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Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in medical students, and to analyse effects of demographics and nomophobia on depression, anxiety and stress. Method: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 1 to May 23, 2019, and comprised male and female medical students aged 19-25 years. Data was collected using a demographic information form, the 21-item depression, anxiety and stress scale and the 20-item nomophobia questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 230 students, 108(47%) were boys and 122 (53%) were girls. The overall mean age was 21.93+1.80 years. Anxiety, depression and stress was reported in 168 (74.6%), 158 (70.2%) and 127 (55.9%) of the students. Extremely severe anxiety, depression and stress were self-reported by 92 (40.9%), 38 (16.8%) and 16 (7.04%) students. There was a significant difference in the distribution of subjects within different levels of anxiety across gender (p

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become the main priority across the globe due to their significant role in economic growth and propensity. However, in particular, it is not yet known how governments can achieve SDGs through non-profit organisations (NPOs) by providing financial and non-financial incentives. The present study included 263 Pakistan NPOs in a primary survey using a questionnaire. The results obtained from the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) highlight that: (i) government incentives do not directly influence community development; (ii) The government non-financial incentives have a significant direct effect on environmental activities to reduce pollution, energy consumption and waste; (iii) Resource management fully mediates the paths between government incentives and community development while partially mediates environmental activities; and finally, (iv) resource management has a favourable influence both on the goals of community development and environmental activities. This research paper contributes to the knowledge in that government incentives do not have a direct influence on social development, but has an indirect influence through efficient management. Recommendations are that government and public bodies need to support NPOs to engage actively in philanthropic activities. Similarly, NPOs should efficiently utilize and manage the resources to benefit the maximum number of poor and needy individuals. First published online 22 September 2020

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is an inherited skin disorder characterized by fragile skin that is prone to blistering. We report here a consanguineous Pakistani family with two siblings, in whom a severe recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa was suspected. Using whole-exome sequencing for one sibling, the homozygous base substitution c.7249C>G in COL7A1 was identified, and could be confirmed in the other sibling by Sanger sequencing. In our exome data, this mutation was annotated as a missense substitution (p.Gln2417Glu), but in silico tools indicated a possible effect on splicing. Using the ExonTrap vector it was verified that the mutation leads to activation of a cryptic donor splice site, which leads to loss of 26 nucleotides, and a frame­shift event predicted to result in a truncated protein (p.Q2417Sfs*57). The present report de­scribes an apparent COL7A1 missense substitution with an unexpected consequence on splicing that leads to a severe recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa phenotype.

Background: This study aims to compare the outcomes of COVID-19-positive disease in patients with a history of cancer to those without. Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data and outcomes of COVID-19 positive cancer patients treated consecutively in five North London hospitals (cohort A). Outcomes recorded included time interval between most recent anti-cancer treatment and admission, severe outcome [a composite endpoint of intensive care unit (ITU) admission, ventilation and/or death] and mortality. Outcomes were compared with consecutively admitted COVID-19 positive patients, without a history of cancer (cohort B), treated at the primary centre during the same time period (1 March–30 April 2020). Patients were matched for age, gender and comorbidity. Results: The median age in both cohorts was 74 years, with 67% male, and comprised of 30 patients with cancer, and 90 without (1:3 ratio). For cohort B, 579 patients without a history of cancer and consecutively admitted were screened from the primary London hospital, 105 were COVID-19 positive and 90 were matched and included. Excluding cancer, both cohorts had a median of two comorbidities. The odds ratio (OR) for mortality, comparing patients with cancer to those without, was 1.05 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4–2.5], and severe outcome (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.4–2.0) suggesting no increased risk of death or a severe outcome in patients with cancer. Cancer patients who received systemic treatment within 28 days had an OR for mortality of 4.05 (95% CI 0.68–23.95), p = 0.12. On presentation anaemia, hypokalaemia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypoproteinaemia were identified predominantly in cohort A. Median duration of admission was 8 days for cancer patients and 7 days for non-cancer. Conclusion: A diagnosis of cancer does not appear to increase the risk of death or a severe outcome in COVID-19 patients with cancer compared with those without cancer. If a second spike of virus strikes, rational decision making is required to ensure optimal cancer care.

Introduction: E-learning is the use of the internet and associated devices for educational purposes without geographical constraints. This study aims to assess the perception of students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, about E-learning as a teaching modality. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2017 and June 2018. The inclusion criteria consisted of healthcare students (medicine, nursing, and college of sciences and health professions). A 40-item closed-ended questionnaire was distributed to the participants and was divided into six main parts: perception, diversity, implications, efficiency, acceptability, and accessibility of E-learning. Results: The response rate was 94.4% (total = 410, retrieved = 387), of which 61.8% (n = 239) stated that they had heard something about E-learning. Meanwhile, 52.2% (n = 202) of students had no idea about virtual patients. Notably, 73.1% (n = 283) agreed that cell phones can be used as a teaching modality, whereas 52.2% (n = 202) opined that cell phones can play a role in stimulating critical thinking among medical students. Sixty percent (n = 232) of students believed that E-learning has the potential to expand educational opportunities. Compared to male students, female students had a higher perception of cheating and fraud (p = 0.039) during E-learning as well as perception of a decline in personal efforts in quest of knowledge (p = 0.032). Conclusion: There is a growing positive perception of E-learning, but the level of acceptance remains low. Further research is required on how to enhance and maximize the confident utilization of ever-increasing opportunities in E-learning. Establishing well-developed E-learning facilities in Saudi educational institutions will tremendously enhance educational opportunities for its students.

