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Studies on the wheat response under late sowing (LS) and salinity stress (SS) are available, however, in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems, wheat planting is often delayed resulting in co-occurrence of LS and SS in salt affected soils. This two-year field study was conducted to evaluate the influence of foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) [thiourea (TU), salicylic acid (SA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); water and no application were taken as control] on the productivity, grain quality and economic returns of timely-sown (TS) and LS wheat under normal (NC) and natural saline conditions (SS; EC 11.27 dS m− 1). Delay in sowing and planting in naturally saline soils caused a significant decrease in plant growth, grain yield, grain quality and net economic returns during both years of study. Late planting and SS caused a significant reduction in grain yield reduction by 40.58% and 34.72% (LS) and 40.66% and 42.89% (SS) compared with respective controls during 2021 and 2022, respectively. However, the influence of co-occurrence of LS and SS was more devastating than the individual stress causing 62.17% and 60.18% reduction in grain yield than the respective control during 2021 and 2022, respectively. However, the application of all PGRs improved the grain yield, grain quality and economic turnover under SS and LS stress. The order of improvement in grain yield by the application of PGRs treatments was TU > SA > H2O2. In conclusion, the application of different plant growth regulators improved economic returns, grain yield and quality attributes of late-sown wheat under saline conditions. In this regard, TU application was the most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Slugs and snails are widely distributed in natural humid habitats, and they are a worldwide problem in agriculture. The grey garden slug, a common terrestrial species, is considered the most severe pest of vegetables and field crops. Currently, the most common slug control methods rely on chemical pesticides, which can be damaging to the environment and human health. Nematodes are important natural enemies of slugs, and one species has been used as a commercial product for three decades. This study investigated and analyzed the differential gene expression profiles between nematode-infected slugs and uninfected slugs and identified the genes associated with immunity in the grey garden slug. The results provide a starting point for understanding the molecular mechanism of immune genes and physiological pathways, facilitating the identification of biological targets for slug management strategies in the field. The grey garden slug (Deroceras reticulatum), a common terrestrial slug native to Europe with a global distribution including North America, is commonly considered the most severe slug pest in agriculture. The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, which has been used in the U.K. and Europe as a commercial biocontrol agent since 1994, has also recently been collected in Oregon and California and has long been considered a candidate biocontrol agent for slug management in the U.S. In this study, we report differential gene expressions in nematode-infected slugs using RNA-seq to identify slug immune-related genes against nematodes. Comparison of gene expression levels between the whole bodies of a nematode-infected slug (N-S) and an uninfected control slug (C-S) revealed that there were a total of 39,380 regulated unigenes, of which 3084 (3%) were upregulated and 6761 (6%) were downregulated at greater than 2-fold change (FC > 2) in the nematode-infected slug. To further investigate the biological functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), gene ontology (GO) and functional enrichment analysis were performed to map the DEGs to terms in the GO, eukaryotic ortholog groups of proteins (KOG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome Pathway (KEGG) databases. Among these DEGs, approximately 228 genes associated with immunity or immune-related pathways were upregulated 2-fold or more in the N-S compared to C-S. These genes include toll, Imd, JNK, scavenger receptors (SCRs), C-type lectins (CTLs), immunoglobulin-like domains, and JAK/STAT63 signaling pathways. From the RNA-seq results, we selected 18 genes and confirmed their expression levels by qRT-PCR. Our findings provide insights into the immune response of slugs during nematode infection. These studies provide fundamental information that will be valuable for the development of new methods of pest slug control using pathogenic nematodes in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonate rocks are the most impressive petroleum reservoirs in the world, constrained by depositional and diagenetic processes. With Paleocene Lockhart Limestone (PLL) strata, the Hazara Basin in northwest Pakistan is a growing petroleum basin. It is crucial to evaluate how PLL depositional and diagenetic processes affect reservoir potential. A combination of field observations, petrographic analysis, and Xрray fluorescence is applied to achieve the desired goals. PLL consists mainly of densely fossiliferous nodular limestone that exhibits three main facie associations: low-energy lagoon facies represented by abundant green algae and micritic matrix, foraminifera-rich inner ramp with low-energy conditions, and shallow marine middle ramp with restricted water circulation and abundant non-skeletal allochems. PLL is interpreted to be formed in middle-inner ramp to lagoon depositional setting representing type 3 transgressive-regressive systems tract. The geochemical results show that CaCO3 range (82.20–94.86 wt %) is dominant than other element oxides indicating that calcareous influx is more, which inhibits the clastic rocks influence in the deposition and the influence of magnesium enrichment process is minimal, which ultimately supports the formation of ramp setting. The diagenetic features include compaction, micritization, stylolites, dissolution, cementation, dolomitization, fractures, and recrystallization representing marine, marine-meteoric mixing, and burial diagenetic environments. Dissolution and fracturing can improve the net porosity of the formation, making it a better reservoir for petroleum exploration. PLL is correlated with stratigraphic equivalents involving the Jahrum Formation (Iran) and Zongpu Formation (China) for better understanding the reservoir properties of other carbonate petroleum fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health costs of economic uncertainty always remain a major concern among policymakers of China. The theoretical and empirical literature on the economic uncertainty-human health nexus is still in its infancy stage. This study is firmly