 Imran Tariq,1,3 Muhammad Farhan Sohail,4,5 Muhammad Yasir Ali,1,6 Eduard Preis,1 Ghazala Ambreen,1 Shashank Reddy Pinnapireddy,1 Jarmila Jedelská,1 Jens Schäfer,1 Udo Bakowsky1 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan; 3Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Allama Iqbal Campus, Lahore, Pakistan; 4Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (RIPS), Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan; 5Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 6Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, GC University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, PakistanCorrespondence: Udo BakowskyDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, University of Marburg, Robert Koch Str. 4, Marburg, 35037, GermanyTel + 49 6421 28 25884Fax + 49 6421 28 27016Email ubakowsky@aol.comPurpose: Lipoparticles are the core-shell type lipid-polymer hybrid systems comprising polymeric nanoparticle core enveloped by single or multiple pegylated lipid layers (shell), thereby melding the biomimetic properties of long-circulating vesicles as well as the mechanical advantages of the nanoparticles. The present study was aimed at the development of such an integrated system, combining the photodynamic and chemotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of multidrug-resistant cancers.Methods: For this rationale, two different sized Pirarubicin (THP) loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation technique, whereas liposomes containing Temoporfin (mTHPC) were prepared by lipid film hydration method. Physicochemical and morphological characterizations were done using dynamic light scattering, laser doppler anemometry, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The quantitative assessment of cell damage

$\mathcal{N} = 1$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory describes gluons interacting with gluinos, which are spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Majorana particles in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. In addition to glueballs and mesonic bound states, the theory contains color neutral bound states of three gluinos, which are analogous to baryons in QCD. We calculate their correlation functions, involving ``sunset diagrams'' and ``spectacle diagrams'', numerically for gauge group SU(2) and present an update on the estimates for the lowest masses., Comment: Proceeding of Science

Recent advances in molecular biology have discovered the mysterious role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and targets for advanced cancer therapy. Studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the incidence and development of cancers in humans. However, previously they were considered as mere RNA noise or transcription byproducts lacking any biological function. In this article, we present a summary of the progress on ascertaining the biological functions of five lncRNAs (HOTAIR, NEAT1, H19, MALAT1, and MEG3) in female-oriented cancers, including breast and gynecological cancers, with the perspective of carcinogenesis, cancer proliferation, and metastasis. We provide the current state of knowledge from the past five years of the literature to discuss the clinical importance of such lncRNAs as therapeutic targets or early diagnostic biomarkers. We reviewed the consequences, either oncogenic or tumor-suppressing features, of their aberrant expression in female-oriented cancers. We tried to explain the established mechanism by which they regulate cancer proliferation and metastasis by competing with miRNAs and other mechanisms involved via regulating genes and signaling pathways. In addition, we revealed the association between stated lncRNAs and chemo-resistance or radio-resistance and their potential clinical applications and future perspectives., De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.

The immediate release of chemotherapeutics at the target site, along with no premature release in circulation is always challenging. The purpose of this study was to develop a stimuli responsive drug delivery system, composed of lipid supported mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for triggered drug release at the target site and simultaneously avoiding the premature release. MSNPs with a higher drug loading capacity and very slow release were designed so as to enhance release by FDA approved US-irradiation. Doxorubicin, as a model drug, and perfluoropentane (PFP) as a US responsive material, were entrapped in the porous structure of MSNPs. Lipid coating enhanced the cellular uptake and in addition provided a gatekeeping effect at the pore opening to reduce premature release. The mechanical and thermal effects of US induced the conversion of liquid PFP to a gaseous form that was able to rupture the lipid layer, resulting in triggered drug release. The prolonged stability profile and non-toxic behavior made them suitable candidate for the delivery of anticancer drugs. This smart system, with the abilities of better cellular uptake and higher cytotoxic effects on US-irradiation, would be a good addition to the applied side of chemotherapeutic advanced drug delivery systems.