Intellectual capital has been grabbed the attention of researchers due to its momentous role in sustainable competitive advantage and organizational success. There is a growing catalog of related assessments, publications and reviews that display the direct and indirect role of intellectual capital in business success and profitability. Despite the bourgeoning literature, studies have not yet unleashed the influence of each dimension of intellectual capital; human capital, structural capital and customer capital on SMEs' efficiency with financial resources as a moderator. The present study fills the gap and assesses if financial resources strengthen the paths between the dimensions of intellectual capital and SMEs' efficiency. A survey method was used and collected evidence from 264 Chinese SMEs. The findings exhibit that human capital directly enhances SMEs' efficiency but the presence of financial resources as a moderator weakens the influence. However, social capital and customer capital do not directly improve SMEs' efficiency but financial resources reinforce the paths social and customer capital and SMEs efficiency. This research recommends that owners and managers of SMEs need to use their financial resources complementary with structural and customer capital while human capital should be used exclusively.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235462.].

The rapid growth of industrial and agricultural activities in Malaysia are leading to the impairment of most of the rivers in recent years through realising various trace metals. This leads to toxicity, particularly when the toxic has entered the food chain. Perak River is one of the most dynamic rivers for the Malaysian population. Therefore, in consideration of the safety issue, this study was conducted to assess the concentration of such metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Pb) in the muscles of most widely consumed fish species (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii, Puntius bulum, Puntius daruphani, Hexanematichthys sagor, Channa striatus, Mystacoleucus marginatus, and Devario regina) from different locations of Perak River, Malaysia by employing inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Among the trace metals, Fe and Cd were found to be the highest (29.33-148.01 μg/g) and lowest (0.16-0.49 μg/g) concentration in all of the studied species, respectively. Although the estimated daily intakes (μg/kg/day) of Cd (0.65-0.85), Fe (79.27-352.00) and Pb (0.95-12.17) were higher than their reference, the total target hazard quotients values suggested that the local residents would not experience any adverse health effects from its consumption. In contrast, the target cancer risk value suggested that all fish species posed a potential cancer risk due to Cd and cumulative cancer risk values, strongly implying that continuous consumption of studied fish species would cause cancer development to its consumers.

In this study, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, brine shrimp lethality, and FTIR studies were evaluated. The oxidative burst assay using the chemiluminescence technique, MTT assay, brine shrimp lethality assay, and FTIR analysis were the methods used for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory, anticancer, brine shrimp lethality, and FTIR studies, respectively. The whole-plant butanol fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WBFHE) showed anti-inflammatory activity on ROS having IC5014.7±2.5 while the extract and other fractions of the whole plant of Heliotropium europaeum exhibited no anti-inflammatory activity. None of the extract and fractions of the whole plant of Heliotropium europaeum exhibited anticancer (MCF-7, 3T3, and HeLa cell lines) activities. The whole-plant aqueous fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WAFHE) and whole-plant butanol fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WBFHE) showed lethality at high concentration while at low concentration, no toxicity was shown. The whole-plant methanolic extract of Heliotropium europaeum (WMEHE) and whole-plant n-hexane fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WHFHE) exhibited no toxicity. FTIR interpretation showed the functional groups for the aromatic compounds, phenols, carboxylic acids, esters, alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, alkyl halides, sulfate esters, phosphines, silanes, nitriles, thiols, amines, phosphoric acids, and nitro compounds.

Several graph invariants have been defined and studied, which present applications in nanochemistry, computer networks, and other areas of science. One vastly studied class of the graph invariants is the class of the topological indices, which helps in the studies of chemical, biological, and physical properties of a chemical structure. One recently introduced graph invariant is the face index, which can assist in predicting the energy and the boiling points of the certain chemical structures. In this paper, we drive the analytical closed formulas of face index of silicon carbides Si2C3−Ia,b, Si2C3−IIa,b, Si2C3−IIIa,b, and SiC3−IIIa,b.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major risk factor for cervical cancer (CC) in women of reproductive age. Despite advances in treatment and prevention of CC by HPV vaccination, very few women utilize them because of a lack of awareness about HPV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study among Health Professions Students (HPS) at King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah. Data were collected using a predesigned and validated study questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception of HPS toward HPV. RESULTS: A total of 580 HPS responded to the survey; 128 (22.1%) were male, while 452 (77.9%) were female with the mean age ± standard deviation 20.36 ± 1.74 years. There was no significant difference between males and females related to screening of HPV and CC (82.8%; 82.3%). A minority (30.3%) of participants thought that HPV infection leads to CC, while 38.3% did not know about it. Furthermore, knowledge about HPV screening and vaccination was poor. CONCLUSIONS: Students from the college of medicine had more knowledge and awareness about HPV (34.9%, P < 0.001). Thus, it is important to implement effective education programs, curricular activities, and awareness campaigns for health professions to augment the learning process effectively.

Crop production is a serious challenge to provide food for the 10 billion individuals forecasted to live across the globe in 2050. The scientists’ emphasize establishing an equilibrium among diversity and quality of crops by enhancing yield to fulfill the increasing demand for food supply sustainably. The exploitation of genetic resources using genomics and metabolomics strategies can help generate resilient plants against stressors in the future. The innovation of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategies laid the foundation to unveil various plants’ genetic potential and help us to understand the domestication process to unmask the genetic potential among wild-type plants to utilize for crop improvement. Nowadays, NGS is generating massive genomic resources using wild-type and domesticated plants grown under normal and harsh environments to explore the stress regulatory factors and determine the key metabolites. Improved food nutritional value is also the key to eradicating malnutrition problems around the globe, which could be attained by employing the knowledge gained through NGS and metabolomics to achieve suitability in crop yield. Advanced technologies can further enhance our understanding in defining the strategy to obtain a specific phenotype of a crop. Integration among bioinformatic tools and molecular techniques, such as marker-assisted, QTLs mapping, creation of reference genome, de novo genome assembly, pan- and/or super-pan-genomes, etc., will boost breeding programs. The current article provides sequential progress in NGS technologies, a broad application of NGS, enhancement of genetic manipulation resources, and understanding the crop response to stress by producing plant metabolites. The NGS and metabolomics utilization in generating stress-tolerant plants/crops without deteriorating a natural ecosystem is considered a sustainable way to improve agriculture production. This highlighted knowledge also provides useful research that explores the suitable resources for agriculture sustainability.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to determine the typology of corporate culture of Islamic banking. This study also aims to determine the influence of corporate culture of Islamic banking on marketing performance. This study proves that the corporate culture of Islamic banking that accommodates the Islamic teaching has influence on marketing performance. This study is a comparative study between Bank Muamalat and BNI Syariah. Mixed method is used in this study to analyze collected data. The primary data obtained through survey and interview with employees of the Islamic bank. While secondary data obtained from the annual report documentation, books and articles in scientific journals and other sources that relevant to the research. Keywords: Corporate Culture, Marketing Performance, Islamic Banking

