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Abstract Background Notable variations in cancer rates, survival rates, mortality exist among certain populations in the US. We aim to examine how prostate cancer prognosis differs among black and white men from various ethnic backgrounds undergoing radical prostatectomy. Methods We performed a comprehensive search across MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases from inception to March 2023 for observational studies including black and white men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Outcomes of interest included either overall survival, prostate cancer survival, biochemical recurrence, or all-cause mortality. Studies were pooled using hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4.1. Results In patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly greater in blacks in comparison to whites ([HR] 1.16, 95% CI 1.12–1.21; I2 = 51%; p

Background and Study Aim. Sports performance and overall health of athletes are highly dependent on various physiological markers. Among these, blood biochemistry is of great importance and should be carefully considered in athletes' training regimens. However, the effect of strength and resistance training on serum phosphorus levels still requires further clarification and more effective solutions. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of strength and resistance training on serum phosphorus levels in elite male soccer players. Material and Methods. A sample of 90 volunteers was recruited from football athletes in the Peshawar division. Thirty participants were selected from each of the under-16, under-19, and under-23 age groups. They were divided into three groups: the Resistance Training Group (RTG), the Strength Training Group (STG), and the Control Group (CG). Each group consisted of 30 participants, with 10 from each age category. Phosphorus levels and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) were assessed before and after a 12-week strength and resistance training intervention. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and paired sample t-tests were used to evaluate changes over time. Results. Significant improvements were observed in serum phosphorus levels in the Resistance Training Group (4.77±0.258 vs. 3.66±0.207, P

Pakistan has significant geothermal potential but due to poor energy management and low utilization of rich geothermal energy, the country is ranked among the energy deficient nations in the world. In this study, integrated geophysical techniques were used to assess the geothermal energy potential of various hot springs in the Sindh province. The study revealed that Naing Shareef and Gaji Shah hot springs have remarkable potential for geothermal energy having pool water temperature of 43 °C and 45 °C, respectively. Geophysical resistivity survey was carried out at both Naing Shareef and Gaji Shah hot spring to determine depth, thickness and quality of thermal water. At Naing Shareef hot spring, only a single thermal aquifer zone has been pinpointed within the shale composition of the Oligocene Nari Formation, and it is on average 55.07 m depth and 29.8 m thick. At an average depth of 100.66 m and an aquifer thickness of 77.03 m, the Gaji Shah hot springs exclusively possess a thermal aquifer region established within the sandstone composition of the Oligocene Nari Formation.

IntroductionAdaptation to climate change (ACC) is imperative to avoid deleterious consequences of climate change in agriculture. However, the uptake of adaptation measures has been slow among farmers because of low adaptive capacity (AC) in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. Farmers and their supporting institutions have been successful in introducing technological innovations to respond and adapt to environmental challenges. The present study intended to determine the impact of farming technologies, along with human, financial, social, physical, natural, and climate information resources that support AC and hence ACC.MethodsThe study collected data from 360 farmers in Punjab through a multi-stage random sampling technique. A binary logit model and odds ratio were used to identify the factors affecting ACC. The study also utilized correlation tests to show the correlation between each pair of variables included in the analysis.ResultsThe results indicated that physical capital such as ownership of tube wells, transportation, and sowing and harvesting tools by the farmers builds farmers’ AC and consequently determines the ACC such as change crop variety (CCV), change crop type (CCT), change planting date (CPD), soil conservation (SC), water conservation (WC), and diversification strategies (DSs). The findings also revealed that human capital (age, education, family size, and labor), financial capital (off-farm employment, access to the marketing of produce, and agricultural credit), social capital (farmers-to-farmers extensions, access to extension services, and the farm association membership), and natural capital (land ownership, tenancy status, and the location of the farm) were importantly related to farm households’ ACC strategies. The odds (likelihood) of adaptation were higher for the users of farm technology as compared to non-users.DiscussionThe analysis conducted in this study showed that climate information resources amplify the adaptation to climate change: technology allows farming to be much more efficient, while climate change knowledge (CCK) self-motivates farmers to adopt more ACC measures. Our findings provide evidence that suggests the need to provide credits and financial support for farming technologies that speed up the ACC in the long run, while in the short run, climate information should be spread among farming communities.

Abstract JAK-STAT signalling pathway inhibitors have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of hair loss. Among different JAK isoforms, JAK3 has become an ideal target for drug discovery because it only regulates a narrow spectrum of γc cytokines. Here, we report the discovery of MJ04, a novel and highly selective 3-pyrimidinylazaindole based JAK3 inhibitor, as a potential hair growth promoter with an IC50 of 2.03 nM. During in vivo efficacy assays, topical application of MJ04 on DHT-challenged AGA and athymic nude mice resulted in early onset of hair regrowth. Furthermore, MJ04 significantly promoted the growth of human hair follicles under ex-vivo conditions. MJ04 exhibited a reasonably good pharmacokinetic profile and demonstrated a favourable safety profile under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Taken together, we report MJ04 as a highly potent and selective JAK3 inhibitor that exhibits overall properties suitable for topical drug development and advancement to human clinical trials.

Ciprofloxacin (CIP), an emerging micro-pollutant antibiotic, poses an environmental threat due to its resistance to high-temperature decomposition, aiding antibiotic resistance spread. Conventional degradation generates toxic byproducts, while biodegradation offers an efficient and eco-friendly means to eliminate CIP. In this study, ciprofloxacin-degrading strains were isolated from pharmaceutical wastewater using an enrichment technique. Isolated strains R2 and R4 were identified as Stutzerimonas stutzeri and Exiguobacterium indicum, respectively, based on their 16S rRNA gene sequence. Ciprofloxacin degrading potential of these strains was tested in shake flask fermentation and quantified using spectrophotometric assays and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). UHPLC analysis revealed that in co-metabolism, R2 achieved 51 and 77% degradation, and R4 achieved 60 and 68% after 5 and 10 days of incubation. When CIP served as the only carbon source, R2 degraded it by 23 and 35%, while R4 degraded it by 19% and 28 in 5 and 10 days, respectively. Spectrophotometric analyses produced congruent results with UHPLC. Notably, in co-metabolism, R2 and R4 achieved 66 and 88% degradation within the 5 days. Moreover, the degraded residues displayed reduced antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In conclusion, both strains show potential for degrading CIP, aiding in mitigating pharmaceuticals and environmental pollutants. HIGHLIGHTS Bacterial strain R2 and R4 was isolated from pharmaceutical wastewater for biodegradation of CIP.; Spectrophotometric and UHPLC analysis was performed to estimate the CIP degradation.; Biotransformation of CIP was higher in co-metabolism compared to direct metabolism.; 66% and 88% of total biodegradation occurred within the first five days of incubation.; Degraded residues of CIP have weaker antimicrobial potential than standard.;

Wheat is a major staple food worldwide yet numerous yield limiting agents affect its productivity. Stripe rust is a major culprit in this context and efforts have been made to culminate this pathogen using conventional as well as advanced innovative techniques. Transgenic technology is of significant importance in this context and numerous success stories are evident to prove its worth. In the current study, two novel genes HSFA2 and DREB2C were expressed in an elite wheat genotype Akbar, Fakhre-e-Bhakhar under constitutive CAMV35S promoter and stress inducible rd29 Promoters. The shoot cut method was used for the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and putative transformants were selected on kanamycin 50 mg/L. The resultant transformants were tested through PCR for transgene integration whereas expression analysis was carried out through realtime qPCR. Expression of both of the aforementioned genes was found to be higher under rd29 promoter as compared with transgene(s) expression under CAMV35S promoter. In the bioassay, transgenic wheat plants demonstrated significant tolerance to stress, exhibiting only minor spotting under constitutive expression conditions. Upon exposure to stress, these plants showed exceptional resistance to stripe rust, producing large, bold grains compared to individual trait expressions and negative controls. Subsequently, the DREB2C gene was knocked out to determine if stripe rust control was specifically attributed to this gene. Following the knockout, the onset of stripe rust was comparable to that of the negative control. This led to the conclusion that pyramiding the DREB2C gene with HSFA2 through dual expression represents a novel and highly effective strategy for controlling the widespread stripe rust in wheat. This approach also offers resistance to high temperatures (above 32 °C) from the pollination stage through to maturity.