Recent advances in molecular biology have discovered the mysterious role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and targets for advanced cancer therapy. Studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the incidence and development of cancers in humans. However, previously they were considered as mere RNA noise or transcription byproducts lacking any biological function. In this article, we present a summary of the progress on ascertaining the biological functions of five lncRNAs (HOTAIR, NEAT1, H19, MALAT1, and MEG3) in female-oriented cancers, including breast and gynecological cancers, with the perspective of carcinogenesis, cancer proliferation, and metastasis. We provide the current state of knowledge from the past five years of the literature to discuss the clinical importance of such lncRNAs as therapeutic targets or early diagnostic biomarkers. We reviewed the consequences, either oncogenic or tumor-suppressing features, of their aberrant expression in female-oriented cancers. We tried to explain the established mechanism by which they regulate cancer proliferation and metastasis by competing with miRNAs and other mechanisms involved via regulating genes and signaling pathways. In addition, we revealed the association between stated lncRNAs and chemo-resistance or radio-resistance and their potential clinical applications and future perspectives., De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.

The immediate release of chemotherapeutics at the target site, along with no premature release in circulation is always challenging. The purpose of this study was to develop a stimuli responsive drug delivery system, composed of lipid supported mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for triggered drug release at the target site and simultaneously avoiding the premature release. MSNPs with a higher drug loading capacity and very slow release were designed so as to enhance release by FDA approved US-irradiation. Doxorubicin, as a model drug, and perfluoropentane (PFP) as a US responsive material, were entrapped in the porous structure of MSNPs. Lipid coating enhanced the cellular uptake and in addition provided a gatekeeping effect at the pore opening to reduce premature release. The mechanical and thermal effects of US induced the conversion of liquid PFP to a gaseous form that was able to rupture the lipid layer, resulting in triggered drug release. The prolonged stability profile and non-toxic behavior made them suitable candidate for the delivery of anticancer drugs. This smart system, with the abilities of better cellular uptake and higher cytotoxic effects on US-irradiation, would be a good addition to the applied side of chemotherapeutic advanced drug delivery systems.

Recent advances in molecular biology have discovered the mysterious role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and targets for advanced cancer therapy. Studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the incidence and development of cancers in humans. However, previously they were considered as mere RNA noise or transcription byproducts lacking any biological function. In this article, we present a summary of the progress on ascertaining the biological functions of five lncRNAs (HOTAIR, NEAT1, H19, MALAT1, and MEG3) in female-oriented cancers, including breast and gynecological cancers, with the perspective of carcinogenesis, cancer proliferation, and metastasis. We provide the current state of knowledge from the past five years of the literature to discuss the clinical importance of such lncRNAs as therapeutic targets or early diagnostic biomarkers. We reviewed the consequences, either oncogenic or tumor-suppressing features, of their aberrant expression in female-oriented cancers. We tried to explain the established mechanism by which they regulate cancer proliferation and metastasis by competing with miRNAs and other mechanisms involved via regulating genes and signaling pathways. In addition, we revealed the association between stated lncRNAs and chemo-resistance or radio-resistance and their potential clinical applications and future perspectives., De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.

The immediate release of chemotherapeutics at the target site, along with no premature release in circulation is always challenging. The purpose of this study was to develop a stimuli responsive drug delivery system, composed of lipid supported mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for triggered drug release at the target site and simultaneously avoiding the premature release. MSNPs with a higher drug loading capacity and very slow release were designed so as to enhance release by FDA approved US-irradiation. Doxorubicin, as a model drug, and perfluoropentane (PFP) as a US responsive material, were entrapped in the porous structure of MSNPs. Lipid coating enhanced the cellular uptake and in addition provided a gatekeeping effect at the pore opening to reduce premature release. The mechanical and thermal effects of US induced the conversion of liquid PFP to a gaseous form that was able to rupture the lipid layer, resulting in triggered drug release. The prolonged stability profile and non-toxic behavior made them suitable candidate for the delivery of anticancer drugs. This smart system, with the abilities of better cellular uptake and higher cytotoxic effects on US-irradiation, would be a good addition to the applied side of chemotherapeutic advanced drug delivery systems.