ABSTRACT Magelang duck is the Indonesian wild duck that have high egg and meat production. To increase egg production hence in this research magelang ducks are supplemented with curcumin and exposure of white and red light. The aim of the research to study growth beak duckling from parental magelang ducks that supplemented curcumin and red light exposure. The research design used complete randomized design from fourdifferents group of ducks, i.e., A0B0 (duck without curcumin and white light exposure), A0B1 (duck without curcumin and red light exposure), A0B1 (curcumin dose of 18 mg/duck/day and white light exposure and A1B1 (curcumin dose 18 mg/duck/day and red light exposure). Five female ducklings were taken from each group and their morphometry were measured. The variables of this research were the length, width and height of beaks. The collected data were analized with Kruskal-Wallis non parametric test and would be further tested with Mann-Whitney-U test. The result of this research showed that curcumin supplementaion and red light exposure in ducks affected the magelang ducklings beak growth. Keywords : beaks, curcumin, growth, magelang ducks, red light. ABSTRAK Itik magelang merupakan itik liar asli Indonesia yang memiliki produksi telur dan daging relatif tinggi. Untuk meningkatkan produksi telur maka pada penelitian ini itik magelang diberi suplementasi kurkumin serta pajanan cahaya putih dan merah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh pemberian kurkumin serta cahaya putih dan merah pada induk terhadap pertumbuhan paruh anak itik magelang. Rancangan penelitian yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) yang berasal dari empat induk yang berbeda, yaitu induk A0B0 (tanpa diberi kurkumin dan dipapar cahaya putih), A0B1 (tanpa diberi kurkumin dan dipapar cahaya merah), A1B0 (dosis kurkumin 18 mg/ekor/hari dan paparan cahaya putih) dan A1B1 (dosis kurkumin 18 mg/ekor/hari pada cahaya merah). Masing-masing kelompok induk diambil lima ekor anak itik untuk diukur paruhnya. Variabel yang diamati berupa pengukuran panjang, lebar, dan tebal paruh. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis menggunakan uji non parametrik Kruskal-Wallis dan diuji lanjut menggunakan uji Mann-Whitney-U. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa suplementasi kurkumin dan pajanan cahaya putih serta merah pada induk secara umum dapat meningkatkan pertumbuhan paruh anak itik. Kata kunci: paruh, kurkumin, pertumbuhan, itik magelang, cahaya merah.

ABSTRACT Cholesterol in eggs become constraints limiting consumption eggs by the part of community. The purpose of this study was to find supplement formula in cinnamon bark and leaf pegagan to produce low quail eggs cholesterol and rich in antioxidants. The method used in this study was a complete randomized design consisting of eight treatments with three replications. Eight such treatments, including controls, standard feeds supplemented with cinnamon bark flour 5% and 10%, standard feeds supplemented with pegagan leaf flour 5% and 10%, standard feeds supplemented with flour from cinnamon bark and pegagan leaf (5%:5%, 5%:10% and 10%:5%). The results showed that supplementation of flour from cinnamon bark and pegagan leaf in the feed can increase body weight, egg weight and antioxidant content of egg yolk but decrease the amount or productivity of egg and yolk cholesterol content of quail eggs. Supplementation of flour from cinnamon bark in the feed with concentration 5% or a combination of flour from cinnamon bark-pegagan leaf with ratio 5%:10% gived the best influence on some parameters observed. Low cholesterol and rich in antioxidants can provide solutions to meet the needs of animal protein and improve the quality of public health. Keywords: antioxsidants, cholesterol, cinnamon bark, pegagan leaf, quail eggs ABSTRAK Kolesterol dalam telur burung puyuh menjadi kendala pembatasan konsumsi masyarakat terhadap telur puyuh. Tujuan penelitian ini mencari formula suplemen dalam pakan berbahan kulit kayu manis dan daun pegagan dan menghasilkan telur puyuh rendah kolesterol dan kaya antioksidan. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah rancangan acak lengkap yang terdiri atas 8 perlakuan dengan 3x ulangan. Delapan perlakuan tersebut, meliputi kontrol, pakan yang diberi suplemen tepung kulit kayu manis 5% atau 10%, pakan yang diberi suplemen tepung daun pegagan 5% atau 10%, pakan yang diberi suplemen tepung kulit kayu manis dan pegagan (5%:5%, 5%:10% atau 10%:5%). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa suplemen tepung kulit kayu manis dan daun pegagan dalam pakan dapat meningkatkan bobot tubuh, bobot telur, dan kadar antioksidan kuning telur namun menurunkan jumlah/produktivitas telur dan kadar kolesterol kuning telur pada puyuh. Suplemen tepung kulit kayu manis dalam pakan dengan konsentrasi 5% atau kombinasi tepung kulit kayu manis-daun pegagan dengan rasio 5%:10% memberi pengaruh terbaik terhadap beberapa parameter yang diamati. Telur puyuh rendah kolesterol dan kaya antioksidan dapat memberi solusi terhadap pemenuhan kebutuhan protein hewani dan peningkatan kualitas kesehatan masyarakat. Kata kunci: antioksidan, kolesterol, kayu manis, pegagan, telur puyuh

Technological advancement in previous years has resulted in decrease in the size of microprocessors and thus, high heat generation. To address this problem, experiments were carried out to optimize the performance of nanofluid-cooled heat sinks at a power of 300 W for better thermal management. The optimization process involved varying both the concentration of the coolant (and by extension, its thermo-physical properties) and the fin spacing of the heat sink (to modify the convective and conductive heat transfer area) to achieve the lowest thermal resistance at different flow rates. Instead of an actual microprocessor, a copper block heated by a mica insulated clamp heater (rated at 285 W) was used to simulate the microprocessor. The evaluation of the heat sink performance was also based on the lowest base temperature achieved, the total heat rejected and the overall heat transfer coefficients for all iterations.