The subdivision scheme is a valuable tool for designing shapes and representing geometry in computer-aided geometric design. It has excellent geometric properties, such as fractals and adjustable shape. In this research paper, we explore the generation of fractal curves using a novel binary 8-point interpolatory subdivision scheme with two parameters. We analyse different properties of the proposed scheme, including convergence, special cases, and fractals. Additionally, we demonstrate through various examples the relationship between the shape parameters and the fractal behaviour of the resulting curve. Our research also identifies a specific range of shape parameters that can effectively produce fractal curves. The findings of this study provide a fast and efficient method for generating fractals, as demonstrated by numerous examples. Modelling examples show that the 8-point interpolatory scheme can enhance the efficiency of computer design for complex models.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Acute testicular pain requires emergency exploration for suspected testicular torsion (TT). It has been suggested that temperature variation is associated with TT. However, it was not possible to conclude whether the higher occurrence of TT was related to TT itself or the effect of the overall higher presentation of acute scrotum. We studied the impact of seasonal and daily temperature variations on acute testicular pain and outcomes. METHODOLOGY: Retrospective data collection on patients required testicular exploration between January 2006 and December 2017 for TT. The Kruskal Wallis test & chi-square tests were used to assess the group difference between continuous and categorical variables, respectively. RESULTS: In total, 502 patients required testicular exploration. The median age and duration of symptoms were 16.4 yrs. (1.3 – 77) and 4 hrs. (1 – 336). Respectively, TT was found in 231 (46%), torsion of the testicular appendix (TTA) in 126 (25%), epididymal inflammation (EI) in 46 (9.2%), and no identifiable cause (NIC) was found in 99 (19.7%). Scrotal explorations were more common in groups with mean daily temperature >6.20C, 60.2% Vs 39.8% while there was no difference in TT 46% Vs 46% in these groups. CONCLUSION: There was no seasonal variation for testicular torsion or operative findings. Cold weather and average low daily temperatures were not related to testicular torsion.

Computer graphics is a dynamic field that heavily relies on mathematical techniques. For instance, subdivision scheme is used to create smooth and visually appealing curves and surfaces of arbitrary topology. The primary focus of this study is to transform two 5-point binary subdivision schemes into a single 7-point binary subdivision scheme with shape control. We have merged two binary approximating schemes that were constructed using the uniform B-spline basis function and the Lagrange basis function into a new subdivision scheme. It has been demonstrated that, for fixed values of the global shape control parameters, the curves generated by the proposed 7-point binary subdivision scheme maintain C6 continuity everywhere. Furthermore, a brief discussion on the analysis of the Gibbs phenomenon in the new subdivision scheme has been presented. This is also a reminder of the challenges and intricacies involved in computer graphics and geometric modeling.

Recently, a rapid advancement in using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for yield prediction (YP) has led to many YP research findings. This study aims to visualize the intellectual background, research progress, knowledge structure, and main research frontiers of the entire YP domain for main cereal crops using VOSviewer and a comprehensive literature review. To develop visualization networks of UAVs related knowledge for YP of wheat, maize, rice, and soybean (WMRS) crops, the original research articles published between January 2001 and August 2023 were retrieved from the web of science core collection (WOSCC) database. Significant contributors have been observed to the growth of YP-related research, including the most active countries, prolific publications, productive writers and authors, the top contributing institutions, influential journals, papers, and keywords. Furthermore, the study observed the primary contributions of YP for WMRS crops using UAVs at the micro, meso, and macro levels and the degree of collaboration and information sources for YP. Moreover, the policy assistance from the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, Germany, and Australia considerably advances the knowledge of UAVs connected to YP of WMRS crops, revealed under investigation of grants and collaborating nations. Lastly, the findings of WMRS crops for YP are presented regarding the data type, algorithms, results, and study location. The remote sensing community can significantly benefit from this study by being able to discriminate between the most critical sub-domains of the YP literature for WMRS crops utilizing UAVs and to recommend new research frontiers for concentrating on the essential directions for subsequent studies.

Bioremediation is a sustainable and worthy approach for remediating textile industrial wastewater, which poses severe extortions to human and environmental health due to its toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic nature. The present study employed Acinetobacter baumannii 1005 isolated from industrial wastewater to emphasize its degradation potential and to characterize the azoreductase (AZA) gene to assess and optimize the biodegradation of reactive blue 224 (RB-224) textile dye. A. baumannii showed significant decolorization against RB-224, resulting in a change in color. Under optimized conditions (pH 6, 37 °C, and 100 mg/L), A. baumannii exhibited 91 % decolorization of RB-224 being analyzed by UV–vis after 24 h of incubation. UV–vis spectroscopy and FTIR analysis have shown the efficiency of A. baumannii for degrading RB-224. In the UV spectrum, the shifting of the peak from560 nm to 400 nm confirmed the decolorization. In the FTIR spectrum, the shift of several significant peaks related to the functional groups S = O C-N, C–H, C = C, and N–H, corresponding to the structure of RB-224 dye along with the emergence of new peaks indicating the formation of metabolites after degradation. The Azoreductase (AZA) gene of ∼600 bp was amplified and cloned in a pTz57R/T cloning vector. Subsequently, the AZA gene was sequenced and submitted to NCBI for accession number. This study explored the potential of A. baumannii isolate suitable for the bio-remediation of textile dyes.

Background: Pakistan is one of the largest host of refugees. People in Pakistan have bad access to healthcare not only due to bad facilities but also due to discrimination based on their personal characteristics and possessions. The behavior not only damages the dignity of the people being targeted but also creates hindrances in further seeking professional medical help and follow-ups thus deteriorating the health status of the community as a whole. Health providers possess a moral commitment to encourage dignity and treat their patients without any kind of discrimination in their behavior. Patient experiences of discrimination result in delay in seeking healthcare, they do not stick to advice of professionals and ultimately poor health. The objective of this study is to identify sources of discrimination and its effects on patients' health status and their level of satisfaction. Methods: This descriptive study took place in Outdoor Patient Department, Mayo Hospital, Lahore. 170 patients were selected from all the patients coming to OPD with equal male to female ratio. Each patient was given a questionnaire containing relevant questions to know whether they faced any sort of discriminatory behavior or not. Results: 66% females and 49% males of the study sample experienced discrimination at some stage of their hospital visit. Conclusion: Our study concluded that females experienced more discrimination than males. Therefore, gender is the most important factor when it comes to discriminatory experiences. Moreover, people with the higher income had fewer incidents of discrimination than their counterparts.