rooted in the economic uncertainty theory advanced by Baker, Bloom, & Davis. In this study, the primary objective of the analysis is to estimate the asymmetric impact of economic uncertainty on human health in China's economy. In order to evaluate the short and long-run estimates of economic uncertainty on human health across various quantiles, we have employed the linear and nonlinear QARDL models. The linear QARDL model shows that the long-run relationship between economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is positive and significant at all quantiles, while the long-run relationship between economic uncertainty and the death rate is positive and significant at higher quantiles. The nonlinear QARDL model reveals that, in the long run, the relationship between the positive shock of economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is positive and significant at quantiles 0.30 to 0.95, while the long-run relationship between the positive shock of economic uncertainty and the death rate is positive and significant at higher quantiles. The relationship between the negative shock of economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is negative and significant at the highest quantiles, while the relationship between the negative shock of economic uncertainty and death rate is negative and significant at higher quantiles in the long run. The findings indicate a positive relationship between economic uncertainty in China and higher rates of infant mortality and death. Thus, adopting suitable policies for controlling economic uncertainty can help in improving human health in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the relationship of perceived social support (PSS) and anxiety among patients of Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC). Methods: It is a cross sectional survey conducted from March 2021 to December 2021 in different hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Sampling was done through purposive and snowball technique. Self-administered and standardized questionnaires were used. To analyze perceived social support and anxiety, perceived social support "scale" and Beck anxiety inventory were used in patients of Hepatitis C. Patients Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) positive HCV patients between the ages 31 to 50 years were included. Patients with comorbid conditions and other than 31 to 50 years of age were excluded from the study. Results: Out of 250, males were 185(74%) and females 65(26%). Ages were between 31 to 50 years. PSS in both males and females was 49.8 and 49 (p=0.63%) with anxiety level 44.63 and 56.18 (p=0.00) respectively. There was no significant gender differences on PSS but women had significantly higher on anxiety (M = 56.18, SD = 11.36) with moderate effect size (>.05). PSS had significant negative correlation with anxiety (r = -.31, p < .05). Conclusion: Anxiety is more common in females and perceived social support has negative correlation with anxiety in patients of Chronic Hepatitis C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) matching is gradually being omitted from clinical practice in evaluation for renal allograft transplant. While such practices may yield shorter wait times and adequate short-term outcomes, graft longevity in HLA mismatched patients remains unclear. This study aims to demonstrate that HLA matching may still play an important role in long-term graft survival. Methods: We identified patients undergoing an index kidney transplant in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data from 1990 to 1999, with one-year graft survival. The primary outcome of the analysis was graft survival beyond 10 years. We explored the long-lasting impact of HLA mismatches by landmarking the analysis at established time points. Results: We identified 76,530 patients receiving renal transplants in the time frame, 23,914 from living donors and 52,616 from deceased donors. On multivariate analysis, more HLA mismatches were associated with worse graft survival beyond 10 years for both living and deceased donor allografts. HLA mismatch continued to remain an essential factor in the long term. Conclusions: A greater number of HLA mismatches was associated with progressively worse long-term graft survival for patients. Our analysis reinforces the importance of HLA matching in the preoperative evaluation of renal allografts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balanced photosynthesis is essential for improved plant survival and agricultural benefits in terms of biomass and yield. Photosynthesis is the hub of energy metabolism in plants; however, drought stress (DS) strongly perturbs photosynthetic efficiency due to biochemical and diffusive limitations that reduce key photosynthetic components and close stomata. This review describes photosynthetic responses, chloroplast retrograde signalling, and genetic imprints that curtail DS damage to photosynthetic machinery. While stomatal closure, disrupted photosynthetic systems, over‐reduced electron transport rates (ETR), partial hindrance of the Calvin cycle, and reduced pigment contents strongly affect the repertoire of photosynthetic processes under DS, chloroplast retrograde signalling also has a plausible role in preserving photosynthetic capacity. Progress in agronomic, genetic engineering approaches and isoprene regulation would help to rescue photosynthetic apparatus under DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) has proved beneficial in improving environmental quality and related health issues. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the impact of ENGO on human health in China from 1995 to 2020. To investigate the relationship between the variables, we have employed the ARDL model. The ARDL model results demonstrate that the long-run impact of ENGO is negative on infant mortality and death rate, meaning that an increase in the proportion of ENGOs in China considerably decreases infant mortality and death rate. On the other hand, ENGOs have a favorable influence on life expectancy in China, demonstrating ENGOs' supporting role in raising birth life expectancy. In the short run, estimates of ENGOs have no substantial influence on newborn mortality and death rates in China, whereas ENGOs have a positive and significant impact on life expectancy. These results imply that ENGOs help improves people's health status in China, which is also supported by the rise in GDP, technology, and health expenditures. The causal analysis confirms the bi-directional causal link between ENGO and IMR and ENGO and LE, while the unidirectional causal link runs from ENGO to DR. The results of the study provide insights into the impact of environmental NGOs on human health in China and may help guide policies aimed at improving public health outcomes through environmental