This study aimed to analyse the effect of service quality and price to corporate, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of mobile telecommunications services in the city of Sulaymaniyah. The aim of this study is to determine and analyse the perception of the people about the GSM operators. Research conducted on peoples living in the city by setting a sample of 515 respondents. Data were analysed using covariance and correlation analysis and also regression analysis. The results show us that the loyalty of a customer to a GSM operator significantly depends on the trust, corporate image, and satisfaction of the customers.

Islamic Hedging is one of the instruments in financial management that is used to reduce the risks associated with price and currency movements. But in a conventional perspective, hedging involves the use of controversial derivative instruments in Islamic view. The noble objective of this hedging has been misunderstood for profit only. Therefore, the concept of hedging needs further discussion because of various interpretations of the meaning of it. This study found that the concept of hedging according to Islam is different from the concept of conventional hedging. In addition, there are differences in the use of contracts in Islamic Hedging in Indonesia and Malaysia.

One effort that can be done to improve soil fertility and crop yields is fertilization. Fertilization using a mixed source fertilizer (MSF) is an option to overcome the impact of inorganic fertilizer use and organic fertilizer drawbacks. This study aims to evaluate the effects of MSF application on the chemical properties of Inceptisol and rice yields. A field experiment was conducted using a completely randomized block design (RCBD) with two factors and three replications. The first factor was the three formulas of MSF (F1, F2, F3) and the second factor was MSF doses (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 Mg ha-1). The results show that there is no significant difference on the total soil N, available soil P, plant height and total number of tillers of rice plants applied with the three MSF formulas. The increased MSF doses applied significantly improve the soil chemical properties of Inceptisol and rice yields. The application of 10 Mg ha-1 MSF increases total- N (57.89%), available-P (29.13%), exchangeable-Ca and -Mg (117% and 250%, respectively), plant height (40%) and total number of tillers (43.2%) in comparison to those without MSF application. There are interaction effects between formulas and doses of MSF on the amount of exchangeable-K, organic-C content, and CEC of the soil and rice yields. The application of 10 Mg ha-1 MSF F3 results in better effects on the amount of exchangeable-K, organic-C content and CEC of the soil, and number of productive tillers and rice yields than the application of other MSF formulas. The MSF can be used as an alternatif fertilizer that can improve Inceptisol productivity.

Highly stable, small-sized and evenly distributed solid mercury nanoparticles capped with ibuprofen (Ibu-HgNPs) were prepared via reduction with hydrazine and capped with ibuprofen as a stabilizing agent. Characterization of Ibu-HgNPs was carried out by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The prepared Ibu-HgNPs were immobilized onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and used for the first time as the sensing element for voltammetric determination of low concentrations of acrylamide (AA) in aqueous solutions. Various parameters such as the type of supporting electrolyte, voltammetric mode, frequency, deposition time, stirring rate and initial potential were optimized to obtain the highest peak current of AA. The sensor delivered the best results in combination with the square wave voltammetry (SWV) mode, with good repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD) of 25 repetitions was 1.4% for 1000 ppb AA). The study further revealed that Ibu-HgNPs are strongly adhered to GCE and hence do not contaminate the environment even after several runs. The newly developed AA sensor provides linear calibration dependence in the range of 100–1300 ppb with an R2 value of 0.996 and limit of detection (LOD) of 8.5 ppb. Negligible interference was confirmed from several organic compounds, cations and anions. The developed sensor was successfully applied for AA determination in various types of environmental real water samples to prove its practical usefulness and applicability.

The purpose of this study is to find out that how the innovative behavior of employees can be enhanced and whether it remains same as the organizational tenure of employees increases. We propose that innovativeness among employees may be enhanced through four factors which include perceived failure tolerance, communication openness, work discretion, and reward fairness. Further, we assume that the effect of predictors will be moderated by the organizational tenure of the employees. Data were collected from 381 employees from the telecommunication sector in Pakistan. The application of two step structural equations modeling shows that all the antecedents have positive effect on employee innovativeness. Further, organizational tenure moderates this effect negatively. Employees with lesser organizational tenure were found to be more innovative. We recommend that organizations must establish a culture based on failure tolerance, open communication, work discretion, and fairness in order to cultivate innovative behaviors among employee. Furthermore, special refresher trainings, and lucrative incentives should be given to employees with higher organizational tenure in order to benefit their innovative potential.