Objective: To determine the association of Breastfeeding with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in mothers. Methodology: A cross sectional study on randomly selected 280 mothers presented in the outpatient department of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan for different medical reasons from July to Dec 2023. Data collection commenced after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of the institute and taking informed verbal consent from study subjects. These mothers were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 which never breastfed their children and group 2 which breastfed their children for more than 6 months. Each group had 140 participants. Subject having history of alcohol consumption or used medicines like glucocorticoids, amiodarone, tamoxifen, and methotrexate were excluded from the study. Biodata of all the participants along with demographic profiles were obtained, who then went through an LFT and Lipid profile blood sampling and an USG abdomen. Results were recorded on a predesigned proforma. Serum ALT, AST, Serum bilirubin, serum LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, and Serum Cholesterol were determined by enzymatic assay and high-performance liquid chromatography methods. Data was analysed using SPSS v.26. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data. Mean and standard deviations were reported for continuous variables. Chi square test was used to compare the qualitative variables, with p value of less than 0.05 taken as significant. Results: Mean age ± SD of participants was 40±4 years, with group-1 having mean age of 38.1±5 years and group-2 having 40.4±3 years (p=0.4). The findings showed that frequency of NASH in patients who have not breastfed their children was higher 19 out of 140(13.6%) whereas the mothers who breastfed their children only have 5% frequency of NASH i.e. 7 out of 140 (P value = 0.01). Out of 140 patients who did not breastfeed their children 56 (40.0%) developed NAFLD, contrary to 140 patients who breastfed their children only 20 (14.3%) (P value = 0.00) got NAFLD. Elevated ALT and AST levels are significant for NAFLD and NASH. Lipid profile is a major indicator of NAFL and NASH. Conclusion: The frequency of NAFLD and NASH is significantly low in mothers who breastfed their children. The frequency further decreases if the period of breastfeeding was greater.

Objective: Development & Optimization of Ofloxacin Floating tablets to enhance gastric retention time. Sustained release effect of formulation will reduce the dosing frequency for UTIs and prolonged local effect will benefit against H-pylori infection. Materials: Pre formulation tests were performed which include bulk characteristics and flow properties. Post formulation studies include weight variation, thickness, content uniformity, hardness, friability, dissolution studies, release kinetics and compatibility & stability analysis. Kinetic studies were done and models were applied to understand the drug release mechanism. Accelerated stability analysis was also done for time period of 6 months. Results: All pre formulation tests were within range of USP standards, all the formulations showed good buoyancy. The in-vitro dissolution testing showed that F2 released drug at much slower rate, 64.97% within 24 hrs. F3 & F4 released ofloxacin at faster rate, 98.6% & 99.90% respectively, however, F1 released 91.66% drug within 24 hrs. F1 followed Higuchi model, F2 & F3 followed 1st order kinetics and F4 followed 1st order & Higuchi model. For F1, FTIR & DSC analysis curves showed no interaction or change of state of ofloxacin. Conclusion: Formulation F1 was proved to be the optimized formulation and followed non-Fickian release independent of concentration of drug also confirmed from Korsmeyer-Peppas equation. The Stability analysis also proved that F1 is the best fit formulation to be used as Floating Drug Delivery System of Ofloxacin. Stability analysis proved that polymers used in F1 formulation were effective effervescent agents and made the formulation optimized and efficacious.

Pakistan has a conducive condition for the development of a wide range of scrumptious fruits. As a result, the country grows a diverse assortment of tropical and subtropical fruits; the most prized and top-ranked fruit among all fruits grown in Pakistan is citrus. Citrus is the principal fruit that contributes significantly to Pakistan’s export earnings and national income. In this study, the cross-border determinants influencing Pakistan’s citrus exports to its topmost 22 trading partners are examined using a gravity model technique. This is the first large study from Pakistan by using gravity model to check the impact of various cross-border factors on citrus fruit export. The analysis is based on a panel dataset covering the years 2003 to 2021. To estimate the results, the study used fixed effect regression with time and country fixed effects. The results signify that per capita income, population, and some regional dummies are positively associated with citrus exports from Pakistan. Citrus price, distance, exchange rate, and other regional dummies are observed to have an adverse effect on citrus exports. Trade agreements between Pakistan and trade partners such as free trade agreements, preferential trade agreements, and SAFTA, have been observed as important determinants of citrus exports. Citrus exporters in Pakistan can also benefit from understanding the factors that influence export markets. By addressing the challenges identified in this study, Pakistan can enhance its citrus exports and boost its agricultural sector.

This paper studies the flexible Lomax distribution's order statistics with graphical and numerical findings. Along with the quantitative measurements, some plots are furnished, including those for the skewness and kurtosis measures. We will dwell on the numerous results that relate to statistics of moments of order. We consider the single and product moment of order statistics from the new distribution. Further, we establish some recurrence relation for single moments of order statistics. We have sought to apply the derived relations to empirically evaluate the moments of smallest (largest) order statistics to establish well-known moments and related measures. For order statistics of a flexible Lomax distribution, exact analytical expressions of entropy, residual entropy, and past latent entropy are determined. (original abstract)

The abundance of information on online purchasing websites makes it challenging for customers to locate products that match their preferences. However, the cold-start problem arises when there isn’t enough previous data, making it harder to make accurate recommendations for new customers or products. The enormous number of possible customers and products in a recommendation system leads to sparse data, which makes it harder to generate relevant recommendations and causes the sparsity problem. In addition, existing e-commerce recommender systems have difficulty making accurate product recommendations because they disregard individual consumer characteristics. In order to overcome these limitations, a hybrid recommender system combining ontology and sequential pattern mining (SPM) techniques is proposed. The strategy entails constructing an ontology that encompasses customer and product-related knowledge in the e-commerce domain. This ontology is then utilized to calculate customer preference similarities and generate predictions for the intended customer. The SPM algorithm is applied to the results of collaborative filtering to generate personalized recommendations for the customer. Experiments have demonstrated that the hybrid recommender system outperforms existing methods and resolves the cold-start problem and data sparsity in e-commerce recommender systems effectively. Even with limited initial data, the system generates accurate and individualized recommendations based on ontological domain knowledge and the customer’s sequential purchase patterns. By integrating ontology and sequential pattern mining, this strategy enhances the precision and individualization of the e-commerce industry’s recommendation process.

Objective(s): The current study aimed to investigate the control and treatment of biofilm-producing isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs). Materials and Methods: Biofilm-producing isolates of P. aeruginosa were recovered from various food samples and identified through fluorescent green colony formation on selective and differential media, as well as the amplification of oprI and oprL genes. Tube methods, Congo-red agar method, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study biofilm phenotypes. The effect of SiNPs was evaluated by broth dilution assay.Results: The biofilm assay revealed that these isolates formed biofilms on glass surfaces within 72 hr of incubation. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the biofilm communities were composed of multicellular clusters of P. aeruginosa encased in matrix material. However, these isolates were unable to form biofilms on SiNPs-coated surfaces. The results showed that the planktonic isolates of P. aeruginosa were comparatively sensitive to the antibacterial properties of SiNPs, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 100 to 200 µg/ml. Contrarily, the biofilms were found to be 500 times more tolerant to the highest concentration of SiNPs (MIC of 500 µg/ml) and were more resistant. Under static conditions, the sedimentation of SiNPs resulted in their ineffectiveness. However, under shaking conditions, the biofilms were effectively dispersed and the cells were lysed. The results showed that SiNPs were effective against both the planktonic and the metabolically inactive forms of P. aeruginosa.Conclusion: This study suggests that SiNPs could be a useful tool for preventing the formation of biofilms and removing pre-existing biofilms.

