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The projected rise in global ambient temperature by 3-5 °C by the end of this century, along with unpredicted heat waves during critical crop growth stages, can drastically reduce grain yield and will pose a great food security challenge. It is therefore important to identify wheat genetic resources able to withstand high temperatures, discover genes underpinning resilience to higher temperatures, and deploy such genetic resources in wheat breeding to develop heat-tolerant cultivars. In this study, 180 accessions of synthetic hexaploid wheats (SHWs) were evaluated under normal and late wheat growing seasons (to expose them to higher temperatures) at three locations (Islamabad, Bahawalpur, and Tando Jam), and data were collected on 11 morphological and yield-related traits. The diversity panel was genotyped with a 50 K SNP array to conduct genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for heat tolerance in SHW. A known heat-tolerance locus, TaHST1 , was profiled to identify different haplotypes of this locus in SHWs and their association with grain yield and related traits in SHWs. There was a 36% decrease in grain yield (GY), a 23% decrease in thousand-grain weight (TKW), and an 18% decrease in grains per spike (GpS) across three locations in the population due to the heat stress conditions. GWASs identified 143 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) distributed over all 21 chromosomes in the SHWs. Out of these, 52 QTNs were associated with morphological and yield-related traits under heat stress, while 15 of them were pleiotropically associated with multiple traits. The heat shock protein (HSP) framework of the wheat genome was then aligned with the QTNs identified in this study. Seventeen QTNs were in proximity to HSPs on chr2B, chr3D, chr5A, chr5B, chr6D, and chr7D. It is likely that QTNs on the D genome and those in proximity to HSPs may carry novel alleles for heat-tolerance genes. The analysis of TaHST1 indicated that 15 haplotypes were present in the SHWs for this locus, while hap1 showed the highest frequency of 25% (33 SHWs). These haplotypes were significantly associated with yield-related traits in the SHWs. New alleles associated with yield-related traits in SHWs could be an excellent reservoir for breeding deployment.

The study of boundary layer flows over an irregularly shaped needle with small horizontal and vertical dimensions is popular among academics because it seems to have a lot of uses in fields as different as bioinformatics, medicine, engineering, and aerodynamics. With nanoparticle aggregation, magnetohydrodynamics, and viscous dissipation all playing a role in the flow and heat transmission of an axisymmetric T i O 2 - C 2 H 6 O 2 nanofluid via a moving thin needle, this article provides guidance on how to employ a boundary layer for this purpose. In this case, we utilized the similarity transformation to change the dimensional partial differential equation into the dimensionless ordinary differential equation. We utilize MATHEMATICA to include shooting using RK-IV methods after identifying the numerical issue. Several characteristics were measured, leading to the discovery of a broad variety of values for things like skin friction coefficients, Nusselt numbers, velocity profiles, and temperature distributions. Velocity profile decreases with increasing values of ϕ , M , e and increases against ε . Temperature profiles enhances with increasing values of ϕ , M , e , ε , and E c . The reduction in skin friction between a needle and a fluid can be observed when the values of M and ϕ are boosted. Furthermore, it was also noticed an increase in heat transfer on needle surface dramatically when ϕ , e , and M were raised, whereas E c displayed the opposite effect. The findings of the current study are compared with prior findings for a particular instance in order to confirm the findings. Excellent agreement between the two sets of results is found.

Significance of Study: Nanofluids with aggregation effects mediated by nanoparticles, like geothermal panels and crossflow heat exchangers, ignite new industrial interests. Polymer and conversion processes have transport phenomena in the stagnation zone that must be continuously improved to raise the process quality standard., Aim of Study: Hence, the current computational study examines a T i O 2 - C 2 H 6 O 2 nanofluid's unsteady stagnation-point flow performance via a shrinking horizontal cylinder. In addition, the effects of a magnetic field, joule-heating viscous dissipation, nanoparticles aggregation and mass suction on the boundary layer flow are reflected., Method: ology: The RK-IV with shooting method is applied to resolve the simplified mathematical model numerically in computing software MATHEMATICA. In certain circumstances, comparing the current and prior findings indicates good agreement with a relative error of around 0%., Findings: The implementation of a heat transfer operation may be improved by increasing suction settings. Unsteadiness, nanoparticle volume fraction, magnetic, curvature, and Eckert number (implies the operating Joule heating and viscous dissipation) all influence heat transfer rate. The velocity and temperature profiles both increase as the unsteadiness, magnetic field, and nanoparticle volume fraction parameters increase, whereas the curvature and suction parameters show the opposite behavior. When the values of the suction parameters were changed from 2.0 to 2.5 with φ  = 0.01, the heat transfer rates rose by 4.751%. A comparison shows that the model with aggregation has a better velocity profile, while the model without aggregation has a better temperature profile., (© 2023 The Authors.)

To aid in the prevention of reaction explosions, chemical engineers and scientists must analyze the Arrhenius kinetics and activation energies of chemical reactions involving binary chemical mixtures. Nanofluids with an Arrhenius kinetic are crucial for a broad variety of uses in the industrial sector, involving the manufacture of chemicals, thermoelectric sciences, biomedical devices, polymer extrusion, and the enhancement of thermal systems via technology. The goal of this study is to determine how the presence of thermal radiation influences heat and mass transfer during free convective unsteady stagnation point flow across extending/shrinking vertical Riga plate in the presence of a binary chemical reaction where the activation energy of the reaction is known in advance. For the purpose of obtaining numerical solutions to the mathematical model of the present issue the Runge-Kutta (RK-IV) with shooting technique in Mathematica was used. Heat and mass transfer processes, as well as interrupted flow phenomena, are characterized and explained by diagrams in the suggested suction variables along boundary surface in the stagnation point flow approaching a permeable stretching/shrinking Riga Plate. Graphs illustrated the effects of many other factors on temperature, velocity, concentration, Sherwood and Nusselt number as well as skin friction in detail. Velocity profile increased with Z , λ and S and decreased with ε . Increasing values of ε , λ and S decline the temperature profile. The concentration profile boosts up with Z , α and slow down with ε , S c , β , δ and n 1 parameters. Skin friction profile increased with Z and S and decreased with ε . Nusselt number profile increased with S , Z , ε and radiation. Sherwood number profile shows upsurges with ε , Z , α , S c , β , S and n 1 whereas slow down with δ . So that the verdicts could be confirmed, a study was done to compare the most recent research with the results that had already been published for a certain case. The outcomes demonstrated strong concordance between the two sets of results., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Significance of Study: Typical liquids aren't great for engineering because of their low heat conductivity. To enhance heat transfer capabilities in industries as diverse as computers, pharmaceuticals, and molten metals, researchers and scientists have developed nanofluids, which are composed of nanoparticles distributed in a base fluid., Aim of Study: Mathematical modeling of micropolar C u - H 2 O nanofluid driven by a deformable sheet in the stagnation area with nanoparticle aggregation, thermal radiation, and the mass suction action has been investigated in this paper. In this case, copper ( C u ) nanoparticles make up the nanofluid., Method: ology: We have used suitable transformations to arrive at a system of nonlinear ODEs, which we then solve numerically in MATHEMATICA using Runge-Kutta methods of the fourth order coupled with shooting approaches., Findings: Tables and graphs are used to examine the effects of immersed flow and display profiles of physical parameters of interest. This includes velocities, temperatures, skin friction, and Nusselt numbers. The average heat transfer rate increased to 17 . 725 % as the volume percentage of copper nanoparticles in micropolar nanofluid increased from 0.0 to 0.01 . Additionally, the results showed that the local Nusselt number of the micropolar nanofluid increased along with an increase in the unsteady and radiation parameters. However, its value is reduced in an undeniable fashion if a material parameter is present. The impact of radiation on the aggregation of nanoparticles is compared and contrasted with the effects of a non-radiative scenario, and the resulting fluctuations in Nusselt numbers are provided in tables. When the results of this study were compared to data that had already been published about some cases, a lot of agreement was found., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Urtica dioica (UD), as a natural antioxidant, has positive effects on oocyte maturation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hydro-alcoholic UD extract and retinoic acid on follicular development in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) condition. Methods: A total of 40 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: group 1 received normal saline, group 2 was given 25 mg/kg retinoic acid, group 3 was administered with 100 mg/kg UD extract, group 4 was treated with retinoic acid plus UD extract, and group 5 received 10 mg/kg olive oil. The histomorphometric parameters were analyzed, including the number of follicles, follicular atrophy, fertilized oocytes, 2-cell embryos, dead embryos, and blastocysts. Results: Retinoic acid caused a significant increase in the primary, preantral, and atretic follicles and a substantial decrease in the corpus luteum compared with the control group ( p <0.001). The number of preantral, antral follicles, and corpus luteum was significantly higher in group 3 compared with group 1 ( p <0.001). Moreover, coadministration of UD plus retinoic acid (group 4) significantly reduced the atretic follicles ( p <0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results, UD herbal extract, as a natural antioxidant agent, could reduce the adverse effects of retinoic acid on oocyte maturation in an IVF condition., (© 2023 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