"Hadîth is the second important source of Islamic Law after the Qur’ᾱn. There is a consensus among the Muslims that Sunnah is the second revealed fundamental source of Islamic sciences. Due to the importance of these fundamental sources, Muslim scholars and educational institutions around the world have played an important role in the development of Hadîth sciences. There are different teaching methodologies and learning approaches. We should use different teaching methods to improve the quality of Hadith studies to the best level and achieve our objectives. The Applied approach is an approach that emphasizes the relevance of what is being learnt to the real world outside the classroom and makes that relevance as immediate and transparent as possible. It is a valuable approach that can be used at all levels of education. It motivates students, improves their confidence and also provides a meaningful context for learning both theoretical concepts and practical skills. There are immense possibilities for development in Hadîth studies by using the applied approach in teaching and learning of Hadîth and its sciences. The challenge is to ensure that applied approach in teaching of Hadith and its sciences plays a constructive role in improving the educational quality of Hadith studies to the level best. This research article is based on importance of applied approach in teaching of Hadîth and its Sciences. "

Unicellular volvocalean green algal Haematococcus pluvialis, known as astaxanthin rich microalgae, transforms into aplanospore stage from the flagellate stage when exposed to the stress environments. However, the mechanism of the formation of aplanospore cell wall, which hinders the extraction of astaxanthin and the genetic manipulation is still unclear. In this study, the cell wall components under salicylic acid and high light stresses were explored, and cellulose was considered the main component in the flagellates, which changed gradually into mannose in the aplanospore stages. During the period, the genes related to the cellulose and mannose metabolisms were identified based on the RNA-seq data, which presented a similar expression pattern. The positive correlations were observed among these studied genes by Pearson Correlation (PC) analysis, indicating the coordination between pathways of cellulose and mannose metabolism. The study firstly explored the formation mechanism of aplanospore cell wall, which might be of scientific significance in the study of H. pluvialis.

The MYB transcription factors (TFs) are evolving as critical role in the regulation of the phenylpropanoid and tanshinones biosynthetic pathway. MYB TFs relate to a very important gene family, which are involved in the regulation of primary and secondary metabolisms, terpenoids, bioactive compounds, plant defense against various stresses and cell morphology. R2R3 MYB TFs contained a conserved N-terminal domain, but the domain at C-terminal sorts them different regarding their structures and functions. MYB TFs suppressors generally possess particular repressive motifs, such as pdLNLD/ELxiG/S and TLLLFR, which contribute to their suppression role through a diversity of complex regulatory mechanisms. A novel flower specific “NF/YWSV/MEDF/LW” conserved motif has a great potential to understand the mechanisms of flower development. In the current review, we summarize recent advanced progress of MYB TFs on transcription regulation, posttranscriptional, microRNA, conserved motif and propose directions to future prospective research. We further suggest there should be more focus on the investigation for the role of MYB TFs in microalgae, which has great potential for heterologous protein expression system for future perspectives.

Pakistan, an agricultural country, raises 146.5 million commercial and domestic poultry birds, which generate around 544,831 tons of waste per year. This waste finds its final disposal in agricultural land as soil fertilizer or disposal site amendment. The usage of poultry litter for this purpose is uncontrolled, which results in environmental degradation such as emission of greenhouse gases, e.g., methane. However, alternative options such as thermochemical conversion of poultry litter can offer better solutions where this waste can be used as a low-cost carbon source for the synthesis of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs). In this study, efforts were made to utilize this cheap and plentiful carbon source for the synthesis of CNTs in the presence of Ni/Mo/MgO as a catalyst, through pyrolysis. For a better yield of carbon product, the optimum ratio for the catalysts (Ni/Mo/MgO) was found to be 4:0.2:1. Furthermore, the process parameters were also optimized for better carbon yield. A good yield of CNTs resulted from a pyrolysis time of 12 min, a temperature of 825 °C, and a catalyst weight of 100 mg. The structure and morphology of the produced nanotubes were confirmed through X-ray Diffractometer (X-RD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The environmental application of the nanotubes was tested in a synthetic chromium solution in the lab using a batch experiment. Different experimental conditions (pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time) were optimized to improve the adsorption of Cr (VI) by carbon nanotubes and a UV-Visible spectrophotometer was used at 540 nm to measure the absorbance of Cr (VI). The results showed that up to 81.83% of Cr (VI) removal was achieved by using 8 mg of CNTs at pH 3 with 400 rpm at 180 min of contact time. Thus, it was concluded that poultry litter can be a useful source for the synthesis of MWCNTs and thereby removal of Cr (VI) from industrial tanneries’ wastewater.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a threatening issue to human wellbeing and an obstacle in the treatment process of many life-threating illnesses. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic usage among the general population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A self-administered cross-sectional survey of 460 participants was distributed among the general population in Jeddah in the form of a validated questionnaire. Sample size was calculated to be 460 adults of either gender. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: the age of more than half of participants (55.6%) was 18–30 years old, followed by the age group 31–40 years old (26.6%), with the smallest age group >60 years old (1.9%). More than two thirds of participants were male (69.5%), while 131 were female, accounting for 30.5%. Almost one third of participants had poor knowledge about antibiotics (30.5%), 51.0% had used antibiotics without any prescriptions, 54.6% of participants thought antibiotics could be used to treat viral infections, and 55.1% thought it was acceptable to stop taking antibiotics if symptoms start to improve. In addition, 49% believed that taking antibiotics would help them get better more rapidly when suffering from the common cold. Some personal characteristics were significantly associated with the public’s knowledge (e.g., age, education, and monthly income) and their attitudes (e.g., monthly income). Conclusion: Findings revealed a low level of knowledge on the use of antibiotics among the general public in Jeddah. This study signifies the need for improvement in the public’s knowledge and enhancement of their attitudes toward proper utilization of antibiotics.

The curriculum of medical schools includes courses on antibiotics. Therefore, it is worth exploring information related to the knowledge and attitudes about antibiotics. In this cross-sectional study the questionnaire was administered to the undergraduates in two phases, before and after attending the basic medical science courses. The data were collected on demographic variables, source of antibiotics, level of knowledge, and changes in attitude statements. Data analysis was implemented using SPSS. The mean age of participants was 19.87 and 20.15 in phases I and II, respectively. Most of the participants’ parents had education at the university level and a monthly income above 15,000 SAR. Generally, students had good knowledge and attitude about antibiotics. A significant improvement in students’ knowledge in phase-II was noticed in “level of knowledge” (p-value = 0.044), “paracetamol is considered an antibiotic” (p-value < 0.001) and “overuse of antibiotics can cause antibiotics resistance” (p-value = 0.003). The overall knowledge and attitude of pre-professional students were good in both phases, but their attitude did not improve at a significant level in phase-II. There is a need to put more focus on antimicrobial therapy in their training.