protection efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat grain quality, an important determinant for human nutrition, is often overlooked when improving crop production for stressed environments. Climate change makes this task more difficult by imposing combined stresses. The scenarios relevant to climate change include elevated CO2 concentrations (eCO2) and extreme climatic events such as drought, heat waves, and salinity stresses. However, data on wheat quality in terms of climate change are limited, with no concerted efforts at the global level to provide an equitable and consistent climate risk assessment for wheat grain quality. Climate change induces changes in the quality and composition of wheat grain, a premier staple food crop globally. Climate‐change events, such as eCO2, heat, drought, salinity stress stresses, heat + drought, eCO2 + drought, and eCO2 + heat stresses, alter wheat grain quality in terms of grain weight, nutrient, anti‐nutrient, fiber, and protein content and composition, starch granules, and free amino acid composition. Interestingly, in comparison with other stresses, heat stress and drought stress increase phytate content, which restricts the bioavailability of essential mineral elements. All climatic events, except for eCO2 + heat stress, increase grain gliadin content in different wheat varieties. However, grain quality components depend more on inter‐varietal difference, stress type, and exposure time and intensity. The climatic events show differential regulation of protein and starch accumulation, and mineral metabolism in wheat grains. Rapid climate shifting impairs wheat productivity and causes grain quality to deteriorate by interrupting the allocation of essential nutrients and photoassimilates. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to determine the maximum energy and solute particles' transportation growth in a 3D-heated region of Prandtl martial through a dynamic magnetic field. The effects of this field on the properties of solvent molecules and heat conduction are studied. A correctly stated functional method and a finite element approach are comparable to a certain type of differential equations. In order demonstrate the effects of various factors such as mass diffusion, heat generation, and thermal diffusivity on the investigation of the diffusion coefficient and thermal mass in a three-dimensional Newtonian flow, the study of viscous and heat conduction rates is presented. The results show that the comparisons of hybrid nanofluid F e 2 O 3 and A l 2 O 3 with base fluid and w.r.t Local skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Deceased donor kidney transplants represent an important source of renal replacement for the 100 000 patients initiating hemodialysis annually. We compared the association of induction therapy, anti-thymocyte globulin [rabbit] (rATG) or basiliximab, with posttransplant rejection, graft and patient survival. Methods Using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, we identified patients that received deceased donor kidney transplants. The outcomes analyzed were 6- month rejection, 1-year rejection, patient survival and graft survival. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to understand the association of induction therapy and rejection. Cox-proportional hazards models were constructed to ascertain the association of choice of induction therapy with both patient and graft survival. Results Of 45 339 patients, 33 906 patients received rATG induction therapy and 11 433 patients received basiliximab induction therapy. The rATG group were younger (53.44 years vs 55.28 years, P < 0.001), more frequently female (58.74% male vs 66.08%, P < 0.001) and more frequently Black (34.78% vs 25.66%, p < 0.001) compared with patients in the basiliximab group. Rejection was more likely with basiliximab compared with rATG at 6 months(OR = 1.64, P < 0.001; 7.81% Basiliximab vs 5.23% rATG)and at 12 months (OR = 1.56, P < 0.001; 8.81% Basiliximab vs 6.31% rATG). Basiliximab induction therapy was associated with worse patient survival, (HR = 1.05, P = 0.017). Basiliximab induction therapy was associated with worse graft survival, (HR = 1.03, P = 0.037). Conclusion The analysis of the national experience demonstrated favorable rejection, patient survival, and graft survival with rATG usage. Further prospective data are necessary to provide treatment recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a voracious insect pest native to the Western Hemisphere, particularly in South America. The polyphagous fall armyworm feeds on more than 350 plants in such families, including Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. Transgenic plants that express Bacillus thuringiensis proteins (Bt plants) and synthetic insecticides are the main tactics to control Spodoptera frugiperda, although widespread usage of synthetic chemicals has resulted in the emergence of resistance. We assessed cross-resistance, resistance mechanism, and fitness costs based on the life history traits of Spodoptera frugiperda. Results indicated that after 24 generations of selection, the resistance to indoxacarb was increased by 472.67-fold as compared to the Ind-UNSEL. Significantly longer developmental time of larvae extended pupal duration, shorter adult longevity, and lower fecundity were observed in Ind-SEL as compared with the Ind-UNSEL population. Butoxide synergist increased susceptibility to indoxacarb, indicating that P450 enzymes may be involved in indoxacarb resistance. Therefore, it is crucial that we comprehend how insecticides work and how resistance develops in order to develop techniques for managing resistance. These data are valuable to understand the indoxacarb resistance mechanism and provides vital information for scientific-based guidance of pest management decisions. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a voracious insect pest that is difficult to control due to resistance to insecticides and Bt proteins. We assessed cross-resistance, resistance mechanism, and fitness costs based on the life history traits of S. frugiperda. We established an S. frugiperda strain selected for resistance to indoxacarb (Ind-SEL) from a field-collected population and an unselected strain, Ind-UNSEL. Results indicated that after 24 generations of selection, the resistance to indoxacarb was increased by 472.67-fold as compared to the Ind-UNSEL. There was high cross-resistance to deltamethrin (31.23-fold) with very low or negligible cross-resistance to chlorantraniliprole, emamectin benzoate, and/or methoxyfenozide in the Ind-SEL population. Butoxide synergist increased susceptibility to indoxacarb, indicating that P450 enzymes may be involved in indoxacarb resistance. Significantly longer developmental time of larvae extended pupal duration, shorter adult longevity, and lower fecundity were observed in Ind-SEL as compared with the Ind-UNSEL population. The Net reproductive rate (R0) was the only growth parameter that differs between crosses of Ind-SEL♂ × Ind-UNSEL♀ (176 ± 46) and Ind-SEL♀ × Ind-UNSEL♂ (328 ± 57). On the other hand, all population growth parameters differ between Ind-SEL and Ind-UNSEL strains. Our work contributes to the growing body of research that demonstrates the importance of strain genetics in fitness cost experiments and helps resistance management programs make decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the factors of iron deficiency anaemia among the post-menopausal women in our population. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Aug 2019 to Jan 2020. Methodology: A total of 300 post-menopausal women were included in this study. Menopausal status was taken as one year after the last menstrual period. Iron deficiency anaemia was diagnosed, based on haemoglobin and ferritin levels. In addition, the relationship of age, age at menopause, comorbid medical illnesses and duration of menopause was assessed with the presence of iron deficiency anaemia among the post-menopausal women participating in this study. Results: Out of 300 post-menopausal women studied in the given period, 124(41.3%) had no anaemia, while 176(58.7%) had the iron deficiency anaemia. Furthermore, 225(75.0%) had menopause after the age of forty, while 75(25.0%) had menopause after the age of forty. After applying the binary logistic regression analysis, we found that advancing age, longer duration since menopause and presence of medical comorbidities had a statistically significant association with anaemia in the target population. Conclusion: This study showed a high frequency of iron deficiency anaemia among post-menopausal women. In addition, women with longer duration since menopause, advanced age and other medical illnesses were more at risk of having iron deficiency anaemia s compared to other women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the impact of lifestyle on the optimization of blood pressure in adult hypertensive patients Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, Aug 2019 to Jan 2020 Methodology: The study population comprised of 200 hypertension patients reporting for routine follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups. Group-A (controls) had the patients with the continuation of the routine anti-hypertensive medication. At the same time, Group-B (cases) received lifestyle modifications (salt restriction, quitting smoking and daily step count by using a pedometer) in addition to the routine anti-hypertension medication. Control of blood pressure among the groups was compared three months after the start of the study. Results: Mean age of the patients was 46.50±3.56 years. The mean duration of hypertension in the study participants was 5.12±3.24 years. Optimal blood pressure was achieved in 103(51.5%), while this was not achieved in 97(48.5%). With the help of binary logistic regression analysis, we found a statistically significant difference in achieving optimal blood pressure control among the cases and controls. Gender was also statistically significant in achieving control of blood pressure (p- value<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed a significant difference in optimizing the blood pressure of patients who received lifestyle modification in addition to conventional biological treatment than those who only received the routine anti-hypertensive medication. Females also had better control as compared to males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has identified 16 substances as priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are harmful to humans, including anthracene and phenanthrene. These substances are pervasive pollutants introduced into the environment through anthropogenic and natural processes, causing ecological concerns and necessitating the quest for new strains capable of biodegrading these toxins. A novel strain of the genus Pseudomonas was isolated and molecularly identified based on partial 16S rRNA and phylogenetic analysis as Pseudomonas stutzeri strain BUK_BTEG1 from petrochemical contaminated soil. One factor at a time (OFAT) in Bushnell-Haas (BH) media was used to optimize the strain's biodegradation conditions. The isolate could grow up to 600 mgL−1 and 400 mgL−1 of anthracene and phenanthrene as the sole carbon source at an optimum pH of 7.0 and 7.5 respectively, inoculum concentration of 4% (v/v), and temperature of 35°C during 72 hours of incubation. The strain could degrade phenanthrene and anthracene to a maximum of 99 and 72 percent, respectively, under ideal conditions. The breakdown products' GC-MS analysis revealed the existence of the pathway's main metabolites, catechol, salicylic acid, and derivatives of phthalic acid. The strain exhibits promising potential for use in the bio-cleansing of environments contaminated by PAHs.metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, a vertical, 3D-heated plate is used to replicate the generation of heat energy and concentration into Prandtl liquid. We discuss how Dufour and Soret theories relate to the equations for concentration and energy. In order to see how effectively particles, interact with heat and a solvent, hybrid nanoparticles are used. It does away with the phenomena of viscous dissipation and changing magnetic fields. The motivation behind the developed study is to optimize solvent and heat storage uses in the biological and industrial domains. This article's major goal is to explore the aspects of thermal energy and mass transfer that influence how nanoparticles, hybrid nanoparticles, and 3D melting surface sheets behave. Variable thermal efficiency and variable mass transfer are combined. The system of generated PDEs (difference equations) includes the concentration, velocity, and heat energy equations. The numerical calculations are done for Silver (Ag), Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles with Ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) as the base fluid using a boundary layer approach to the mathematical formulation. The system of ODEs is formulated through transformations in order to find a solution. A Galerkin finite element algorithm (G-FEA) is adopted to analyze various aspects versus different parameters. It has been found that motion into hybrid nanoparticles is reduced by motion into nanoparticles. Additionally, differences in heat energy and solvent particle sizes are associated with modifications in magnetic, Dufour, Eckert, and Soret numbers. In contrast to hybrid nanostructures, the output of thermal energy is usually observed to be substantially higher. The magnetic field parameter decreases the particle velocity. In contradiction to the Eckert number, bouncy