AbstractThis paper introduces a modified method for construction of a new design-control 6-point approximating refinement scheme. The construction of the new scheme is based on translation of the points of 4-point approximating refinement scheme to the new position according to the linear combination of certain displacement vectors. The initial and terminal points of these vectors are the refinement points of two 4-point approximating binary schemes. The new scheme contains three design-control parameters. These parameters increase the efficiency and flexibility of the new scheme. The mathematical and graphical analysis of the refinement scheme show that this scheme is good choice for curve modeling.

Background: Job related stress has been identified as global health issue which deters the health of nurses. The objective of the study is to determine the severity of job related stress and find out the various sources of job related stress among Nurses of Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro from 1st July 2015 to 31st January 2016. Study was accomplished on 100 registered nurses. Nurses having valid Pakistan Nursing Council License were included in the study. Purposive non probability sampling method was used to approach the subjects. Structured questionnaire (HCJSSQ) February 2008 was used for data collection. Data analysis was done by using SPSS software version 21. Results: Out of total 100 study participants, 90 (90%) were females and 10 (10%) were males with mean age of 32.29SD +7.025 years. Majority of nurses 40.64% reported moderate stress, 35.48% of nurse’s responded severe stress and 16.32% of nurses had mild stress. Among the sources of stress, leading source of stress was workload 56%, facing problems in relations with subordinate medical staff as 51%, emotional distress of patients as 50% and 38% of staff are accountable for the value of the work of other staff level of stress. Conclusion: The study concluded that majority of nurses had job related stress that may cause negative impact on organizational climate. Work load was recognized as the prominent source of causing job related stress among nurses.

In the midst of a vast amount of scientific literature, the need for specific rules arise especially when it comes to deciding which impactful researchers should be nominated. These rules are based on measurable quantities that can easily be applied to a researcher's quantitative data. Various search engines, like Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, Web of Science etc. Are used for recording metadata such as the researcher's total publications, their citations, h-index etc. However, the scientific community has not yet agreed upon a single set of criteria that a researcher has to meet in order to secure a spot on to the list of impactful researchers. In this study, we have provided a comprehensive set of rules for the scientific community within the field of mathematics, derived from the top five quantitative parameters belonging to each category. Within each categorical grouping, we meticulously selected the five most pivotal parameters. This selection process was guided by an importance score, that was derived after assessing its influence on the model's performance in the classification of data pertaining to both awardees and non awardees. To perform the experiment, we focused on the field of mathematics and used a dataset containing 525 individuals who received awards and 525 individuals who did not receive awards. The rules were developed for each parameter category using the Decision Tree Algorithm, which achieved an average accuracy of 70 to 75 percent for identifying awardees in mathematics domains. Moreover, the highest-ranked parameters belonging to each category were successful in elevating over 50 to 55 percent of the award recipients to positions within the top 100 ranked researchers' list. These findings have the potential to serve as a guidance for individual researchers, who aimed on to making it to the esteemed list of distinguished scientists. Additionally, the scientific community can utilize these rules to sift through the roster of researchers for a subjective evaluation, facilitating the recognition and rewarding of exceptional researchers in the field.

Micheliolide (MCL) is a chief constituent of plants such as Magnolia grandiflora L., Michelia compressa (Maxim.) Sarg. and Michelia champaca L. It is known to exhibit significant anticancer activity by various scientific investigations. This review aims to emphasize the anticancer and antiinflammatory activities of MCL. In this review, we summarized the published data in peer-reviewed manuscripts published in English. Our search was based on the following scientific search engines and databases: Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Springer, PubMed, and SciFinder, MCL possesses a broad spectrum of medicinal properties like other sesquiterpene lactones. The anticancer activity of this compound may be attributed to the modulation of several signaling cascades (PI3K/Akt and NF-κB pathways). It also induces apoptosis by arresting the cell cycle at the G1/G0 phase, S phase, and G2/M phase in many cancer cell lines. Very little data is available on its modulatory action on other signaling cascades like MAPK, STAT3, Wnt, TGFβ, Notch, EGFR, etc. This compound can be potentiated as a novel anticancer drug after thorough investigations in vitro, in vivo, and in silico-based studies.

Heat transmission by ordinary fluids such as pure water, oil, and ethylene glycol is inefficient due to their low viscosity. To boost the efficiency of conventional fluids, very small percent of nanoparticles are added to the base fluids to prepare nanofluid. The impact of changing in viscosity can be used to investigate the rheological properties of nanofluids. In this paper, (CoFe2O4)/engine oil based nanofluids were prepared using two steps standard methodology. In first step, CoFe2O4 (CF) were synthesized using the sol-gel wet chemical process. The crystalline structure and morphology were confirmed using X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. In second step, the standard procedure was adapted by taking several solid volume fractions of CF as Ø = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0 %. Such percent of concentrations were dispersed in appropriate volume of engine oil using the ultrasonication for 5 h. After date, the viscosity of prepared five different nanofluids were determined at temperatures ranging from 40 to 80 °C. According to the findings, the viscosity of nanofluids (µnf) decreased as temperature increased while increased when the volume percentage of nanofluids Ø raised. Furthermore, total 25 experimental observations were considered to predict viscosity using an artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface methodology (RSM). The algorithm for building the ideal ANN architecture has been recommended in order to predict the fluid velocity of the CF/SAE-50 oil based nanofluid using MATLAB software. In order to determine the correctness of the predicted model, the mean square error (MSE) was calculated 0.0136.

The construction of Islamic education is a gateway for the growth of human civilization and is expected to provide definite answers to society's problems. The problem of disintegration between sciences results in the compartmentalization of the human mind, personalities that are not characterized by divine values and tend to justify all means due to hedonism that plagues life. The problems of Islamic education in responding to the progress of the times, especially in the era of the industrial revolution 5.0 currently aimed at the challenges of Islamic educational institutions in the face of the destruction of the next generation of the nation's character. This is in line with the goal of Islamic education to create a generation of the nation that has the ability in terms of science and technology without eliminating the moral aspects of students. This research method uses a qualitative approach with data collection through literature studies that are analyzed by content analysis. The results showed that one of the challenges faced by Islamic education is the aspect of education management, future education planning has three characteristics of society, namely the future of sociology and the future of technology. Therefore, Islamic education is required to be able to balance itself with the progress of modern times or globalization that will continue to change. Islamic education must be able to show education that is responsive to the times. Preparing for the future of education is to advance, with an emphasis on quality, justice, prosperity, and so on.

Background: Subcentre is the lowest rung of a referral pyramid of health facilities. The purpose of health subcentre is mainly providing preventive and promotive services, but it also provides a basic level of curative services. Objectives: To assess the existing services availability at subcentres and identification of gaps between minimum requirements as per Indian public health standards and actual availability of services at subcentres. Material and Methods: It was a cross sectional observational study. Study units were subcentres. Fifty percent of subcentres of the district were selected using simple random sampling method. Check list prepared from Indian public health standards facility survey formats was used for data collection and collected data were analysed using statistical package for social sciences. Results: Majority (58.8%) of the subcentres were catering a population in the range of 1000–3000. Ante-natal and child care related services were available in all subcentres. Intra-natal services were available in only two subcentres. Eighty five percent of subcentres were involved in providing school health related services. Conclusion: Most of the services as recommended by Indian public health standards were available in the studied subcentres. The lack of some services was mainly due to inadequate staff and infrastructure at subcentres. Comprehensive efforts are required to ensure adequate service delivery at all health centres.