The stretched surface's convective heat transfer capability can be improved by using nanoparticles. There is a significant role of the Prandtl number in determining the thermal and momentum stretching layer surfaces. It is proposed in this study that an effective Prandtl number model be used to explore the two-dimensional oblique stagnation point flow of γ A l 2 O 3 - H 2 O and γ A l 2 O 3 - C 2 H 6 O 2 nanofluids moving over a convective stretching surface. The fluid in question is subjected to a thorough investigation. It is necessary to apply non-linear ordinary differential equations in order to connect the controlling partial differential equations with the boundary conditions. To solve these equations, an efficient and reliable numerical technique is used. Shooting Method with Runge Kutta-IV in Mathematica software. Visual representations of normal and tangential velocity and temperature as well as streamlines as a function of many physical parameters are shown. The results show that as the volume fraction of nanoparticles increases, the fluid flow f ( y ) , h ( y ) and velocity f ' ( y ) , h ' ( y ) all increase, whereas the flow f ( y ) and velocity f ' ( y ) both increase against the stretching ratio parameter, while the flow h ( y ) and velocity h ' ( y ) both decrease. When the volume percentage of nanoparticles and the Biot number are both increased, the temperature rises. However, when the stretching ratio parameter is increased, the temperature falls. Physical attributes like the local skin friction coefficient and the heat flow may be characterized in many ways. A nanofluid comprised of γ A l 2 O 3 - C 2 H 6 O 2 outperformed a γ A l 2 O 3 - H 2 O nanofluid in terms of heat transfer rate. The source of zero skin friction may be observed to move to the left or right depending on the balance of obliqueness and straining motion at point x s . The computed numerical results of the current research correspond well with those accessible in the literature for the limiting scenario., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Tuning the redox potential of commonly available photocatalyst to improve the catalytic performance or expand its scope for challenging synthetic conversions is an ongoing demand in synthetic chemistry. Herein, the excited state properties and redox potential of commercially available [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ photocatalyst were tuned by modifying the structure of the bipyridine ligands with electron-donating/withdrawing units. The visible-light-mediated photoredox phosphorylation of tertiary aliphatic amines was demonstrated under mild conditions. A series of cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions were performed employing the Ru II complexes as photocatalyst giving the corresponding α-aminophosphinoxides and α-aminophosphonates via carbon-phosphorus (C-P) bond formation., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

As a result of the many real-world applications that may be derived from understanding stagnation point flow in designing, such as the coolant of nuclear reactors, there has been a great deal of interest in the topic. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to offer a numerical analysis of an unstable three-dimensional (3D) nodal stagnation point flow of polymer-based A l 2 O 3 - C u O - T i O 2 / p o l y m e r ternary nanofluid past a stretching surface with mass suction and heat source effects. In order to simplify the underlying partial differential equations, an appropriate similarity transformation is applied to them. This simplifies the ordinary differential equations. The shooting with the Runge-Kutta approach is used by the MATHEMATICA software to do the numerical calculation. Suction, stretching, unsteadiness, heat source, and nanoparticle volume fractions are other elements that play a role in regulating the flow and heat transfer as well as drag force profiles and how they affect the problem. The amount of heat transferred, and the friction coefficient increased in both directions when the suction parameter values were raised. In a ternary-hybrid nanofluid, the overall heat transfer rate decreases as the value of the heat source increases. Variations in the nanoparticles' volume fraction parameter cause an intensification in skin friction in both directions. Expanding the unstable and nanoparticles volume fraction parameters also reduces the Nusselt number. Furthermore, the heat transfer presentation of ternary-hybrid nanofluid has superior to the hybrid nanofluid and the normal nanofluid for the suction parameter. When the results of the current research were compared to those of a study that had already been done and published, they were found to be in good agreement.

In numerous industrial procedures, the main concern of design engineers is ensuring adequate heat and mass transfer, such as in the heating and cooling practices of solar water heaters, geothermal systems, extrusion of metal, insulation of buildings, electronics, turbines, aerodynamics, electronics, paper manufacturing, and glass fiber production. The unsteady double-diffusive mixed convection flow of boundary layer nanofluids above a vertical region near stagnation point flow is developed and examined here. The Brownian motion and thermophoresis effects are incorporated by using Buongiorno's model. In the thermal energy equations, diffusion of regular and cross types is also used. By the use of the local similarity method along with suitable similarity transformations, nonlinear unsteady partial differential equations are converted to nonlinear ordinary differential equations and are numerically solved by the Keller-Box method. The investigation expresses that these profiles of solute concentration and nanoparticle concentration, temperature, and velocity in their boundary layers, respectively, depending on several parameters. A graphic analysis of all these parameters' possessions on nature's boundary layers is depicted. The highest rate of heat transfer is obtained with negligible thermophoresis effect. Furthermore, it is perceived that an increase in Nc and Nt results in a reduction in the reduced Sherwood number of nanoparticles, whereas addition results in an increase in the Nb number. There is a reverse effect on the temperature field and layer thickness for heat generation. In the wake of the above-mentioned potential applications, the current study of fluid flow has been found to be very interesting and innovative in the analysis of the influence of Brownian motion and thermophoresis effects near stagnation point flow, which will further make revolutions in industrial fields. Moreover, Buongiorno's model predicts the characteristics of double-diffusive fluids in enhancing heat transfers. This investigation has been established as a result of the numerous industrial applications mentioned above.

Since several Internet of Things (IoT) applications have been widely deployed on unstable wireless networks, such as the Delay Tolerant Network (DTN), data communication efficiency in DTN remains a challenge for IoT applications. Vehicular Delay Tolerant Network (VDTN) has become one of DTN's potential applications, in which the network experiences connectivity interruption due to the lack of an end-to-end relay route. VDTNs focus on node cooperation to achieve this goal. As a result, it is essential to ensure that almost all network nodes adopt the protocol to preserve network performance. This is a challenging task since nodes may diverge from the basic protocol to optimize their effectiveness. This article presents an Efficient Monitoring System (EMS) to detect and respond to just selfish nodes to minimize their entire network and data communication efficacy. The scheme is based on a network-wide cooperative sharing of node reputation. It is also necessary to increase overall network efficiency by tracking selfish nodes. The NS-2 simulator is used to run this experimental setup. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme performs better in terms of probability of package delivery, package delivery delay, energy consumption, and amount of packet drops. For 80% selfish nodes in the network, the packet delivery of EMS is 37% and 31% better than SOS and IPS. Similarly, the average delivery delay of EMS is 22% and 18% lower than SOS and IPS when 80% selfish nodes are incorporated in the network.