This paper presents an approach used for automated generations of software constraints. In this model, the SBVR (Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Rules) based semi-formal representation is obtained from the syntactic and semantic analysis of a NL (Natural Language) (such as English) sentence. A SBVR representation is easy to translate to other formal languages as SBVR is based on higher-order logic like other formal languages such as OCL (Object Constraint Language). The proposed model endows with a systematic and powerful system of incorporating NL knowledge on the formal languages. A prototype is constructed in Java (an Eclipse plug-in) as a proof of the concept. The performance was tested for a few sample texts taken from existing research thesis reports and books

Crop rotation can be used as an effective technique for managing salt-affected soils, however selection of suitable crop rotation at farmer field is very intricate decision which depends on expected net revenue, available resources and preserving the soil quality. In this perspective a study was conducted to evaluate a suitable crop rotation scheme for salt affected soils in term of economic value and improving the soil health. Seven crop rotation used were; T1 = Wheat-Rice, T2 = Wheat-Sesamum, T3 = Ispagol-Rice, T4 = Ispagol-Qulfa, T5 = Tukhum-e-blangoo-Qulfa, T6 = Ajwain-Niazboo, T7 = Saunf-Podina. A moderately salt affected field {pHs = 8.65, ECe = 5.20 dS m-1, SAR = 27.73 (mmol l-1)1/2} was selected. The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications having plot size of 4 m x 6 m. Results of two years study showed that maximum grain yield was recorded by rice wheat rotation and maximum net income (208352 Rs. ha−1) and BCR (4.72) was also observed in rice-wheat crop rotation over all other crop rotations. With respect to ameliorative affect, rice- wheat rotation also showed a significant positive impact on chemical properties of salt affected soil. Therefore, it is suggested that rice wheat crop rotation is the most suitable and economically attractive cropping scheme in salt affected soil which has potential to provide better long-term income to farmers, improve soil health and combat soil deterioration caused by salinity.

The aim of this study was to compute the theoretical (software-based) spectroscopic properties of valeraldehyde as a member of the aldehyde family. The structural, thermochemical, electrical and spectroscopic properties of valeraldehyde were investigated using a quantum calculation approach. The infrared, ultraviolet-visible, Raman, and vibrational self-consistent field calculations and thermochemistry were calculated using the computational software GAMESS (General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System) and the nuclear magnetic resonance predictions were calculated. The calculated energy gap between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) was 164.892.eV, which means valeraldehyde is a poor electrical conductor. The band gap is a non-neglected parameter for optical material. Results of the current computational analysis are useful to predict even a complex aldehyde precursor. Significance: • The computational strategy used successfully here could also be useful for investigation of other aldehyde polymers.

Sustainable management of leachate produced from the dumpsite is one of the major concerns in developing countries Aquatic plants such as duckweed have the potential to remove pollutants from wastewater which can also be cost-effective and feasible options for leachate treatment. Therefore, the objective of our present study was to examine the growth and nutrient removal efficiency of duckweed (Lemna minor) on leachate. Three tests were performed each by growing lemna minor on synthetic leachate under controlled conditions and on dumpsite leachate under natural conditions. During each test, duckweed was grown in 300 ml plastic containers with a surface area of 25.8 cm2. About 60 mg of fresh mass of duckweed was grown on 250 ml leachate at an internal depth of 9.5 cm. Results revealed that, in comparison to synthetic leachate, duckweed removed Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P) more efficiently from dumpsite leachate under natural climatic conditions. However, the amounts of N and P absorbed into duckweed body mass were about 16% and 35% respectively more at synthetic leachate under controlled conditions. Maximum growth rate of duckweed (7.03 g m-2 day-1) was also observed for synthetic leachate in comparison to the growth rate of 4.87 g m-2 day-1 at dumpsite leachate. Results of this study provide a useful interpretation of duckweed growth and nutrient removal dynamics from leachate under natural and laboratory conditions.

In this study, GC-MS analysis has shown that whole plant hexane fraction of Achillea wilhelmsii (WHFAW) consists of 66 compounds which exhibited antileishmanial activity. Antileishmanial bioassay was the method used for determining antileishmanial activity. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) which was observed for whole plant hexane fraction of Achillea wilhelmsii (WHFAW) against parasitic and vector-borne disease, leishmaniasis, is 58.27 ± 0.52 μg/mL. For leishmanicidal assay, Leishmania major is the species used for analysis. Whole plant methanol extract of Achillea wilhelmsii (WMEAW) and whole plant aqueous fraction of Achillea wilhelmsii (WAFAW) exhibited no antileishmanial activity.

Plants, due to their sessile nature, have an innate immune system that helps them to defend against different pathogen infections. The defense response of plants is composed of a highly regulated and complex molecular network, involving the extensive reprogramming of gene expression during the presence of pathogenic molecular signatures. Plants attain proper defense against pathogens through the transcriptional regulation of genes encoding defense regulatory proteins and hormone signaling pathways. Small RNAs are emerging as versatile regulators of plant development and act in different tiers of plant immunity, including pathogen-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). The versatile regulatory functions of small RNAs in plant growth and development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses have been widely studied in recent years. However, available information regarding the contribution of small RNAs in plant immunity against pathogens is more limited. This review article will focus on the role of small RNAs in innate immunity in plants.