Abstract Proteolysis is the rate-limiting step in the mineralization of organic nitrogen into ammonium (NH4 +) and thereby the ammonia (NH3) released during the composting. However, the dynamics of bacterial proteolytic communities related to NH3 emissions during the composting systems are mostly unknown. This study aimed to examine and compare the effects of hyperthermophilic pretreatment composting (HPC) and traditional composting (TC) methods on (i) the difference of NH3 loss and nitrogenous compounds; (ii) the dynamics of the proteolytic bacterial community involved in the proteolysis and (iii) the correlation between the proteolytic bacterial community, biophysiochemical characteristics and NH3 loss. Results revealed that the HPC decreased NH3 loss by 42% as compared to TC during 60-day composting period. This was accompanied with an inhibitory effect on protease activity in the HPC where the relative abundances of the proteolytic bacteria (Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus cohnii) were reduced significantly as compared to TC. Partial least-squares path modeling suggested that various physicochemical properties such as higher temperature as well as lower C/N ratio during composting played a dominant role in affecting the abundance of proteolytic bacteria, which may have been an important factor contributing to the lower NH3 loss in HPC. All these findings lead us to conclude that the HPC can significantly reduce NH3 loss by inhibiting the proteolytic bacteria and protease activity responsible for NH3 release. Graphical Abstract

For the study of heavy metals impact on human beings, areas in Sargodha city that were supplied with various types of fertilizers were chosen. The three industrial areas; (Bhalwal, Sillanwali, and Sahiwal) of this city were explored for research reasons. The researchers wanted to know how much heavy metal was in the soil, food crops, and human. Excess fertilizer use contributes to global pollution. Farmyard manure, urea, and potassium chloride were used on Site 1; urea phosphate, manure, and ammonium sulphate were used on Site 2; and super phosphate, ammonium phosphate, and nitrate phosphate were used on Site 3. Samples of commonly used food crops, their respective soils and blood of residents who ingested the food crops of the studied area were collected. The zinc and lead levels in soil (8.30-16.80 and 1.80-12.71 mg/kg) and food crops (0.26-2.02 and 2.26-4.70 mg/kg) were far lower than WHO permitted limits. Blood mean concentration of both Zn (2.30-4.30 mg/L) and Ni (0.24-0.70 mg/L) were found maximum in residents of Site 3. The values of pollution load index, bioconcentration factor, enrichment factor for both zinc and lead were (0.18- 0.37 a n d 0.220-0.948), (0.027-0.138 and 0.316-1.705), (0.020-0.144 and 0.515-2.780), respectively. Daily intake of metal (0.004-0.008 and 0.001-0.002 mg/kg/day) and health risk index (0.0001-0.016 and 0.005-0.115) values were observed to be lower in individuals for Zn and Pb, respectively. In present work values of all pollution indices were

Abstract The non-biodegradable nature of waste emitted from the agriculture and industrial sector contaminates freshwater reserves. Fabrication of highly effective and low-cost heterogeneous photocatalysts is crucial for sustainable wastewater treatment. The present research study aims to construct a novel photocatalyst using a facile ultrasonication-assisted hydrothermal method. Metal sulphides and doped carbon support materials work well to fabricate hybrid sunlight active systems that efficiently harness green energy and are eco-friendly. Boron-doped graphene oxide-supported copper sulphide nanocomposite was synthesized hydrothermally and was assessed for sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. BGO/CuS was characterized through various techniques such as SEM–EDS, XRD, XPS, FTIR, BET, PL, and UV–Vis DRS spectroscopy. The bandgap of BGO-CuS was found to be 2.51 eV as evaluated through the tauc plot method. The enhanced dye degradation was obtained at optimum conditions of pH = 8, catalyst concentration (20 mg/100 mL for BGO-CuS), oxidant dose (10 mM for BGO-CuS), and optimum time of irradiation was 60 min. The novel boron-doped nanocomposite effectively degraded methylene blue up to 95% under sunlight. Holes and hydroxyl radicals were the key reactive species. Response surface methodology was used to analyze the interaction among several interacting parameters to remove dye methylene blue effectively.

Electricity theft presents a substantial threat to distributed power networks, leading to non-technical losses (NTLs) that can significantly disrupt grid functionality. As power grids supply centralized electricity to connected consumers, any unauthorized consumption can harm the grids and jeopardize overall power supply quality. Detecting such fraudulent behavior becomes challenging when dealing with extensive data volumes. Smart grids provide a solution by enabling two-way electricity flow, thereby facilitating the detection, analysis, and implementation of new measures to address data flow issues. The key objective is to provide a deep learning-based amalgamated model to detect electricity theft and secure the smart grid. This research introduces an innovative approach to overcome the limitations of current electricity theft detection systems, which predominantly rely on analyzing one-dimensional (1-D) electric data. These approaches often exhibit insufficient accuracy when identifying instances of theft. To address this challenge, the article proposes an ensemble model known as the RNN-BiLSTM-CRF model. This model amalgamates the strengths of recurrent neural network (RNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) architectures. Notably, the proposed model harnesses both one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) electricity consumption data, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the theft detection process. The experimental results showcase an impressive accuracy rate of 93.05% in detecting electricity theft, surpassing the performance of existing models in this domain.

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a system of sensor nodes that communicate with one another and with their surroundings. Wireless sensor nodes are now used as the foundation for the higher-level industrial internet of things applications. Any type of real-time Internet of Things (IoT) application, as long as the data is collected utilizing the device's sensors. WSN are severely limited in terms of energy. Routing is one of the most challenging components of WSNs. Unbalanced energy utilization during data packet routing operations is one of the most serious difficulties with WSNs. This issue must be considered because the energy levels of sensor nodes are limited. We used WSNs multipath routing to save energy, improve scalability, and balance load. Many investigations are being undertaken to increase sensor node energy efficiency and network lifetime. More attention must be devoted to the clustering and routing components of communication in order to conserve energy. Clustering, also known as node clustering is a network organizing approach which helps with energy efficiency, workload distribution, data collection, and a connected hierarchy. The network is made up of numerous sensor nodes that must connect with one another in order for data to reach its goal, and when messages are not sent to intermediary nodes, problems arise. With multipath routing, numerous paths between the source and destination can be created, improving the possibility of data reaching the target and providing additional copies via alternate paths. The proposed routing solution uses less energy and extends the life of the network while compared with well-known approaches i.e., LEACH, ECPF, CHEF, UCR, DFLC, ACAWT, and Gupta. According to the simulation results and overall analysis, the proposed technique is much better than all the previous approaches under different number of nodes and simulation time in terms of end-to-end time reduced by 17.09% to 68.13%, energy consumption reduced by 13.23% to 29.12%, packet loss rate declined by 16.33% to 82.38% and drop rate of alive sensor nodes are much better shows high network resilience.