Renewable energy resources have gained considerable attention in recent years due to their efficiency and economic benefits. Their proportion of total energy use continues to grow over time. Photovoltaic (PV) cell and wind energy generation are the least-expensive new energy sources in most countries. Renewable energy technologies significantly contribute to climate mitigation and provide economic benefits. Apart from these advantages, renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, have drawbacks, for instance restricted energy supply, reliance on weather conditions, and being affected by several kinds of faults, which cause a high power loss. Usually, the local PV plants are small in size, and it is easy to trace any fault and defect; however, there are many PV cells in the grid-connected PV system where it is difficult to find a fault. Keeping in view the aforedescribed facts, this paper presents an intelligent model to detect faults in the PV panels. The proposed model utilizes the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which is trained on historic data. The dataset was preprocessed before being fed to the CNN. The dataset contained different parameters, such as current, voltage, temperature, and irradiance, for five different classes. The simulation results showed that the proposed CNN model achieved a training accuracy of 97.64% and a testing accuracy of 95.20%, which are much better than the previous research performed on this dataset.

Objective: To examine the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and performance-based functional capacity in veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), as well as the moderating effects of age and psychiatric symptoms on this relationship., Setting: Three Veterans Affairs medical centers., Participants: One hundred nineteen Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with a history of mTBI and self-reported cognitive difficulties., Design: Cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of baseline measures in a randomized controlled trial., Main Measures: The main outcome measure, functional capacity, was assessed using the objective and performance-based University of California San Diego Performance-based Skills Assessment-Brief. A global deficit score (GDS) was created as a composite score for performance on a battery of neuropsychological measures assessing domains of attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and verbal memory performance. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity was assessed using the PTSD Checklist-Military Version, and depressive symptom severity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition., Results: Bivariate analyses indicated that worse neuropsychological performance (ie, higher GDS) and greater PTSD symptom severity were associated with worse communication abilities and worse overall functional capacity. Multiple linear regressions demonstrated that GDS and PTSD symptom severity explained 9% of the variance in communication and 10% of the variance in overall functional capacity; however, GDS emerged as the only significant predictor in both regressions. Age, PTSD, and depressive symptom severity did not moderate the relationship between GDS and overall functional capacity. Performance in the verbal learning and memory domain emerged as the strongest neuropsychological predictor of communication and overall functional capacity., Conclusions: Worse neuropsychological functioning was moderately associated with worse performance-based functional capacity, even when accounting for PTSD symptom severity. Verbal learning and memory was the primary neuropsychological domain driving the relationship with functional capacity; improvement in verbal learning and memory may translate into improved functional capacity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background & Objective: Transplant recipients are at a high risk of critical COVID-19 illness due to chronic immunosuppression and their underlying medical condition. Our objective was to study the COVID-19 related fears and adherence to infection control measures in solid organ transplant recipients during COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A descriptive study was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic (April- August 2020) in Punjab, Pakistan, as a part of province wide COVID-19 awareness drive 754 recipients registered at Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority (P-HOTA) for solid organ transplant were contacted telephonically and administered a self-constructed questionnaire. The participants' response was linked to demographic, anthropometric and disease characteristics available in organizational data base., Results: Seven hundred fifty four patients who had undergone transplant or were on list during the time period 2018-2020 were identified from data base of PHOTA. 648 patients were contacted while 80 were found to have expired post- transplant and 26 recipients were still on the waiting list. The median age was 31-40 years, with male predominance (5:1). A majority of patients (93%) were found to be well informed about corona infection and its impact on their illness (89%) but (59%) of the recipients had a fear score 25-34(severe) of acquiring infection with female predominance (61%). All the recipients adhered to measures like wearing masks, frequent hand washing and maintaining safe distance .65.9% patient's preferred online consultation while (77.9%) patients left their shoes outside their house., Conclusion: During the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic Solid Organ Transplant patients seemed well informed of COVID-19 infection and adhered to precautionary measures against the infections. About 78% of recipients reported that their health and quality of health care (61.1%) during this period remained the same while 3.4% reported of being infected or a contact history with COVID-19 patients., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

The proposed work uses fixed lag smoothing on the interactive multiple model-integrated probabilistic data association algorithm (IMM-IPDA) to enhance its performance. This approach makes use of the advantages of the fixed lag smoothing algorithm to track the motion of a maneuvering target while it is surrounded by clutter. The suggested method provides a new mathematical foundation in terms of smoothing for mode probabilities in addition to the target trajectory state and target existence state by including the smoothing advantages. The suggested fixed lag smoothing IMM-IPDA (FLs IMM-IPDA) method's root mean square error (RMSE), true track rate (TTR), and mode probabilities are compared to those of other recent algorithms in the literature in this study. The results clearly show that the proposed algorithm outperformed the already-known methods in the literature in terms of these above parameters of interest.

This study aims to identify the factors that impact the empowerment of Pakistani youth and their entrepreneurial initiatives in Pakistan. A sample of 350 youngsters from renowned Pakistani universities across the country was selected for this purpose. The questionnaire was administered in person and electronically. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analyzing the data. The findings indicated that all the hypothesized factors (government policies, lack of political participation, employment opportunities, and social engagement) had an impact on youth empowerment and their ability to initiate entrepreneurial activities. This study identified the set of factors that impact empowerment in youngsters, and this model can be extended to other contexts and additional factors can be included. The analytical findings from this study serve to help the government formulate appropriate policies for underserved youth and include them in the policy-making process so that the factors that hinder their empowerment and entrepreneurial initiatives could be addressed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Javeed, Aljuaid, Mehmood, Khan, Mahmood, Shahid and Wali.)

Background: Anti-drug antibodies are associated with treatment failure to anti-TNF agents in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)., Aim: To assess whether immunogenicity to a patient's first anti-TNF agent would be associated with immunogenicity to the second, irrespective of drug sequence METHODS: We conducted a UK-wide, multicentre, retrospective cohort study to report rates of immunogenicity and treatment failure of second anti-TNF therapies in 1058 patients with IBD who underwent therapeutic drug monitoring for both infliximab and adalimumab. The primary outcome was immunogenicity to the second anti-TNF agent, defined at any timepoint as an anti-TNF antibody concentration ≥9 AU/ml for infliximab and ≥6 AU/ml for adalimumab., Results: In patients treated with infliximab and then adalimumab, those who developed antibodies to infliximab were more likely to develop antibodies to adalimumab, than patients who did not develop antibodies to infliximab (OR 1.99, 95%CI 1.27-3.20, p = 0.002). Similarly, in patients treated with adalimumab and then infliximab, immunogenicity to adalimumab was associated with subsequent immunogenicity to infliximab (OR 2.63, 95%CI 1.46-4.80, p < 0.001). For each 10-fold increase in anti-infliximab and anti-adalimumab antibody concentration, the odds of subsequently developing antibodies to adalimumab and infliximab increased by 1.73 (95% CI 1.38-2.17, p < 0.001) and 1.99 (95%CI 1.34-2.99, p < 0.001), respectively. Patients who developed immunogenicity with undetectable drug levels to infliximab were more likely to develop immunogenicity with undetectable drug levels to adalimumab (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.39-4.19, p < 0.001). Commencing an immunomodulator at the time of switching to the second anti-TNF was associated with improved drug persistence in patients with immunogenic, but not pharmacodynamic failure., Conclusion: Irrespective of drug sequence, immunogenicity to the first anti-TNF agent was associated with immunogenicity to the second, which was mitigated by the introduction of an immunomodulator in patients with immunogenic, but not pharmacodynamic treatment failure., (© 2022 The Authors. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Using a thermally stratified water-based nanofluid and a permeable stretching sheet as a simulation environment, this research examines the impact of nanoparticle aggregation on MHD mixed convective stagnation point flow. Nanoparticle aggregation is studied using two modified models: the Krieger-Dougherty and the Maxwell-Bruggeman. The present problem's governing equations were transformed into a solvable mathematical model utilizing legitimate similarity transformations, and numerical solutions were then achieved using shooting with Runge-Kutta Fehlberg (RKF) technique in Mathematica. Equilibrium point flow toward permeable stretching surface is important for the extrusion process because it produces required heat and mass transfer patterns and identifies and clarifies fragmented flow phenomena using diagrams. Nanoparticle volume fraction was shown to have an impact on the solutions' existence range, as well. Alumina and copper nanofluids have better heat transfer properties than regular fluids. The skin friction coefficients and Nusselt number, velocity, temperature profiles for many values of the different parameters were obtained. In addition, the solutions were shown in graphs and tables, and they were explained in detail. A comparison of the current study's results with previous results for a specific instance is undertaken to verify the findings, and excellent agreement between them is observed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Herein, a series of compact anthracene carboxyimide (ACI) based donor-acceptor dyads were prepared by substituting bulky aryl moieties with various electron-donating ability to study the triplet-excited state properties. The ISC mechanism and triplet yield of the dyads were successfully tuned via structural manipulation. Efficient ISC ( Φ Δ ≈ 99%) and long-lived triplet state ( τ T ≈ 122 μs) was observed for the orthogonal anthracene-labeled ACI derivative compared to the Ph-ACI and NP-ACI dyads, which showed fast triplet state decay ( τ T ≈ 7.7 μs). Femtosecond transient absorption study demonstrated the ultrafast charge separation (CS) and efficient charge recombination (CR) in the orthogonal dyads and ISC occurring via spin-orbit charge transfer (SOCT) mechanism (AN-ACI: τ CS = 355 fs, τ CR = 2.41 ns; PY-ACI: τ CS = 321 fs, τ CR = 1.61 ns), while in Ph-ACI and NP-ACI dyads triplet populate following the normal ISC channel (nπ* → ππ* transition), no CS was observed. We found that the attachment of suitable aryl donor moiety (AN- or PY-) to the ACI core can ensure the insertion of the intermediate triplet state, resulting in a small energy gap among charge separated state (CSS) and triplet state, which leads to efficient ISC in these derivatives. The SOCT-ISC-based AN-ACI dyad was confirmed to be a potent photodynamic therapeutic reagent; an ultra-low IC 50 value (0.27 nM) that was nearly 214 times lower than that of the commercial Rose Bengal photosensitizer (57.8 nM) was observed.