An extension of the exponential distribution due toNadarajah and Haghighi referred to as Nadarajah and Haghighi (NH) distribution is an alternative that always provides better fits than the gamma, Weibull, and the generalized exponential distributions whenever the data contains zero values. However, in practice, discrete data is easy to collect as compared to continuous data. Thus, keeping in mind the utility of discrete data, we introduce the discrete analogue of NH distribution.Our main focus is the estimation from the frequentist point of view of the unknown parameters along with deriving some mathematical properties of the new model. We briefly describe different frequentist approaches, namely, maximum likelihood, percentile based, least squares, weighted least squares, maximum product of spacings, Cramèr-von-Mises, Anderson-Darling, and right-tail Anderson-Darling estimators, and compare them using extensive numerical simulations. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to compare the performances of the proposed methods of estimation for both small and large samples. The potentiality of the distribution is analyzed by means of two real data sets.

This study analyzes the asymmetric association between trade openness and economic growth in 20 highly open Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. A novel technique, quantile-on-quantile (QQ), is applied by using the data for the period 1991–2018. The results consider the mode of how quantiles of trade openness asymmetrically affect the quantiles of economic growth by giving an appropriate framework to apprehend the overall dependence structure. A positive linkage between trade openness and economic growth is found in United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Suriname, Kuwait, Mauritania, Turkey, Tunisia, Qatar, Brunei, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Bahrain, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Albania. However, there is a negative association between trade openness and economic growth in Guinea, Guyana and Mozambique. Hence 16 out of 20 OIC countries support the trade-led growth hypothesis. These outcomes intimate that the intensity of asymmetric association in openness-growth nexus varies with countries that require individual attention and caution for governments in postulating the policies related to trade and growth.

This study analyzes the asymmetric association between trade openness and economic growth in 20 highly open Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. A novel technique, quantile-on-quantile (QQ), is applied by using the data for the period 1991–2018. The results consider the mode of how quantiles of trade openness asymmetrically affect the quantiles of economic growth by giving an appropriate framework to apprehend the overall dependence structure. A positive linkage between trade openness and economic growth is found in United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Suriname, Kuwait, Mauritania, Turkey, Tunisia, Qatar, Brunei, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Bahrain, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Albania. However, there is a negative association between trade openness and economic growth in Guinea, Guyana and Mozambique. Hence 16 out of 20 OIC countries support the trade-led growth hypothesis. These outcomes intimate that the intensity of asymmetric association in openness-growth nexus varies with countries that require individual attention and caution for governments in postulating the policies related to trade and growth.

Today, the world is in favor of trade openness because open countries grow faster, are more productive, and have improved environmental quality than closed economies. The main objective of the thesis is to analyze the impact of trade openness on economic growth, unemployment, and environmental quality in OIC countries. Many studies argued that cross-sectional dependence exists among countries due to economic shocks and unobserved components as a result of trade openness (Arain et al., 2019; Dogan et al., 2020; Meo et al., 2020). The traditional econometric techniques give ambiguous outcomes in the presence of cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. So, in this study, a new technique ‘Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCCE)” proposed by Chudik & Pesaran (2015), is applied on panel data to deal with the above-mentioned issues. Moreover, for quantile-based analysis, another novel technique, “Quantile-on-Quantile (QQ)”, developed by Sim & Zhou (2015), is applied. Out of total 57, 49 OIC countries are selected for panel data analysis due to data availability. The first objective of the thesis explored the impact of trade openness on economic growth in OIC countries. The results of DCCE estimation state that there is a positive impact of trade openness on economic growth in the overall sample of OIC countries. Trade openness has a positive and significant relationship with economic growth in the case of higher-income OIC countries, whereas it decreases growth in the case of lower-income OIC countries. A quantile-based analysis indicates a positive association between trade openness and economic growth in the majority of OIC countries which support the trade-led growth hypothesis. The results tend to support the call for the continuation of trade openness policy for overall OIC countries and higher-income OIC countries. The second objective of the thesis has analyzed the impact of trade openness on unemployment in OIC countries. The DCCE estimation shows that trade