Magnetic spinel ferrite nanoparticles (MSF-NPs) are potential candidates for biomedical applications, especially in cancer diagnosis and therapy due to their excellent physiochemical and magnetic properties. In the current study, MSF-NPs were fabricated by sol-gel auto combustion method. The crystal structure and surface morphology were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The magnetic properties were studied by VSM (vibrating sample magnetometer). As increasing Gd3+ concentration, the saturation magnetization values decreased from (17.8-2.3) emu/g, while the coercivity decreased from (499-133) Oe at room temperature. Finally, the fabricated MSF-NPs were tested against anticancer activity by MTT assay. The IC50 = 21.27 μg/mL value was observed, showing the strong antiproliferative activity of these nanoparticles. These results suggested that the obtained MSF-NPs would be useful for remote-controlled hyperthermia therapy for cancer treatment and MRI application due to their excellent magnetic properties. These distinct properties make MSF-NPs most suitable for cancer treatment and bright Contrast Agents (T1-MRI).

Background India is facing an evolving challenge of double burden of malnutrition. Over the past 20 years there is steep rise in consumption of packaged food items in the developing countries. The medical students should have a sound knowledge regarding the food labels present on the packaged food items. This will help them in consuming healthy diet and also advising appropriate diet to their patients.

Purpose The demand for soilless media for vegetable transplant production is increasing. Economic constraints paired with concerns over the sustainability of peat mining have necessitated the replacement of peat with renewable and regionally abundant alternatives. The aim of this study was to develop from composts complete or partial substitutes for peat. Methods Composted guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), jantar (Sesbania aculeata), wheat (Triticum aestivum) straw, and rice (Oryza sativa) hulls adjusted to 10% airfilled porosity (AFP) were blended on a volumetric basis with peat moss at discrete levels (0â50%). Total waterholding capacity, shrinkage, dry and wet bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, N, P, K, FE, B, and Zn concentrations of each compost, their blends, and a peat control were measured. The experimental media were used to grow muskmelon (Cucumis melo) plants in a greenhouse. Seed germination, shoot fresh weight, shoot height, leaf area, stem diameter, root length, and mineral nutrient concentrations of transplants were quantified. After transplanting in the field, the growth rates and yields were measured. Nonparametric regression was used to analyze the data. Results The physiochemical parameters measured for most of the experimental media fell within the recommended range for growing media; however, pH for all media exceeded the recommended range. Media-containing guar and jantar composts generally contained more nutrients than media-containing rice hull or wheat straw composts. Fresh weight, height, and root length were generally greater for seedlings grown in media-containing rice hull compost than for those grown in media-containing other composts. Seedlings grown in media-containing guar or jantar composts generally had greater tissue nutrient concentrations. Conclusions All blends produced acceptable seedlings; however, the largest seedlings, and greatest post-transplant growth rate and yield were produced in media containing 30â50% rice hull compost.

Conclusion: The FTO gene variant rs9939609 has a strong association with T2DM and CVD. The AA genotype of FTO gene variants rs9939609 showed a strong association with most of the risk factors of CVD and T2DM.

Calotropis procera is a medicinal, traditional, and therapeutic plant in Pakistan. In this research study, the biological activities, for instance, anticancer, antileishmanial, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and brine shrimp lethality assay and GC-MS are studied. MTT assay, antileishmanial bioassay, microplate Alamar Blue assay, agar tube dilution method, oxidative burst assay using chemiluminescence technique, B-hatching techniques, and triple quadrupole acquisition method MS parameters were the methods used for anticancer, antileishmanial, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, brine shrimp lethality assay, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Whole plant methanol extract of Calotropis procera (WMECP) inhibited 69.1% of the growth of HeLa cell line with an IC50 value of 3.1 ± 0.4 and whole plant n-hexane fraction of Calotropis procera (WHFCP) and whole plant and aqueous fraction of Calotropis procera (WAFCP) inhibited the growth by 70.2% and 65.2% with IC50 values of 5.0 ± 0.3 and 17.1 ± 1.0. Whole plant methanol extract of Calotropis procera (WMECP) inhibited 70.1% of the growth of the PC3 cell line with an IC50 value of 5.1 ± 0.3 and whole plant n-hexane fraction of Calotropis procera (WHFCP) and whole plant aqueous fraction of Calotropis procera (WAFCP) inhibited 61.6% and 59.7% with IC50 values of 3.7 ± 0.5 and 16.4 ± 1.0. None of the extract and fractions of Calotropis procera showed anticancer activities against the 3T3 cell line. None of the extract and fractions of Calotropis procera showed antileishmanial, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities. Whole plant methanol extract of Calotropis procera (WMECP) exhibited lethality at the highest concentration while other fractions did not exhibit lethality. GC-MS studies revealed that the whole plant methanol extract of Calotropis procera (WMECP) consists of 11 compounds, whole plant n-hexane fraction of Calotropis procera (WHFCP) consists of 9 compounds, and whole plant aqueous fraction of Calotropis procera (WAFCP) consists of 7 compounds.

The increasing world population needs a standard balanced diet to address malnutrition problems. For this purpose, seed priming is one of the best techniques, which helps to increase the production of functional and nutritional food crops. Different techniques have been used for seed priming, but biological priming is the most frequently used because biocontrol agents offer a friendly environment for the growth of food crops. In this study, Momordica charantia L. seeds were subjected to a strain of Enterobacter sp. FD17 as a biocontrol agent at different time exposures (i.e., 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h). Leaf growth, flavonoids, chlorophyll content, amino acids, soluble sugars, protein, and total soluble phenolics were studied in the vegetative stage. The yield of nutritive components was evaluated from fruit, peel, and pulp of M. charantia. Biopriming was revealed to improve the final emergence rate, mean emergence time, seedling vigor, emergence index, and vigor indices I and II. Among the growth parameters, the root (0.45 ± 0.045 g) and shoot fresh weight (1.23 ± 0.05 g), leaf area (15.52 ± 1.5 cm), shoot length (30.33 ± 0.58 cm), number of flowers (6 ± 1.0), fruit weight (96.33 ± 1.15 g), and germination percentage (56.67 ± 11.55%) were also improved. Among biochemical analyses, biopriming improved chlorophyll a (6.33 ± 0.58 mg/g) and b (8.58 ± 2.5 mg/g), total soluble sugar (33.13 ± 2.24%), and total chlorophyll content (9.0 ± 1.5 mg/g). The nutritional analysis showed that free amino acids (1.43 ± 0.02 mg/g), total soluble sugar (42.53 ± 1.65%), ash (20.53 ± 2.57%), and catalase (347.47 ± 34.76 U/g) were increased in fruit, while crude fiber (3.62 ± 0.1%) and peroxidase (5.61 ± 0.34 U/g) in peel and protein and metabolizable energy in peel and fruit were increased. Among the water, acetone, and methanol extracts, the maximum antibacterial activity was shown by methanol extracts of leaves against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial species (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively) with inhibitory diameters of 3 mm. Biopriming also improved the phenolic contents in the leaves and fruits of M. charantia. Biopriming treatment was also revealed to be directly correlated with antiglycation activity. Therefore, biopriming treatment on seeds could be used to manipulate plant cell metabolism with a substantial improvement in phenolic content, antibacterial activity, and growth of M. charantia.