Introduction: Health literacy is an independent predictor of health outcomes, including health knowledge and behavior. This study determined the influence of oral health literacy on knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health among pregnant women., Materials and Methods: A total of 130 pregnant women (65 nulliparous and 65 primiparous or multiparous) attending Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia for antenatal care who did not have any diagnosed cognitive disorders and could read and write in the Malay language participated in this crosssectional study. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to measure knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health, and the Malay version of the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI-M) was used to assess the oral health literacy of the participants., Results: Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that older women and women with higher OHLI-M scores had higher mean knowledge scores than younger women (p=0.007) and women with lower OHLI-M scores (p=0.001), respectively. In addition, women with higher OHLI-M scores, women with higher mean knowledge scores, and women who had attended a talk about children's oral health were more likely to have higher mean attitude scores than women with lower OHLI-M scores (p=0.019), women with lower mean knowledge scores (p=0.006), and women who had never attended a talk about children's oral health (p=0.001)., Conclusion: Pregnant women's oral health literacy was positively associated with their oral health knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health. Strategies to improve the oral health literacy of pregnant women are indicated.

Increasing global temperature has adverse effects on crop health and productivity at both seedling and reproductivity stages. It is paramount to develop heat tolerant wheat cultivars able to sustain under high and fluctuating temperature conditions. An experiment was conducted to characterize 194 historical wheat cultivars of Pakistan under high temperature at seedling stage to identify loci associated with heat tolerance using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A quantitative trait locus, TaHST1 , on chr4A was also characterized to identify the haplotypes at this locus associated with heat tolerance in wheat from Pakistan. Initially, the diversity panel was planted under control conditions (25°C/20°C day and night temperature) in a glass house. At three leaf stage, plants were subjected to heat stress (HS) by increasing temperature (40°C/35°C day and night), while one treatment was kept at control condition. After 7 days of HS, data were collected for seedling morphology. Heat stress reduced these traits by 25% (root weight) to 40% (shoot weight), and shoot biomass was largely affected by heat stress. A GWAS model, fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU), identified 43 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) on all chromosomes, except chr7B, were associated under both HS and control conditions. Thirteen QTNs were identified in control, while 30 QTNs were identified in HS condition. In total, 24 haplotypes were identified at TaHST1 locus, and most of the heat tolerant genotypes were assigned to Hap-20 and Hap-21. Eleven QTNs were identified within 0.3-3.1 Mb proximity of heat shock protein (HSP). Conclusively, this study provided a detailed genetic framework of heat tolerance in wheat at the seedling stage and identify potential genetic regions associated with heat tolerance which can be used for marker assisted selection (MAS) in breeding for heat stress tolerance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Khan, Kainat, Maqbool, Ambreen, Ahmad, Suleman, Mahmood, Ali, Aziz, Rasheed and Li.)

Recommender systems (RSs) have become increasingly vital in the modern information era and connected economy. They play a key role in business operations by generating personalized suggestions and minimizing information overload. However, the performance of traditional RSs is limited by data sparseness and cold-start issues. Though deep learning-based recommender systems (DLRSs) are very popular, they underperform when considering rating matrices with sparse entries. Despite their performance improvements, DLRSs also suffer from data sparsity, cold start, serendipity, and generalizability issues. We propose a multistage model that uses multimodal data embedding and deep transfer learning for effective and personalized product recommendations, and is designed to overcome data sparsity and cold-start issues. The proposed model includes two phases. In the first-offline-phase, a deep learning technique is implemented to learn hidden features from a large image dataset (targeting new item cold start), and a multimodal data embedding is used to produce dense user feature and item feature vectors (targeting user cold start). This phase produces three different similarity matrices that are used as inputs for the second-online-phase to generate a list of top-n relevant items for a target user. We analyzed the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed model against the existing baseline RSs using a Brazilian E-commerce dataset. The results show that our model scored 0.5882 for MAE and 0.4011 for RMSE which is lower than baseline RSs which indicates that the model achieved an improved accuracy and was able to minimize the typical cold start and data sparseness issues during the recommendation process., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Bromocriptine is a sympatholytic dopamine D2 receptor agonist with remarkable bioactivities. It has been used clinically as a prescription drug for more than 30 years to treat hyperprolactinemia associated conditions, Parkinson's disease, acromegaly, prolactinomas and other pituitary hormone dependent adenomas and recently, diabetes mellitus as well as various other disorders. Long-term treatment with bromocriptine has minimal or no harmful effects on renal, hepatic, cardiac or hematologic functions. This review article was planned to study the hypothetical and proposed mechanism of action as well as provide a brief discussion about its safety issues and tolerability. Bromocriptine represents an attractive option with high efficacy and safety profile for hyperprolactinemia-associated conditions, acromegaly, parkinsonism, type 2 diabetes mellitus and various other diseases in a variety of dosage forms for best possible beneficial effects. It appeared to be an effective and safe addition to the pharmacopoeia of drugs for the treatment of a vast variety of diseases as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Examining the quality perceptions of consumers has often been recommended as an international research paradigm. This study is grounded in the Pakistani consumer market to evaluate the impact of food packaging cues on perceived product quality. The moderating effect of consumer knowledge was also taken into consideration in the study. A signaling theory was used in the study for its established predictive power in consumer behavior, marketing, and various fields of research. Based on the essence of the signaling theory, this study hypothesized that food packaging cues cast a positive impact on perceived product quality and consumer knowledge moderates these relationships. By using the sample of 504 consumers, data were gathered using the mall intercept method following a multi-stage sampling technique. The responses were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS) and Smart Partial Least Square (PLS). The findings of this study unveil that the extrinsic cues' brand name, price, nutritional labels, and precautionary labels were positively and significantly related to the perceived product quality. However, the country of origin cast no impact on the perceived product quality. Consumer knowledge reflected a moderation effect on the relationships between brand name and country of origin with the perceived product quality whereas it exerted no moderation impact on the relationships of price, nutritional labels, and precautionary labels with the perceived product quality. As the results exhibit that Pakistani consumers rely on food packaging cues for perceiving a product, hence it is recommended that marketers and policymakers develop appropriate marketing strategies focused on the significance of food packaging cues., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Javeed, Aljuaid, Khan, Mahmood and Shahid.)