Butterflies are the fine-looking creatures and act as ecological indicators and pollinators. The present study is the first record of Butterfly fauna of Dir lower. Collection was carried out during March - August 2013. The specimens were collected and identified with the help of taxonomic keys and preserved specimens in National Insect Museum Islamabad. The collection of 375 specimens were preserved. Identification revealed 24 species belonging to 20 genera and 7 families. The species are Papilio polyctor Boisduval, Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, Junonia almanac Linnaeus, Pararge schakra Kollar, Junonia hierta Fabricius, Junonia orythea Linnaeus, Argyrius hyperbius Linnaeus, Hypolimnus bolina Linnaeus, Vanessa cashmiriensis Kollar, Phalantha phalantha Drury, Melitea didyma Esper, Lycaena phalaeas Linnaeus, Lybithea lipita Moore, Danius chrysippus Linnaeus, Hipparchia parasitas Kollar, Lethe rohria Fabricius, Maniola davendra Moore, Pontia daplidice Linnaeus, Belenois aurota Fabricius, Pieris brassicae Linnaeus, Colias erate Esper, Eurema hecabe Linnaeus, Colias fieldi Linnaeus and Cynthia cardui Linnaeus. The highest population was shown by Pieris brassicae followed by Danius chrysippus and Cynthia cardui. Twelve species belong to family Nymphalidae (50%), which shows the highest abundance rate. Butterfly density was the highest at Timergara. Butterfly fauna was the highest in May followed by August and lowest in March. It is concluded that pollution free environment of Dir Lower is more suitable for the survival of butterfly fauna. Large scale study is required to fully explore the butterfly fauna of the area.

Panax ginseng is categorized as parental herb tribe to Asian people, particularly to Korea and China and it is widely used as an alternative remedy in Eastern Asia countries since many years ago. Based on traditional practice and recent research on this ancient herb, all parts of the ginseng contain pharmacologically active elements; however, it has been found that the main ingredient comes from its roots has a numerous compounds and chemicals that can exert the pharmacological properties such as lowering blood glucose, lowering hypertension, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic agents, anti-stress, improve vitality, sexual dysfunctions, and promote healing process; thus, it is also called as modern tonic traditional complementary medicine. However, some modern research has identified that it can cause severe side effects such as mental disorder, hypertensions, bleeding allergy reactions, and renal toxicity. Therefore, the use of this herb among public is not recommended because there is not definite dose for human.

Classification in multi-modal data is one of the challenges in the machine learning field. The multi-modal data need special treatment as its features are distributed in several areas. This study proposes multi-codebook fuzzy neural networks by using intelligent clustering and dynamic incremental learning for multi-modal data classification. In this study, we utilized intelligent K-means clustering based on anomalous patterns and intelligent K-means clustering based on histogram information. In this study, clustering is used to generate codebook candidates before the training process, while incremental learning is utilized when the condition to generate a new codebook is sufficient. The condition to generate a new codebook in incremental learning is based on the similarity of the winner class and other classes. The proposed method was evaluated in synthetic and benchmark datasets. The experiment results showed that the proposed multi-codebook fuzzy neural networks that use dynamic incremental learning have significant improvements compared to the original fuzzy neural networks. The improvements were 15.65%, 5.31% and 11.42% on the synthetic dataset, the benchmark dataset, and the average of all datasets, respectively, for incremental version 1. The incremental learning version 2 improved by 21.08% 4.63%, and 14.35% on the synthetic dataset, the benchmark dataset, and the average of all datasets, respectively. The multi-codebook fuzzy neural networks that use intelligent clustering also had significant improvements compared to the original fuzzy neural networks, achieving 23.90%, 2.10%, and 15.02% improvements on the synthetic dataset, the benchmark dataset, and the average of all datasets, respectively.

One of the challenges in machine learning is a classification in multi-modal data. The problem needs a customized method as the data has a feature that spreads in several areas. This study proposed a multi-codebook fuzzy neural network classifiers using clustering and incremental learning approaches to deal with multi-modal data classification. The clustering methods used are K-Means and GMM clustering. Experiment result, on a synthetic dataset, the proposed method achieved the highest performance with 84.76% accuracy. Whereas on the benchmark dataset, the proposed method has the highest performance with 79.94% accuracy. The proposed method has 24.9% and 4.7% improvements in synthetic and benchmark datasets respectively compared to the original version. The proposed classifier has better accuracy compared to a popular neural network with 10% and 4.7% margin in synthetic and benchmark dataset respectively.

Introduction: Knowledge and attitudes towards proper antibiotic usage among students in medical and other health allied fields play a vital role in limiting the pandemic of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic usage among pre-professional students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences on Jeddah Campus, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A self-administered cross-sectional survey of 347 first year students was conducted at the College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences using a validated questionnaire. Results: Nearly 63% of the students had a moderate level of knowledge. Two third of the students (69.7%) correctly knew that antibiotics are indicated for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, about 36% of the students incorrectly thought that antibiotics are also used to treat viral infections, while 28.5% were not sure. Only 38.8% of the students were aware of antibiotic resistance phenomena in relation to the overuse of antibiotics. Furthermore, only 27.3% correctly knew that penicillin is an antibiotic, and 74.4% were not sure if Paracetamol is an antibiotic. With regard to attitudes, 25.7% believed that taking antibiotics when having cold symptoms could help them to recover faster, while 39.6% expected antibiotics to be prescribed for common cold symptoms. Conclusion: The students have misconception regarding antibiotic use indications. Therefore, awareness campaigns are needed to promote student’s use of antibiotics in young generations particularly among the pre-professional health sciences students.