Introduction: Patients of diabetes repeatedly need blood glucose measurement, which may be falsely high due to less water intake and poor hydration of the patients. Aims & Objectives: To determine the effect of water intake or hydration on hematocrit and blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. Place and Duration of Study: Pathology Department and Diabetic Center of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan from January 2023 to July 2023. Material & Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in total 75 Type-1 & Type-2 diabetes patients using convenient sampling technique. 5 ml blood samples were drawn before and 20 minutes after oral hydration with 500 ml of oral water in all these patients to determine the effect on hematocrit and blood sugar levels. The data was entered and analyzed on SPSS version 23. Pre and post observations were compared using paired t-test. p-value

Introduction: Type-2 diabetes mellitus, a major public health problem, is caused by insulin resistance. In diabetics, chronic hyperglycemia results in formation of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress in diabetic patients is responsible for hepatic damage because it causes activation of several pro-inflammatory mediators in liver. Hepatic complications of diabetes include fatty liver disease, necrosis, cirrhosis, carcinoma and liver failure. Aims & Objectives: To determine and compare the hepatoprotective effect of extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar in streptozotocin induced Type-2 diabetic rat model. Place and Duration of Study: This experimental study was conducted at Animal House of Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan from May 2021 to June 2021. Material & Methods: In this study, 40 male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups i.e., Group I was NC (negative control), Group II PC (positive control), Group III EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) and Group IV (Apple cider vinegar), each group having 10 rats. Diabetes was induced in all rats except the rats of NC group at the start of the study by intraperitoneal administration of injection nicotinamide, followed by injection STZ after 15 minutes. Group III was given 1ml/100gBW/ day EVOO and Group IV was given 2ml/kgBW/day diluted ACV with distilled water in 1:5 orally for 4 weeks. Terminal sampling was performed at the end of the 4th week for estimation of liver enzymes (ALT, ALP and AST) in serum. Data were entered and analyzed in SPSS version 26. p value of ? 0.05 was considered significant. Results: On comparison with PC group, both the treatment groups showed significant decrease in serum ALT levels with p values 0.026 for EVOO and < 0.001 for ACV. Serum ALP levels were also decreased significantly in both the treated groups with p value < 0.001 for EVOO as well as for the ACV group. However, reduction in serum AST levels was nonsignificant with p values 0.082 and 0.058 in EVOO and ACV groups respectively. Conclusion: Both EVOO and ACV have hepatoprotective effect in Type-2 diabetic rats. However, ACV is more effective.

Objective: To determine and compare plasma thrombomodulin, von Willebrand factor and von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease levels between pre-eclamptic and healthy pregnant females. Method: The cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted at the Department of Haematology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from November 2019 to December 2020, and comprised pregnant females who were divided into healthy pregnant group A and pre-eclamptic group B. Plasma thrombomodulin and von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease levels were determined by using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and von Willebrand factor level was determined by using immuno-turbidimetric assay kit. Data was analysed using SPSS 25. Results: Of the 88 participants, there were 44(50%) females with mean age 25.5±6 years in group A and 44(50%) in group B with mean age 26±5 years. Median thrombomodulin level in group B was significantly higher than group A (p=0.003). Median von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease levels were lower in group B compared to group A (p=0.838). A significant difference in von Willebrand factor level was observed between the groups (p=0.038). Conclusion: Females with pre-eclampsia had significantly higher plasma levels of von Willebrand factor and thrombomodulin than healthy pregnant subjects. Key Words: Thrombomodulin, vWF, ADAMTS13 protein, Pre-eclampsia.

The uncontrolled concentrations of heavy metals introduced into the water sources need an effective method for their removal. The dithiocarbamate (dtc) ligands are the most popular precipitating agents used for the removal of metals from wastewater. Presently, two novel dtc ligands, one without methylene linker (K2L1) and the other with methylene linker (K2L2) were used for the removal of eight heavy metals ions including Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ag+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ from the aqueous solution. These dtc ligands contain acyl (NH-C = O) and S, S (thiolate) functional groups. The results indicated that the metal removal efficiency of both ligands was almost 100% at pH 4 and 7 and free of the linker effect and acyl functional groups but depends on the S, S binding sites. It exhibited a distinct selectivity for the removal of metal ions (Pb2+ ∼ Cu2+ ∼ Ag1+ > Cd2+ > Co2+ > Ni2+ > Zn2+ > Fe2+). The developed methods have the potential for the removal of heavy metals and can be used for other thiophilic metals that are water-soluble.HIGHLIGHTS Water treatment, contaminated by heavy metal ions.Synthesis and characterization of two novel dithiocarbamate ligands.Effect of methylene (-CH2-) linker of dithiocarbamtes on heavy metals extraction.pH and temperature effect on the extraction efficiency of ligands.

Power converters are essential parts of microgrids (MGs), but they cause several problems. One of the most serious concerns with a DC microgrid (DCMG) is the constant power load (CPL), which has an incremental negative impedance (INI). INI has a negative dampening effect on the power efficiency of a power system. Sliding-mode control (SMC) has a hard attitude against external disturbances when compared to traditional control approaches like lead–lag, linear quadratic regulator, and PID. This paper suggests an adaptive sliding-mode control (ASMC) for a buck converter to supply a resistive and a CPL in a DCMG. The proposed controller provides large-signal stability during steady-state operation and maintains output voltage when the source voltage or CPL is changed. Moreover, the suggested controller significantly reduced the chattering effect, which is a major drawback of conventional SMC. An application of DCMG is presented to reveal the efficiency of the suggested ASMC method under both source voltage variation and constant power load variation.

Fermentation parameters, especially the duration, are important in imparting a peculiar taste and flavor to soy sauce. The main purpose of this research was to monitor metabolic changes occurring during the various time intervals of the fermentation process. NMR-based metabolomics was used to monitor the compositional changes in soy sauce during fermentation. The 1H-NMR spectra of the soy sauce samples taken from the fermentation tanks at 0 to 8 months were analyzed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and the obtained spectra were analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Square Discriminate analysis (PLSDA) revealed the separation of samples fermented for various time durations under identical conditions. Key metabolites shown by corresponding loading plots exhibited variations in amino acids (lysine, threonine, isoleucine, etc.), acetate, glucose, fructose, sucrose, ethanol, glycerol, and others. The levels of ethanol in soy sauce increased with longer fermentation durations, which can be influenced by both natural fermentation and the intentional addition of ethanol as a preservative. The study shows that the variation in metabolite can be very efficiently monitored using 1H-NMR-based metabolomics, thus suggestion to optimize the time duration to get the soy sauce product with the desired taste and flavor.

Breast cancer is a prevalent and potentially life-threatening disease that affects women worldwide. Natural products have gained attention as potential anticancer agents due to their fewer side effects, low toxicity, and cost effectiveness compared to traditional chemotherapy drugs. In the current study, the network pharmacology approach was used following a molecular docking study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of N. sativa-derived phytochemicals against breast cancer. Specifically, the study aimed to identify potential anticancer agents targeting key proteins implicated in breast cancer progression. Five proteins (i.e., EGFR, MAPK3, ESR1, MAPK1, and PTGS2) associated with breast cancer were selected as receptor proteins. Fourteen phytochemicals from N. sativa were prioritized based on drug-likeness (DL) and oral bioavailability (OB) parameters (with criteria set at DL > 0.18 and OB > 30%, respectively). Subsequent analysis of gene targets identified 283 overlapping genes primarily related to breast cancer pathogenesis. Ten hub genes were identified through topological analysis based on their significance in the KEGG pathway and GO annotations. Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities between folic acid, betulinic acid, stigmasterol, and selected receptor proteins. These phytochemicals also demonstrated druggability potential. In vitro experiments in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line revealed that betulinic acid and stigmasterol significantly reduced cell viability after 24 h of treatment, confirming their anticancer activity. Furthermore, in vivo evaluation using a DMBA-induced rat model showed that betulinic acid and stigmasterol contributed to the significant recovery of cancer markers. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the anticancer potential of N. sativa phytochemicals against breast cancer, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel therapeutic candidates for future drug development. Overall, these results highlight betulinic acid and stigmasterol as promising candidates to develop novel anticancer agents against breast cancer. The comprehensive approach of this study, which integrates network pharmacology and molecular docking study and its experimental validation, strengthens the evidence supporting the therapeutic benefits of N. sativa-derived phytochemicals in breast cancer treatment, making them promising candidates for the development of novel anticancer agents against breast cancer.