Individuals with schizophrenia who have high negative symptoms are at high risk for poor functional outcomes. However, the determinants of psychosocial functioning in this group are not well understood. We aimed to examine modifiable predictors of both objective, performance-based functional capacity and social skills, and self-reported functioning in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and high negative symptoms. Fifty-five adults with moderate-to-severe negative symptoms were administered measures of neuropsychological performance, performance-based functional capacity and social competence, self-reported functioning, psychiatric symptom severity, defeatist/asocial beliefs, and intrinsic motivation. In the context of multiple significant predictor variables identified through bivariate correlations, multiple regression models showed that neuropsychological performance was the only significant predictor of performance-based functional capacity; neuropsychological performance and motivation/pleasure negative symptoms were significant predictors of performance-based social competence. For two different measures of self-reported functioning, intrinsic motivation, asocial beliefs, and diminished expression emerged as significant predictors. Neurocognitive ability was a better predictor of performance-based functional skills whereas motivation and beliefs more strongly predicted self-reported real-world functioning. The findings of this study suggest a complex picture of predictors of performance-based functional capacity (objective neuropsychological functioning) and self-reported functioning (motivation and beliefs), underscoring the clinical and scientific utility of including both self-reported and objective measures of functioning to identify treatment approach. Individuals with high negative symptoms and a cognitive/functional skills deficit may benefit from interventions such as cognitive remediation or skills training, whereas individuals with motivational difficulties may benefit from treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The modern trend in distribution theory is to propose hybrid generators and generalized families using existing algebraic generators along with some trigonometric functions to offer unique, more flexible, more efficient, and highly productive G-distributions to deal with new data sets emerging in different fields of applied research. This article aims to originate an odd sine generator of distributions and construct a new G-family called "The Odd Lomax Trigonometric Generalized Family of Distributions". The new densities, useful functions, and significant characteristics are thoroughly determined. Several specific models are also presented, along with graphical analysis and detailed description. A new distribution, "The Lomax cosecant Weibull" (LocscW), is studied in detail. The versatility, robustness, and competency of the LocscW model are confirmed by applications on hydrological and survival data sets. The skewness and kurtosis present in this model are explained using modern graphical methods, while the estimation and statistical inference are explored using many estimation approaches.

We investigated subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs), as well as physical and mental health factors, in adults and older adults. U.S. residents ( N = 2,962) were recruited via the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform and completed a 90-item survey. Overall, 493/1930 (25.5%) of younger adults and 278/1032 (26.9%) of older adults endorsed SCCs. Analyses revealed worse physical and mental health characteristics in the SCC+ compared to the SCC- group, with primarily medium (Cohen's d = 0.50) to large (0.80) effect sizes. Age did not moderate relationships between SCCs and physical/mental health. Results suggest that SCCs are associated with a diverse set of negative health characteristics such as poor sleep and high body mass index, and lower levels of positive factors, including happiness and wisdom. Effect sizes of psychological correlates were at least as large as those of physical correlates, indicating that mental health is critical to consider when evaluating SCCs.

Background: To supply high-quality cotton fibre for the textile industry, the development of long, strong and fine fibre cotton varieties is imperative. An interlinked approach was used to comprehend the role of fibre genes by analyzing interspecific progenies of cotton species. Wild Gossypium species and races are rich source of genetic polymorphism due to environmental dispersal and continuous natural selection. These genetic resources hold mass of outclass genes that can be used in cotton improvement breeding programs to exploit possible traits such as fibre quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and disease and insect resistance. Therefore, use of new molecular techniques such as genomics, transcriptomics and bioinformatics is very important to utilize the genetic potential of wild species in cotton improvement programs., Methods: Interspecific lines and Gossypium species used in the study were grown at Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan. After retrieving DNA sequence of the genes from NCBI, the primers for gene expression and full-length gene sequence were designed. Expression profiling of Expansin A4, BURP Domain protein RD22-like and E6-like fibre genes was performed through Real Time PCR. BLAST and DNA sequence alignment was conducted for sequence comparison of interspecific lines and Gossypium species. Different in silico analysis were used for characterization of fibre genes and identification of cis acting promoter elements in promoter region., Results: Variable expression of genes related to fibre development was observed at different stages. BLAST and DNA sequence alignment demonstrated resemblance of interspecific lines with G. hirsutum. In silico analysis on the sequence data also confirmed the role of Expansin A4, BURP Domain protein RD22-like and E6-like fibre genes in fibre development. Genetic engineering is also recommended by transferring E6-like, Expansin A4 and BURP Domain RD22-like genes in local cotton cultivars. Similarly, several stress tolerant and light responsive cis acting elements were identified through promotor analysis, which may contribute for fibre development in the breeding programs., Conclusion: Expansin A4, BURP Domain RD22-like and E6-like have positive role in fibre development with variable expression at fiber length and strength associated stages., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objectives: We investigated a low-glycemic index (GI), minimally refined brown sugar (MRBS) that retains a consistent amount of antioxidant polyphenols. This study aimed to determine whether MRBS has a lower postprandial glycemic response and GI value compared with other types of refined sugar (RS). Low glycemic response foods are also reported to increase satiety. Accordingly, we also evaluated satiety profiles, glycemic profiles (glucose, insulin, and glucagon), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)., Methods: This work shows the results of two single-blind, cross-over studies (studies 1 and 2). For each study 14 healthy Malay individuals with a normal body mass index were recruited. In study 1, capillary blood samples were used to determine the GI of the tested sugars. Venous blood samples were used in study 2 to measure the concentrations of satiety hormones (peptide tyrosine, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide-1, and leptin), TAC, plasma glucose, insulin, and glucagon concentrations at baseline (0 min) and at 60 and 120 min after consumption of the MRBS and RS formulated jellies., Results: The incremental area under the curve of glucose positive control (312 ± 62.54 mmol.min/L) was significantly higher than that of other types of sucrose (P < 0.05). MRBS (GI: 54 ± 4.5 mmol.min/L) and brown sugar (GI: 50 ± 5.0 mmol.min/L) were categorized as low GI, and RS (GI: 64 ± 5.73 mmol.min/L) was in the medium category, which was significantly lower than the GI of glucose (GI: 100 mmol.min/L; P < 0.05). Likewise, there was a significant difference in satiety profiles (peptide tyrosine and C-peptide), glycemic profile (glucagon), and TAC (P < 0.05) between RS and MRBS jellies., Conclusions: The results of our work show that MRBS had a lower GI (study 1), and better satiety, glycemic profiles, and TAC (study 2) compared with RS., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this project, poly (citric acid) (PCA) functionalized on nano Ag/Cu was synthesized by chemical analysis method. The nano probe was applied to detection of cysteine by using the magnesium (II) ions as a cross linker. The characterization of Ag/Cu/PCA nano probe was studied by using the UV-visible, morphological microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential analyzer. The zeta potential and size of Ag/Cu/PCA were -38.0 mV and 18.0 nm, respectively. The prepared nano probe shows rapid response for detection of cysteine. The detection limit of Ag/Cu/PCA nano probe was 0.07 nM. Additional, the Ag/Cu/PCA nanoparticles was applied to cysteine detection from real samples in the presence of amino acids compounds. Rapidly and sensitive determination of Streptococcus pneumoniae is substantial for food safety and human health. The DNA-Ag/Cu/PCA were prepared as a template in chemical method and experimented as a bio-receptor for the cell bacteria detection as peroxidase-like catalytic process. The DNA-Ag/Cu/PCA nano probe shows a linear dynamic concertation range of Streptococcus pneumoniae via detection limit about 65 CFU/mL. The project presents that the DNA-Ag/Cu/PCA could detect the biological and bacterial samples via high accuracy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia (SZ) remain unmet treatment needs as they are highly prevalent, associated with poor functional outcomes, and resistant to pharmacologic treatment. The current pilot randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of an integrated Cognitive-Behavioral Social Skills Training and Compensatory Cognitive Training (CBSST-CCT) intervention compared to Goal-focused Supportive Contact (SC) on negative symptoms and cognitive performance., Methods: Fifty-five adults with SZ or schizoaffective disorder with moderate-to-severe negative symptoms were randomized to receive 25 twice-weekly, 1-h manualized group sessions (12.5 weeks total duration) of either CBSST-CCT or SC delivered by master's level clinicians in five community settings. Assessments of negative symptom severity (primary outcomes) and neuropsychological performance, functional capacity, social skills performance, and self-reported functional ability/everyday functioning, psychiatric symptom severity, and motivation (secondary outcomes) were administered at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up., Results: Mixed-effects models using baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment data demonstrated significant CBSST-CCT-associated effects on negative symptom severity, as assessed by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (p = .049, r = 0.22), with improvements in diminished motivation driving this effect (p = .037, r = 0.24). The CBSST-CCT group also demonstrated improved verbal learning compared to SC participants (p = .026, r = 0.36). The effects of CBSST-CCT appeared to be durable at 6-month follow-up., Conclusions: CBSST-CCT improved negative symptom severity and verbal learning in high-negative-symptom individuals relative to SC. CBSST-CCT warrants larger investigations to examine its efficacy in treating negative symptoms, along with other symptoms, cognition, and, ultimately, real-world functional outcomes. Clinical Trial registration number NCT02170051., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center 2021.)