Background: A great deal of research has been carried out on the assessment of the eudaimonic perspective of psychological well-being and the hedonic perspective of subjective well-being. The Flourishing Scale (FS) has been extensively used in research and practice, as it assesses the fundamental aspects of social psychological functioning. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of Urdu versions of eudaimonic measures, such as the FS, have not yet been ascertained. The translation and validation of the FS in the Urdu language was not available, and hence this study was planned with the aim to validate the Urdu version of the FS.Methods: We assessed the psychometric properties of the FS in a sample of adults aged 18 years and above in Pakistan (N = 130) using exploratory factor analysis based on principal component analysis with varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis.Results: The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional nature of the 8-item FS. We assessed that the Urdu version of the FS showed a high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.914) with a significant intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), p < 0.001). In our study, the Kaiser–Mayer–Olkin value was 0.915 with a chi-square test value (χ2) of 637.687, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (df = 28, p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) at test–retest for all domains were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and showed excellent agreement for all the items. The revised confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good-fit model, but with item 8—“People respect me”—removed due to its lower factor loading.Conclusions: The findings suggest that the FS is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing social psychological functioning among adults in Pakistan. Therefore, the validated Urdu version of the FS may be used in future studies of well-being in clinical psychology and positive psychology.

R2R3-MYB transcription factors play important roles in the regulation of plant flavonoid metabolites. In the current study, NtMYB3, a novel R2R3-MYB transcriptional factor isolated from Chinese narcissus (Narcissus tazetta L. var. chinensis), was functionally characterized. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that NtMYB3 belongs to the AtMYB4-like clade, which includes repressor MYBs involved in the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis. Transient assays showed that NtMYB3 significantly reduced red pigmentation induced by the potato anthocyanin activator StMYB-AN1 in agro-infiltrated leaves of tobacco. Over-expression of NtMYB3 decreased the red color of transgenic tobacco flowers, with qRT-PCR analysis showing that NtMYB3 repressed the expression levels of genes involved in anthocyanin and flavonol biosynthesis. However, the proanthocyanin content in flowers of transgenic tobacco increased as compared to wild type. NtMYB3 showed expression in all examined narcissus tissues; the expression level in basal plates of the bulb was highest. A 968 bp promoter fragment of narcissus FLS (NtFLS) was cloned, and transient expression and dual luciferase assays showed NtMYB3 repressed the promoter activity. These results reveal that NtMYB3 is involved in the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in narcissus by repressing the biosynthesis of flavonols, and this leads to proanthocyanin accumulation in the basal plate of narcissus.

This study was conducted to determine the preferences of medical and health science students about various study habits and to evaluate the effect of study habits on academic performance. This cross-sectional survey conducted in the college of medicine and the college of health science of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) from academic year 2014-2015. A total of 150 undergraduate, medical and health science, male students were selected randomly. Data collected through the validated questionnaire consisted of two parts including demographic questions and 67 items specific to study habits. The total completed questionnaires were 121 (response 80%). Their age ranged from 18 to 23 years with a mean age of 20.2 ± 1.73. Cronbach’s α reliability test of the questionnaire was .90. The average grade point average (GPA) of students was 4.62 ± 0.39. The higher mean scores of students for different components of study habits were metacognition out of five 4 ± 0.7 (median = 3.9) and concentration 4 ± 0.6 (median = 3.75). The least mean scores of students for different components of study habits were information discrimination 3 ± 0.6 (median = 3.0) and time management 3 ± 0.6 (median = 3.2). Only “information discrimination” ( p = < .01, r = .311) and “motivation” ( p = < .05, r = .201) and to lesser extent “metacognition” were associated significantly with GPA. A significant correlation between time management and age was found ( p < .04). Positive study habits have an impact on the academic achievement of medical students. Information discrimination, motivation and metacognition were associated significantly with GPA, while a significant correlation was also found between time management and age.

Al Quran telah menjadi pedoman bagi seluruh umat muslim di dunia. Al Quran tidak bisa diperbandingkan dengan kitab-kitab Nabi sebelumnya yang telah diturunkan oleh Allah. Oleh karena itu ia menjadi mukjizat terbesar, teragung, terindah sepanjang masa dalam dinamika kehidupan manusia. Bahkan dengan mukjizatnya, menjadi landasan prinsip hidup, filosofi hidup yang relevan serta tak pernah kunjung padam meski harus senantiasa bergesekan dengan alur pikir manusia yang selalu berkembang. Hal itu bisa dibuktikan dengan semakin percaya manusia pada setiap huruf, lafad, kalimat yang teruntai dengan logika bahasa, sehingga yakin akan kebenarannya. Namun dalam memahami al Quran manusia, khususnya umat muslim masih menemukan kesulitan dalam memahami arti secara benar, sebab dalalm didalamnya terdapat ayat-ayat yang masih memerlukan penjelasan lebih lanjut. Dalam kajian studi Islam hal tersebut biasa disebut dengan ayat-ayat muhkam dan mutasyabihat. Dalam memahami kedua masalah tersebut para ulamapun banyak berselisih pendapat, meskipun pada subtansinya sama-sama benar, hanya caranya yang berbeda.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two estrus synchronization treatments i.e., Ovsynch alone and Ovsynch plus Controlled Internal Drug Release (CIDR), on the occurrence of estrus and conception rate in Kundhi buffalo during breeding season in Pakistan. Forty Kundhi buffaloes were randomly selected and were divided into three groups; Group A (n=16; Ovsynch) received 2 mL GnRH intramuscularly (i/m) on day 0 and 9. On day 7, 5 mL prostaglandin F2 and #945; (PGF2 and #945; analogue) was administered through i/m route. The buffaloes of Group B (n=17; Ovsynch+CIDR) received 2 mL GnRH on day 0 along with implantation of CIDR. On day 7, the CIDR was removed, and 5 mL PGF2 and #945; analogue was injected through i/m route. A second dose of GnRH was administered through i/m route after 48 h of PGF2 and #945; inj. in both groups. Group C (n=7; control) received 2 mL normal saline through i/m route on day 0, 7 and 9. The buffaloes of all three groups were artificially inseminated twice (12 h and 24 h after the second GnRH inj.) using frozen-thawed semen. Estrus response differed significantly (P