Objectives: To detect mutation in cases having haemoglobin A2 level 7percent on high performance liquid chromatography. Method: The cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from July 2017 to December 2018 at the Department of Haematology and Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised patients of either gender with haemoglobin A2 7percent. The samples were collected from different cities of Punjab in collaboration with the Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Programme, Lahore. The samples were subjected to complete blood count and high performance liquid chromatography using automated haematology analysers and a beta thalassemia short programme, respectively. To analyse haemoglobin E mutations at the molecular level, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR_RFLP) was performed using a type IIS restriction endonuclease known as Mnl1 (derived from Moraxella nonliquefaciens) to cleave DNA at specific sites and the results were further confirmed on randomly selected samples using Sanger sequencing. Data was analysed using SPSS 25. Results: Of the 39 patients, 15(38.5percent) were males and 24(61.5percent) were females. The overall median age was 14 (23) years. There were 29 (74.4percent) patients a thalassemia family history, and 22(56.4percent) had a positive family history of transfusion related to thalassemia, while no patient had a family history of iron therapy. The media haemoglobin A, haemoglobin A2 and haemoglobin F levels were 72.2 (65.2-79.1) percent, 26.6 (19.1-34.0) percent and 0.9 (-0.8-2.6) percent, respectively. After molecular investigation, HbAE mutation was found in 23(59percent) patients, while wild type HbAA genotype was found in 16(41percent). The heterozygous HbE mutation was present in 23(59percent) patients. Conclusions: Frequently missed/undiagnosed cases of haemoglobin E that co-elute with haemoglobin A2 in the same high performance liquid chromatography window were detected among those with haemoglobin A2 7percent. Key Words: Haemoglobin E, Beta-thalassemia, High performance liquid chromatography, Restriction fragment length polymorphism.

The interpretation of the Quran has evolved over time, reflecting the exigencies, culture, and requirements of each era, as well as the diversity of methodologies and approaches adopted by scholars. Four main types of interpretation emerged: general interpretation, analytical interpretation, thematic interpretation, and finally, comparative interpretation. This study aims to review the concept and development of comparative interpretation, including its different approaches and methods, and the methodological criteria for determining the most plausible interpretation in this field. Additionally, the study seeks to clarify the principles and standards used in favoring and selecting the most robust and logical opinion.The study adopts a descriptive and analytical methodology, relying on reliable library sources. Several significant findings were obtained, indicating that the methodology of comparative interpretation involves identifying the subject and objectives, conducting meticulous comparisons between the opinions and approaches of interpreters, and discussing the relevant evidence based on specific methodologies. The study also emphasizes the importance of recording the comparison results and adopting the prevailing opinion based on credible evidence while avoiding reliance on uncertain views. Furthermore, the results indicate that comparative interpretation contributes to rectifying and adjusting the course of religious interpretation, eliminating weak opinions based on unsound foundations. Moreover, comparative interpretation provides opportunities to explore new perspectives and opens new horizons for ideas and minds, with the aim of developing a comprehensive approach that combines diverse interpretations.

Summary: Background: The causes for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are diverse and the incidence trends of IMIDs from specific causes are rarely studied. The study aims to investigate the pattern and trend of IMIDs from 1990 to 2019. Methods: We collected detailed information on six major causes of IMIDs, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, between 1990 and 2019, derived from the Global Burden of Disease study in 2019. The average annual percent change (AAPC) in number of incidents and age standardized incidence rate (ASR) on IMIDs, by sex, age, region, and causes, were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Findings: In 2019, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease accounted 1.59%, 36.17%, 54.71%, 0.09%, 6.84%, 0.60% of overall new IMIDs cases, respectively. The ASR of IMIDs showed substantial regional and global variation with the highest in High SDI region, High-income North America, and United States of America. Throughout human lifespan, the age distribution of incident cases from six IMIDs was quite different. Globally, incident cases of IMIDs increased with an AAPC of 0.68 and the ASR decreased with an AAPC of −0.34 from 1990 to 2019. The incident cases increased across six IMIDs, the ASR of rheumatoid arthritis increased (0.21, 95% CI 0.18, 0.25), while the ASR of asthma (AAPC = −0.41), inflammatory bowel disease (AAPC = −0.72), multiple sclerosis (AAPC = −0.26), psoriasis (AAPC = −0.77), and atopic dermatitis (AAPC = −0.15) decreased. The ASR of overall and six individual IMID increased with SDI at regional and global level. Countries with higher ASR in 1990 experienced a more rapid decrease in ASR. Interpretation: The incidence patterns of IMIDs varied considerably across the world. Innovative prevention and integrative management strategy are urgently needed to mitigate the increasing ASR of rheumatoid arthritis and upsurging new cases of other five IMIDs, respectively. Funding: The Global Burden of Disease Study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project funded by Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (2022QN38).

The analysis of food consumption pattern is a primary concern of any developing country because it is related with food security. Pakistan is one of the emerging nations of the developing world.Due to the similarities and differences in households' food consumption behavior, income distribution, the effects of alternative tax structures, cost-benefit analyses, and the choice of cost of living index, the study of households' food consumption pattern is crucial for a developing nation like Pakistan. Furthermore, for Pakistan's food security in the present and the future, an analysis of food consumption pattern is crucial. The main objective of this study is to analyze the households' food consumption pattern. Linear Approximation Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) is applied using data from Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) for the year 2018–19. This study makes a significant contribution by estimating household age composition elasticities, which were absent from earlier studies. Results from the income elasticities reveal that milk, meat, and fruits are luxuries food items. Similarly, on the basis of inelastic income elasticities we declared cereals, pulses, vegetables, sugar, and ghee as necessity food items. Results from the compensated own price elasticities show that the eight food commodity groups have inelastic own-price elasticities. This implies that these food commodities are integral food items of household diet. Results from the compensated cross-price elasticities shows that cereals and pulses, cereals and vegetables, pulses and vegetables, milk and fruits, meat and fruits, and milk and ghee are gross substitutes. On the other hand, pulses and meat, pulses and fruits, and ghee and meat are gross complements. According to the findings of the household age composition elasticities, adding children to a household significantly increases its sugar consumption while significantly reducing its fruit consumption. Any increase in the size of the household by an adolescent, adult, or a person in their middle age results in a significant increase in the consumption of cereals and a significant drop in the consumption of fruits. Finally, any increase in the size of the households brought about by an elder resulted in a significant rise in the consumption of cereals and a significant drop in the consumption of vegetables.