Background: Phytomedicine is becoming more acceptable as an alternative medicinal approach in the modern era. Objectives: The current study examined the antioxidant capacity and in vitro response of phytochemical constituents of  Withania somnifera  (Ashwagandha) on standard parameters of healthy volunteer semen. Methods: The phytochemicals and their pharmacological response in a hydroethanolic (30:70 v/v) extract of  W .  somnifera  roots were determined using standard protocols. Results: The constituents included flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and terpenoids were reported. High-performance liquid chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy determined a diverse array of biologically active chemical constituents in the extract. The extract of  W. somnifera  exhibits substantial antioxidant properties, including total antioxidant capacity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl inhibition, H 2 O 2  scavenging, and Fe 3+  reducing potential ( P < .05). The analysis of essential natural minerals explored adequate levels determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cytotoxic studies revealed significant thrombolytic, RBC membrane stabilization, and DNA damage protection activity ( P < .05) while remaining non-mutagenic against  Salmonella typhi  TA98 and TA100. The best protective response of  W. somnifera  extract on human semen parameters (n = 30), such as total motility, progressive motility, and viability, demonstrated a significant ( P  < .05) improvement, particularly at the dose of 25 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL. Conclusion: The study concludes that  W. somnifera  possesses favorable in vitro characteristics that could aid in the preservation of sperm during intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Stripe rust caused by Puccnina striiformis ( Pst ) is an economically important disease attacking wheat all over the world. Identifying and deploying new genes for Pst resistance is an economical and long-term strategy for controlling Pst . A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and functional haplotypes were used to identify loci associated with stripe rust resistance in synthetic-derived (SYN-DER) wheats in four environments. In total, 92 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) distributed over 65 different loci were associated with resistance to Pst at seedling and adult plant stages. Nine additional loci were discovered by the linkage disequilibrium-based haplotype-GWAS approach. The durable rust-resistant gene Lr34/Yr18 provided resistance in all four environments, and against all the five Pst races used in this study. The analysis identified several SYN-DER accessions that carried major genes: either Yr24/Yr26 or Yr32 . New loci were also identified on chr2B, chr5B, and chr7D, and 14 QTNs and three haplotypes identified on the D-genome possibly carry new alleles of the known genes contributed by the Ae. tauschii founders. We also evaluated eleven different models for genomic prediction of Pst resistance, and a prediction accuracy up to 0.85 was achieved for an adult plant resistance, however, genomic prediction for seedling resistance remained very low. A meta-analysis based on a large number of existing GWAS would enhance the identification of new genes and loci for stripe rust resistance in wheat. The genetic framework elucidated here for stripe rust resistance in SYN-DER identified the novel loci for resistance to Pst assembled in adapted genetic backgrounds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mahmood, Ali, Mirza, Fayyaz, Majeed, Naeem, Aziz, Trethowan, Ogbonnaya, Poland, Quraishi, Hickey, Rasheed and He.)

The limitations on the use of fluoride therapy in dental caries prevention has necessitated the development of newer preventive agents. This review focusses on the recent and significant studies on P11-4 peptide with an emphasis on different applications in dental hard tissue conditions. The self-assembling peptide P11-4 diffuses into the subsurface lesion assembles into aggregates throughout the lesion, supporting the nucleation of de novo hydroxyapatite nanocrystals, resulting in increased mineral density. P11-4 treated teeth shows more remarkable changes in the lesion area between the first and second weeks. The biomimetic remineralisation facilitated in conjunction with fluoride application is an effective and non-invasive treatment for early carious lesions. Despite, some studies have reported that the P11-4 group had the least amount of remineralised enamel microhardness and a significantly lower mean calcium/phosphate weight percentage ratio than the others. In addition, when compared to a low-viscosity resin, self-assembling peptides could neither inhibit nor mask the lesions significantly. Moreover, when it is combined with other agents, better results can be achieved, allowing more effective biomimetic remineralisation. Other applications discussed include treatment of dental erosion, tooth whitening and dentinal caries. However, the evidence on its true clinical potential in varied dental diseases still remains under-explored, which calls for future cohort studies on its in vivo efficacy.

Objective: Successful regenerative endodontic procedures in dental treatment are critically associated with complete disinfection of the root canal and require irrigants and medicaments. One factor for consideration is the biocompatibility of the medicament as this can affect the intracanal dentine and subsequently the dental stem cell viability required for the repair of the dentine-pulp complex. This in vitro study investigated the effect of a 4-week treatment of calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH) 2 ] and triple antibiotic paste (TAP) on the irrigated radicular dentine by analysing dentine interaction with dental stem cells., Methods: TAP consists of metronidazole, ciprofloxacin and minocycline. Dentine chips were prepared and treated with either Ca(OH) 2 or TAP for 4-weeks, irrigated by 1.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), rinsed with saline, followed by 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) cultured on the surface of the dentine chips were analysed on days 1, 3 and 7 of cell seeding for PrestoBlue viability assays, 6-diamidino-2 phenylindole (DAPI) staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An independent t-test (SPSS software version 24.0) was used to statistically analyse the PrestoBlue assay data., Results: DPSCs grown from dentine treated with TAP showed significantly higher cell viability than the Ca(OH) 2 and control groups ( p  < 0.05). DAPI staining of the seeded DPSCs on the treated dental chips complemented the findings of the viability assay. SEM studies also revealed improvements in the cell spreading and attachment of DPSCs grown on TAP-treated dentine compared with Ca(OH) 2 ., Conclusion: The treatment of dentine with TAP for 4 weeks provided a better microenvironment for the viability and attachment of DPSCs when compared to Ca(OH) 2 ., (© 2022 [The Author/The Authors].)

Automatic License Plate Detection (ALPD) is an integral component of using computer vision approaches in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). An accurate detection of vehicles' license plates in images is a critical step that has a substantial impact on any ALPD system's recognition rate. In this paper, we develop an efficient license plate detecting technique through the intelligent combination of Faster R-CNN along with digital image processing techniques. The proposed algorithm initially detects vehicle(s) in the input image through Faster R-CNN. Later, the located vehicle is analyzed by a robust License Plate Localization Module (LPLM). The LPLM module primarily uses color segmentation and processes the HSV image to detect the license plate in the input image. Moreover, the LPLM module employs morphological filtering and dimension analysis to find the license plate. Detailed trials on challenging PKU datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms few recently developed methods by producing high license plates detection accuracy in much less execution time. The proposed work demonstrates a great feasibility for security and target detection applications.

Studying Alzheimer's disease with the fluctuating environmental, individual, and cultural factors in pertinence to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-5) requires information, awareness, and understanding of the disease. Studies have calibrated sociocultural factors to be imperative in the expression of functional symptomology of Alzheimer's disease. Pakistan as a sociocentric, predominantly Muslim country, calls for such efforts. The current research was conducted to study the functional symptomology and experiences of Alzheimer's disease. A qualitative approach was adopted in which in-depth interviews of three dyads of patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers (N = 6) were conducted. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was applied to acquire the thematic analysis of data. Results showed sociocentricism as a forefront factor. Cognition, behavior, and emotions were found to be functionally expressed by religion, unawareness, respect of older people, stigmatization, and isolation within family dynamics. The study could be an instigator for further culture-oriented assessment and management providing services., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This paper measures the trends, specifically for exporters, in bilateral trade costs and more specifically for costs associated with policy barriers. The study further examines the effects of different trade cost components on bilateral export flows via the dynamic panel gravity model. Empirical evidence shows that trade costs generally have a declining trend globally, however, in the case of emerging countries, this rate of decline is very low. The costs associated with non-tariff barriers in emerging countries have a greater role in the continuation of higher trade costs, in comparison to tariff barriers' costs. Likewise, the two-steps system GMM model's results suggest that the infrastructure quality, transportation costs, volatility of exchange rate, and uncertainty in time (days) delay are major hurdles in the sustainable growth of exports and indeed have rendered the exports uncompetitive in the world market, those are also sturdily supported by the prediction of the theory., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Objective: Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is common in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and is associated with cognitive impairment; however, the majority of the evidence on the impact of RBD on multidomain cognitive batteries in PD is cross-sectional. This study evaluated the longitudinal impact of probable RBD (pRBD) on cognitive, psychiatric, and functional outcomes in people with PD., Method: Case-control study. A total of 65 people with PD completed the study protocol at baseline and 16-to-47-month follow-up. Participants were classified as pRBD+ (n = 25) or pRBD- (n = 40) based on an established cutoff of 6 on the RBD Sleep Questionnaire (RBDSQ). Participants also completed a) comprehensive cognitive testing, b) self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and apathy, and c) performance-based and other-report forms of instrumental activities of daily living., Results: Baseline mean age was 67.8 (SD = 8.1; range = 45-86) and baseline mean years of education was 16.4 (SD = 2.1; range = 12-20). The two groups did not differ on measured demographic characteristics. Baseline mean T-scores for cognitive tests were in the average range (46-55). Hierarchical linear models tested group differences in cognitive and functional decline from baseline to follow-up, controlling for appropriate demographic and psychiatric variables. Compared to the pRBD- group, pRBD+ participants showed greater decline in attention/working memory (r = -0.31; p = 0.01) and UPSA financial skills (r = -0.31; p = 0.01). No other group differences approached significance., Conclusions: RBD may differentially affect attention/working memory and financial abilities in PD. Results underscore the importance of regular RBD screening in older adults with PD in order to triage symptomatic patients to appropriate cognitive and medical interventions., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.)

Background: Thalassemia is a hereditary hemolytic anemia marked by a defect in synthesizing one or more globin chains in hemoglobin. In Pakistan, approximately 10,000 patients with thalassemia are primarily dependent on blood transfusions. The β-thalassemia patients require blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Patients who need blood transfusions are at an increased risk of contracting transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV, respectively), as well as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)., Objective: This systemic review aims to assess the prevalence of TTIs in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia patients in Asia., Methods: The data for the systematic review were gathered from PubMed, Google Scholar, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and ScienceDirect using the following keywords: "prevalence, HBV, HCV, HIV, thalassemia, and transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs)," and so on. This review includes the research articles that address the prevalence of viral infections in thalassemic patients following blood transfusion., Results: A preliminary search of various databases identified 231 potential studies. 157 duplicate studies were eliminated, and the eligibility of 59 full-length articles was determined. Only 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among the 43 studies analyzed, 11 reported a high prevalence of HCV alone in thalassemic patients, while 21 reported a high prevalence of HCV and HBV infection in thalassemic patients. Eight studies reported the prevalence of all three TTIs examined, namely, HCV, HBV, and HIV, in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia., Conclusion: Preventable transfusion-transmitted infections occur frequently, and robust national policies and hemovigilance are required to detect and mitigate the infection risk.

COVID-19, a novel coronavirus disease, has provoked a variety of health and safety concerns, and socioeconomic challenges around the globe. The laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was quickly established utilizing nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAAT) after the disease causing virus has been identified, and its genetic sequence has been determined. In addition to NAAT, serological tests based on antibodies testing against SARS-CoV-2 were introduced for diagnostic and epidemiologic studies. Other biochemical investigations include monitoring of peripheral blood cells count, platelets/lymphocyte ratio, coagulation profile, cardiac, and inflammatory markers such as cytokines storm are also crucial in combating COVID-19 pandemic. Further, accurate and reliable laboratory results for SARS-CoV-2 play very important role in the initiation of early treatment and timely management of COVID-19 patients, provide support in clinical decision-making process to control infection, and detection of asymptomatic cases. The Task Force on Coronavirus-19 constituted by International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) has recognized informational framework for epidemiology, pathogenesis, and recommended the PCR-based analysis, serological and biochemical assays for analysis, monitoring, and management of disease. This literature review provides an overview of the currently used diagnostic techniques in clinical laboratories for the diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and management of COVID-19 patients. We concluded that each assays differ in their performance characteristics and the utilization of multiple techniques is necessary for the accurate diagnosis and management of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Angioplasty balloon entrapment remains an infrequent but dangerous obstacle that requires forbearance and pre-built management strategies in order to avoid morbidity or worse, mortality. Here, we discuss an un-expected hurdle of an undeflated stuck balloon with fractured shaft during angioplasty of proximal right coronary artery (RCA) in a 60-year-old male which was attempted percutaneously and redeemed surgically but massive infarction to RCA territory was inevitable.

Objective: The current cross-sectional study examined cognition and performance-based functional abilities in a continuing care senior housing community (CCSHC) that is comparable to other CCSHCs in the US with respect to residents' demographic characteristics., Method: Participants were 110 older adult residents of the independent living unit. We assessed sociodemographics, mental health, neurocognitive functioning, and functional capacity., Results: Compared to normative samples, participants performed at or above expectations in terms of premorbid functioning, attention span and working memory, processing speed, timed set-shifting, inhibitory control, and confrontation naming. They performed below expectation in verbal fluency and verbal and visual learning and memory, with impairment rates [31.4% (>1 SD below the mean) and 18.49% (>1.5 SD below the mean)] well above the general population (16% and 7%, respectively). Within the cognitive test battery, two tests of delayed memory were most predictive of a global deficit score. Most cognitive test scores correlated with performance-based functional capacity., Conclusions: Overall, results suggest that a subset of older adults in the independent living sector of CCSHCs are cognitively and functionally impaired and are at risk for future dementia. Results also argue for the inclusion of memory tests in abbreviated screening batteries in this population. We suggest that CCSHCs implement regular cognitive screening procedures to identify and triage those older adults who could benefit from interventions and, potentially, a transition to a higher level of care.

Wheat is a staple crop of Pakistan that covers almost 40% of the cultivated land and contributes almost 3% in the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan. However, due to increasing seasonal variation, it was observed that wheat is majorly affected by rust disease, particularly in rain-fed areas. Rust is considered the most harmful fungal disease for wheat, which can cause reductions of 20-30% in wheat yield. Its capability to spread rapidly over time has made its management most challenging, becoming a major threat to food security. In order to counter this threat, precise detection of wheat rust and its infection types is important for minimizing yield losses. For this purpose, we have proposed a framework for classifying wheat yellow rust infection types using machine learning techniques. First, an image dataset of different yellow rust infections was collected using mobile cameras. Six Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) texture features and four Local Binary Patterns (LBP) texture features were extracted from grayscale images of the collected dataset. In order to classify wheat yellow rust disease into its three classes (healthy, resistant, and susceptible), Decision Tree, Random Forest, Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and CatBoost were used with (i) GLCM, (ii) LBP, and (iii) combined GLCM-LBP texture features. The results indicate that CatBoost outperformed on GLCM texture features with an accuracy of 92.30%. This accuracy can be further improved by scaling up the dataset and applying deep learning models. The development of the proposed study could be useful for the agricultural community for the early detection of wheat yellow rust infection and assist in taking remedial measures to contain crop yield.

Objectives: To determine the relationship of Neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) values with the benign and malignant thyroid nodules., Methods: In this cross-sectional clinical study conducted from September 1 st 2020 to February 28 th 2021, we included 216 patients who underwent thyroidectomy at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Karachi Pakistan. After thyroidectomy specimens were sent for pathologic examination. Patients were divided into two categories based on histopathologic results; Malignant nodule and benign nodules. Data of complete blood count was obtained from the pre-operative lab investigations and NLR was calculated., Results: There were 42 (26%) men, and 116 (74%) women of 158 in the BTN group, 18 (31%) men, and 40 (69%) women of 58 in the MTN group. The mean age of 48 ± 6 years in the BTN group as well as 47 ±8 years in the MTN group (p-value 0.32). The mean neutrophil count in the BTN group was 4.26 ± 2.8 versus 4.41 ± 2.2 (x 1000/mm 3 )) the malignance thyroid group (p-value = 0.71). The mean lymphocyte count was 3.81 ± 0.9(x 1000/mm 3 ) in the BTN group and 3.61± 1.2 (x 1000/mm 3 ) in the malignance group (p-value = 0.18). The mean NLR value for the benign thyroid nodular group was 1.19 ± 2.2 and 1.22±1.8 in the malignant thyroid nodular group (p-value = 0.92)., Conclusion: According to the results of this study, we concluded that preoperative period biochemistry laboratory results such as neutrophils count, lymphocyte count, and NLR value don't provide enough evidence to differentiate between benign and malignant thyroid carcinoma., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: None, (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

Utilization of modern breeding techniques for developing high yielding and uniform plant types ultimately narrowing the genetic makeup of most crops. Narrowed genetic makeup of these crops has made them vulnerable towards disease and insect epidemics. For sustainable crop production, genetic variability of these crops must be broadened against various biotic and abiotic stresses. One of the ways to widen genetic configuration of these crops is to identify novel additional sources of durable resistance. In this regard crops wild relatives are providing valuable sources of allelic diversity towards various biotic, abiotic stress tolerance and quality components. For incorporating novel variability from wild relative's wide hybridization technique has become a promising breeding method. For this purpose, wheat-Th. bessarabicum amphiploid, addition and translocation lines have been screened in field and screen house conditions to get novel sources of yellow rust and Karnal bunt resistant. Stripe rust screening under field conditions has revealed addition lines 4JJ and 6JJ as resistant to moderately resistant while addition lines 3JJ, 5JJ, 7JJ and translocation lines Tr-3, Tr-6 as moderately resistant wheat-Thinopyrum-bessarabicum genetic stock. Karnal bunt screening depicted addition lines 5JJ and 4JJ as highly resistant genetic stock. These genetic stocks may be used to introgression novel stripe rust and Karnal bunt resistance from the tertiary gene pool into susceptible wheat backgrounds.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic infection that emerged in the Middle East in 2012. Symptoms range from mild to severe and include both respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The virus is mainly present in camel populations with occasional zoonotic spill over into humans. The severity of infection in humans is influenced by numerous factors, and similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), underlying health complications can play a major role. Currently, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are coincident in the Middle East and thus a rapid way of sequencing MERS-CoV to derive genotype information for molecular epidemiology is needed. Additionally, complicating factors in MERS-CoV infections are coinfections that require clinical management. The ability to rapidly characterize these infections would be advantageous. To rapidly sequence MERS-CoV, an amplicon-based approach was developed and coupled to Oxford Nanopore long read length sequencing. This and a metagenomic approach were evaluated with clinical samples from patients with MERS. The data illustrated that whole-genome or near-whole-genome information on MERS-CoV could be rapidly obtained. This approach provided data on both consensus genomes and the presence of minor variants, including deletion mutants. The metagenomic analysis provided information of the background microbiome. The advantage of this approach is that insertions and deletions can be identified, which are the major drivers of genotype change in coronaviruses. IMPORTANCE Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in late 2012 in Saudi Arabia. The virus is a serious threat to people not only in the Middle East but also in the world and has been detected in over 27 countries. MERS-CoV is spreading in the Middle East and neighboring countries, and approximately 35% of reported patients with this virus have died. This is the most severe coronavirus infection so far described. Saudi Arabia is a destination for many millions of people in the world who visit for religious purposes (Umrah and Hajj), and so it is a very vulnerable area, which imposes unique challenges for effective control of this epidemic. The significance of our study is that clinical samples from patients with MERS were used for rapid in-depth sequencing and metagenomic analysis using long read length sequencing.

Heavy atom-free triplet photosensitizers (PSs) are particularly of interest concerning both fundamental photochemistry study and practical applications. However, achieving efficient intersystem crossing (ISC) in planar heavy atom-free aromatic organic compounds is challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that two perylenebisimide (PBI) derivatives with anthryl and carbazole moieties fused at the bay position, showing twisted π-conjugation frameworks and red-shifted UV-vis absorption as compared to the native PBI chromophore (by 75-1610 cm -1 ), possess efficient ISC (singlet oxygen quantum yield: Φ Δ = 85%) and a long-lived triplet excited state (τ T = 382 μs in fluid solution and τ T = 4.28 ms in solid polymer film). Femtosecond transient absorption revealed ultrafast intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) process in the twisted PBI derivatives (0.9 ps), and the ISC takes 3.7 ns. Pulsed laser excited time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectra indicate that the triplet-state wave function of the twisted PBIs is mainly confined on the PBI core, demonstrated by the zero-field-splitting D parameter. Accordingly, the twisted derivatives have higher T 1 energy ( E T 1 = 1.48-1.56 eV) as compared to the native PBI chromophore (1.20 eV), which is an advantage for the application of the derivatives as triplet PSs. Theoretical computation of the Franck-Condon density of states, based on excited-state dynamics methods, shows that the efficient ISC in the twisted PBI derivatives is due to the increased spin-orbit coupling matrix elements for the S 1 -T 1 and S 1 -T 2 states [spin-orbit coupling matrix element (SOCME): 0.11-0.44 cm -1 . SOCME is zero for native PBI], as well as the Herzberg-Teller vibronic coupling. For the planar benzoPBI, the moderate ISC is due to S 1 → T 2 transition (SOCME: 0.03 cm -1 . The two states share a similar energy, ca. 2.5 eV).

Oxycarenus hyalinipennis Costa is a polyphagous insect pest and can develop insecticide resistance. The resistance of O. hyalinipennis to neonicotinoids (clothianidin and dinotefuran), flonicamid, and conventional insecticides; carbamates (methomyl and carbosulfon), organophosphates (chlorpyrifos and malathion), and pyrethroids (cypermethrin and zeta-cypermethrin) was evaluated. The O. hyalinipennis populations were sampled from four locations in Pakistan and performed bioassays against the insecticides by leaf dip protocol. The O. hyalinipennis' populations showed low resistance to carbosulfan (resistance ratio (RR) = 2.06-6.34) and methomyl (RR = 2.78-7.27), moderate to high resistance to chlorpyrifos (RR = 30-45), malathion (RR = 20.29-88.19), and flonicamid (RR = 14.24-46.97), in comparison with the susceptible strain. Susceptibility to low resistance against cypermethrin (RR = 1.27-2.82), zeta-cypermethrin (RR = 2.62-3.38), and clothianidin (RR = 1.74-3.40), and low to moderate resistance to dinotefuran (RR = 3.84-13.43) in the field populations, was observed compared to the susceptible strain. A rotational usage of carbamates and pyrethroids with an integrated pest management tool should be considered to deal with O. hyalinipennis' insecticide resistance.