parameter, and magnetic parameter set values, the maximum quantity of heat energy is obtained. variable thermal conductivity's function. The 3D heated vertical surface convective heat transfer of nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids under the impact of a heat source, thermal radiation, and viscous dissipation has not yet been studied, as far as the authors are aware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow and heat transport of a viscous fluid contained in a square cavity have been extensively studied using parametric analysis. Lattice Boltzmann method is used to simulate fluid-flow in a square lid-driven cavity with a square-shaped obstacle in the cavity's centre. The cavity's top wall generates flow that moves at a constant speed in its own plane and is maintained at a higher temperature than the bottom wall. Reynolds number, Rayleigh number, Prandtl number, Grashof number, and Richardson number are the primary parameters used in this study. The relevance of natural and forced convection, contributions of conduction, and convection to total heat transfer are estimated. The influence of the temperature of the obstacle on the velocity and temperature of the fluid is also being investigated. When, Ri «1, the temperature of the obstacle has almost negligible influence on fluid velocity, the fluids are well mixed, and temperature fluctuations are minor in the bulk of the cavity interior. When, Ri »1, the obstacle's temperature, has a considerable impact on fluid velocity, much of the fluid in the cavity's middle and bottom regions remains stationary. These regions have a vertically linear temperature distribution. Further studies were carried out to investigate how the Prandtl number influenced the fluid's temperature. The findings are presented as contour plots of velocity and temperature, streamlines, horizontal and vertical velocity profiles, and vertical temperature profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, energy consumption has become an essential aspect in the manufacturing industry, and low heat transfer is one of the obstacles that affect the quality of the final product. This situation can be managed by suspending nanoparticles into ordinary heat transferring fluid (the base fluid). This newly prepared colloidal suspension has better heat transport capabilities. Keeping such usage of nanofluids in mind, this research was performed to better understand the heat transport characteristics during flow analysis saturated in porous media subject to Al2O3-SiO2/water hybrid nanofluids. This flow problem was generated by a stretching/shrinking surface. The surface of the sheet was under the influence of mass suction and second-order partial slip. The boundary layer flow was formulated in a system of partial differential equations by utilizing basic conservation laws in conjunction with the Tiwari and Das nanofluid model. Then, the appropriate form of the similarity transformation was adapted to transform the model into a system of ordinary differential equations. The built-in function, i.e., the bvp4c function in the MATLAB software, solved the reduced form of the boundary layer model. The novelty of this study lay in the predicting of two different exact and numerical solutions for both the flow and temperature fields. The computed results showed that the medium porosity as well as the nanoparticle volume fraction widened the existence range of the dual solutions. In addition, the investigational output exposed the fact that the temperature fields were significantly enhanced by the higher nanoparticle volume fraction. Moreover, the outcomes of this study showed a superb correlation with existing works. The present results can be utilized in various branches of science and engineering such as the polymer industry and in the treatment of different diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have been used extensively worldwide over the past few years due to the mitigation of fossils fuels; it is the best source because of its eco-friendly nature. In PV systems, the main research area concerns its performance under partial shading (PS) and complex partial shading (CPS) conditions. PV sources perform perfectly under ideal conditions, but under practical conditions, their performance depends upon many factors, including shading conditions, temperature, irradiance, and the angle of inclination, which can bring a photovoltaic or solar system into a PS or CPS condition. In these conditions, many power peaks appear, and it is hard to find the global peak among many local peaks. The ability to track the maximum power peak and maintain it to avoid fluctuations depends on the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique used in a photovoltaic system. This article is based on the implementation of a hybrid algorithm, combining Harris hawk's optimization (HHO), a new technique which is based on natural inspiration, and a conventional perturb and observe (P&O) technique. The hybrid technique was tested under different weather conditions in MATLAB Simulink and showed less computational time, a fast convergence speed, and zero oscillations after reaching a power point's maximum limit. A performance comparison of the hybrid technique was made with bio-inspired particle swarm optimization (PSO), adaptive cuckoo search optimization (ACS), the dragonfly algorithm (DFO), and the water cycle algorithm (WCA). The hybrid technique achieves 99.8% efficiency on average and performs very well among the rest of the competing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study probed the creation of heat energy and concentrating into Newtonian liquids across vertical 3D-heated plates. The role of the Soret and Dufour theories in concentrating and energy formulas is discussed. The role of hybrid nanoparticles is introduced to illustrate particle efficiency in terms of solute and thermal energy. It is removed a viscous dissipation process and a changing magnetic field. The proposed approach is motivated by the need to maximize solute and thermal energy uses in biological and industrial domains. The constructed system of (partial differential equations) PDEs includes concentration, momentum, and thermal energy equations within various thermal characteristics. Transformations are used to formulate the system of (ordinary differential equations) ODEs for solution. To assess various features vs various variables, a Galerkin finite element approach is used. Motion into nanoscale components is shown to be smaller than motion into hybrid nanoparticles. Furthermore, fluctuations in heat energy and solute particle counts are seen in relation to changes in Soret, Eckert, magnetic, and Dufour numbers. The basic finding is that the generation of thermal energy for hybridized nanomaterials is much higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations are under pressure to explore innovative sustainability practices that will enable organizations to handle the deteriorating issues of biodiversity and social inequality. Stern and Dietz' model offered a set of values with which organizations can create sustainability. This study's main purpose was to explore how Stern and Dietz' model underpin the various dimensions of workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior to accomplish corporate sustainability. To achieve the objective of the study, the previous literature was reviewed to construct a conceptual framework. This conceptual model is comprised of three phases egoistic, social altruistic, and biospheric. Based on prior literature, various dimensions of workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior were underpinned to accomplish corporate sustainability. Even though this concept sets out basic guidelines. However relevant knowledge should be regarded in order to reconcile these steps in different instances. This article provides a systematic review of the Stern and Dietz value model to achieve various aspects of organizational sustainability. A constructive framework was developed to create corporate sustainability by incorporating workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior into the context of the Stern Dietz' value model. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the association of fatty liver with type 2 diabetes and other socio-demographic factors among the patients at Pak Emirates military hospital Rawalpindi. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical Study. Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan from Aug 2019 to Jan 2020. Methodology: This study was conducted on 300 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus reporting for a routine checkup at the medical Outpatient department. Fatty liver was diagnosed on ultrasound by a consultant radiologist. Results: Out of three hundred patients with diabetes mellitus included in the final analysis, 225(75.0%) were males, and 75(25.0%) were females. 176(58.6%) had fatty liver on ultrasound, while 124(41.4%) had no fatty liver on ultrasound examination at the time of the study. we found that increasing age, long duration of diabetes and poor control of illness had a statistically significant relationship with the presence of fatty liver among the target population (p<0.05). Conclusion: Patients with type 2 diabetes had a high frequency of fatty liver on routine ultrasound examinations. In addition, patients with more age, long duration of diabetes mellitus and poor control of illness were at a high risk of developing fatty liver among the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural convection is a complex environmental phenomenon that typically occurs in engineering settings in porous structures. Shear thinning or shear thickening fluids are characteristics of power-law fluids, which are non-Newtonian in nature and find wide-ranging uses in various industrial processes. Non-Newtonian fluid flow in porous media is a difficult problem with important consequences for energy systems and heat transfer. In this paper, convective heat transmission in permeable enclosures will be thoroughly examined. The main goal is to comprehend the intricate interaction between the buoyancy-induced convection intensity, the porosity of the casing, and the fluid’s power-law rheology as indicated by the Rayleigh number. The objective is to comprehend the underlying mechanisms and identify the ideal conditions for improving heat transfer processes.The problem’s governing equations for a scientific investigation are predicated on the concepts of heat transport and fluid dynamics. The fluid flow and thermal behavior are represented using the energy equation, the Boussinesq approximation, and the Navier–Stokes equations. The continuity equation in a porous media represents the conservation of mass. Finite Element Analysis is the numerical method that is suggested for this challenging topic since it enables a comprehensive examination of the situation. The results of the investigation support several important conclusions. The power-law index directly impacts heat transmission patterns. A higher Rayleigh number indicates increased buoyancy-induced convection, which increases the heat transfer rates inside the shell. The porosity of the medium significantly affects temperature gradients and flow distribution, and it is most noticeable when permeability is present. The findings show how, in the context of porous media, these parameters have complicated relationships with one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study examines lake Shinji, a mesohaline lake with intermittent saline water intrusion. • It employs a 3-D hydrodynamic model, EcoPARI, in hindcast mode for 2012 (Jan-Sep). • The focus was on optimizing the vertical turbulence diffusion model and identifying ideal parameters. • Differential model constants for temperature and salinity are explored, enhancing simulation results. • The tuned model successfully replicates a historical upwelling event in September, driven by strong westerly winds from a nearby typhoon. Lake Shinji is a mesohaline lake that has intermittent saline water intrusion from its east coast connection of Ohashi River. This intrusion is often in the shape of a very thin layer that moves along the Lake bottom and stayed at the center due to bowl shape bathymetry of the Lake having maximum depth at the center. To elucidate the intrusion mechanism a 3-D hydrodynamic model (EcoPARI) was employed in a hindcast mode covering the year 2012 from the beginning of January to the end of September. Initially, the core emphasis was given to the vertical turbulence diffusion model and optimum model parameters were determined to accurately simulate the hydrodynamics. It was highlighted by the numerical simulations that alteration of one model constant, which is the multiplying coefficient of Richardson number, "α", is influential instead of altering all the constants to tune the turbulence model. The possibility of using differential model constants for temperature and salinity was also tested and it helped in the improvement of simulations. Finally, the performance of the model was also assessed under extreme weather conditions and a historical upwelling event was simulated. The model was able to reproduce the intrusion in the summer months as well as the upwelling event in September due to strong westerly winds caused by a nearby passing typhoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural healing capacity of the tendon tissue is limited due to the hypovascular and cellular nature of this tissue. So far, several conventional approaches have been tested for tendon repair to accelerate the healing process, but all these approaches have their own advantages and limitations. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are interdisciplinary fields that aspire to develop novel medical devices, innovative bioscaffold, and nanomedicine, by combining different cell sources, biodegradable materials, immune modulators, and nanoparticles for tendon tissue repair. Different studies supported the idea that bioscaffolds can provide an alternative for tendon augmentation with an enormous therapeutic potentiality. However, available data are lacking to allow definitive conclusion on the use of bioscaffolds for tendon regeneration and repairing. In this review, we provide an overview of the current basic understanding and material science in the field of bioscaffolds, nanomedicine, and tissue engineering for tendon repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gossypium arboreum is considered a rich source of stress-responsive genes and the EST database revealed that most of its genes are uncharacterized. The full-length Gossypium universal stress protein-2 (GUSP-2) gene (510 bp) was cloned in E. coli and Gossypium hirsutum, characterized and point mutated at three positions, 352–354, Lysine to proline (M1-usp-2) & 214–216, aspartic acid to serine (M2-usp-2) & 145–147, Lysine to Threonine (M3-usp-2) to study its role in abiotic stress tolerance. It was found that heterologous expression of one mutant (M1-usp-2) provided enhanced tolerance against salt and osmotic stresses, recombinant cells have higher growth up to 10-5dilution in spot assay as compared to cells expressing W-usp-2 (wild type GUSP-2), M2-usp-2 and M3-usp-2 genes. M1-usp-2 gene transcript profiling exhibited significant expression (8.7 fold) in CIM-496-Gossypium hirsutum transgenic plants and enhance drought tolerance. However, little tolerance against heat and cold stresses in bacterial cells was observed. The results from our study concluded that the activity of GUSP-2 was enhanced in M1-usp-2 but wipe out in M2-usp-2 and M3-usp-2 response remained almost parallel to W-usp-2. Further, it was predicted through in silico analysis that M1-usp-2, W-usp-2 and M3-usp-2 may be directly involved in stress tolerance or function as a signaling molecule to activate the stress adaptive mechanism. However, further investigation will be required to ascertain its role in the adaptive mechanism of stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe is the fourth abundant element in the earth crust. Fe toxicity is not often discussed in plant science though it causes severe morphological and physiological disorders, including reduced germination percentage, interferes with enzymatic activities, nutritional imbalance, membrane damage, and chloroplast ultrastructure. It also causes severe toxicity to important biomolecules, which leads to ferroptotic cell death and induces structural changes in the photosynthetic apparatus, which results in retardation of carbon metabolism. However, some agronomic practices like soil remediation through chemicals, nutrients, and organic amendments and some breeding and genetic approaches can provide fruitful results in enhancing crop production in Fe‐contaminated soils. Some quantitative trait loci have been reported for Fe tolerance in plants but the function of underlying genes is just emerging. Physiological and molecular mechanism of Fe uptake, translocation, toxicity, and remediation techniques are still under experimentation. In this review, the toxic effects of Fe on seed germination, carbon assimilation, water relations, nutrient uptake, oxidative damages, enzymatic activities, and overall plant growth and development have been discussed. The Fe dynamics in soil rhizosphere and role of remediation strategies, that is, biological, physical, and chemical, have also been described. Use of organic amendments, microbe, phytoremediation, and biological strategies is considered to be both cost and environment friendly for the purification of Fe‐contaminated soil, while to ensure better crop yield and quality the manipulation of agronomic practices are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a theoretical approach to explore the heat and mass transport features for MHD Jeffery–Hamel flow of viscous nanofluids through convergent/divergent channels with stretching or shrinking walls. Recently, this type of flows generated by nonparallel inclined plates with converging or diverging properties has been frequently utilized in various industrial and engineering processes, like, blood flow through arteries, different cavity flows and flow through canals. The current flow model is formulated mathematically in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs) in accordance with conservation laws under an assumption that the flow is symmetric and purely radial. In addition, heat and mass transport mechanisms are being modeled in the presence of Brownian motion and thermophoretic aspects using Buongiorno's nanofluid model. The dimensionless variables are employed to get the non-dimensional forms of the governing PDEs. The built-in MATLAB routine bvpc4 is implemented to determine the numerical solutions for governing the nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Numerical results are presented in the form of velocity, temperature and concentration plots to visualize the influence of active flow parameters. The simulated results revealed that the Reynold number has an opposite effect on dimensionless velocity profiles in the case of convergent and divergent channels. Besides, the temperature distributions enhance for higher values of Brownian motion parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary success of phytophagous insects depends on their ability to efficiently exploit plants as a source of energy for survival. Herbivorous insects largely depend on the efficiency, flexibility, and diversity of their digestive physiology and sophistication of their detoxification system to use chemically diverse host plants as food sources. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a polyphagous pest of many commercially important crops. To elucidate the ability of this insect pest to adapt to host plant mechanisms, we evaluated the impact of primary (corn) and alternate (rice) host plants after 11 generations on gut digestive enzymatic activity and expression profiles of related genes. Results indicated that the total protease and class‐specific trypsin‐ and chymotrypsin‐like protease activity of S. frugiperda significantly differed among host plant treatments. The class‐specific protease profiles greatly differed in S. frugiperda midguts upon larval exposure to different treatments with inhibitors compared with treatments without inhibitors. Similarly, the single and cumulative effects of the enzyme‐specific inhibitors TLCK, TPCK, and E‐64 significantly increased larval mortality and reduced larval growth/mass across different plant treatments. Furthermore, the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results revealed increased transcription of two trypsin (SfTry‐3, SfTry‐7) and one chymotrypsin gene (Sfchym‐9), which indicated that they have roles in host plant adaptation. Knockdown of these genes resulted in significantly reduced mRNA expression levels of the trypsin genes. This was related to the increased mortality observed in treatments compared with the dsRED control. This result indicates possible roles of S. frugiperda gut digestive enzymes and related genes in host plant adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen is a limiting factor for plant growth and development under submerged and waterlogged conditions. Plants are subjected to a varying range of oxygen concentrations, such as normoxia, hypoxia and anoxia which may differ over time and space. To endure oxygen deprivation, plants have evolved a series of morphological and anatomical adaptations, which have been extensively studied. However, metabolic reactions and molecular regulation under oxygen deprivation are not well understood. A comprehensive understanding of how plants respond to oxygen deficiency for stress tolerance and integrated approaches are imperative for developing anoxia and hypoxia tolerant varieties for the flood‐prone and waterlogged areas. In this review, adaptations and recent advances in biochemical and molecular approaches during oxygen deprivation have been discussed. Acquiring tolerance against anoxia and hypoxia is an active process consuming a considerable amount of plant resources for the functional maintenance of post‐anoxia escape strategies. Understanding of biochemical and molecular mechanisms may help devise contemporary molecular and traditional breeding approaches, and management strategies to improve anoxia‐hypoxia tolerance in crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To find out the underlying causes of chronic diarrhea in soldiers and how it differs from general population. Study Design: Prospective comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Multan and Pak Emeritus Military Hospital (PEMH) Rawalpindi, from Dec 2017 to Jan 2020. Methodology: All soldiers in active service, having diarrhea more than 4 weeks in study and non-soldiers of the same age were included in the control group. There were inquired in details about the diarrhea symptoms and investigations carried out accordingly to find out the underlying cause. The two groups were compared to find out any differences. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 22. Results: Seventy one in study and 50 patients in control had their mean ages of 34.61 ± 8.35 and 32.42 ± 10.28 years. Mean duration of symptoms were 18 and 15 months in study and control groups respectively. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) was more common in both groups i.e. 14 (20%) and 20 (40%) in study and control groups respectively but frequency was more in second one. Seropositive celiac disease 13 (18.5%), seronegative villous atrophy 10 (14%) in study and Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD 6 (12%) in control group were second most common conditions. Conclusions: Irritable bowel syndrome is common in this age group. Celiac and seronegative villous atrophy is second common conditions in the study group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand of food packaging has increased along with the food consumption. Among all types of packaging materials plastics are most commonly used owing to their good mechanical, barrier and permeability characteristics. However, plastics are totally non-biodegradable and their raw materials come from non-renewable resources. This has urged the researchers to explore biodegradable food packaging films from renewable resources. Natural polymers such as carbohydrate, starch, cellulose, hemicellulose or pectin can be effectively used for the synthesis of biodegradable food packaging films. Fruits and vegetables processing industries are producing huge amount of waste in the form of peels, seeds and pomace. Being rich source of biopolymers, these wastes can serve as a good source of raw material for synthesis of biodegradable packaging films. In the present research, three types of food industrial wastes (potato, citrus and apple residues) were used with varying glycerol concentrations to develop biodegradable food packaging films. The prepared films were analyzed on the basis of their thickness, water vapor permeability (WVP), opacity, mechanical properties and photo oxidation. Results showed that potato residue film was thicker (0.17 mm) and more opaque (97.45 AU nm) in comparison with citrus and apple residue films. Results for mechanical properties showed that potato residue film possessed greater tensile (8.99 MPa) and puncture strength (13.78 N). However, it exhibited lower elongation at break (9.54 %) compared to citrus and apple residue films. While citrus residue film showed higher elastic modulus compared to potato and apple residue films. Water vapor permeability of all the prepared films was comparable. Increased glycerol concentration in film forming solutions resulted in the increase in thickness, opacity, water vapor permeability and elongation at break of all the films. However, increased glycerol concentration caused a decrease in tensile strength, elastic modulus and puncture strength of all the films. The structure of organic compounds present in prepared biodegradable films was evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel quenching and partitioning processes concerned with the stabilization of carbon enriched austenite and provision of higher strength with higher toughness. The microstructural and mechanical properties of one-step quenched and partitioned 65Mn steel were investigated under various partitioning times, ranging from 30 to 600 s. The optical microscopy revealed that microstructure transformed from ferrite and pearlite to supersaturated lath martensite and retained austenite phases after one-step quenching and 30 s of partitioning. The unstable epsilon carbides were nucleated with the increase in partitioning time to 60 s and 180 s, whereas a further increase in partitioning time to 300 s transformed these unstable epsilon carbides into a stable cementite phase. Prolonged partitioning for 600 s produced carbon depleted martensite phase and nucleated ferrite phase. A maximum improvement of 88% in hardness and tensile strength and maximum reduction of 64% in elongation and 44% in impact toughness were achieved after 30 s of partitioning, compared to the as-received steel sample. On the other hand, partitioning for 600 s offered almost identical mechanical properties to the as-received steel. Partitioning for 180 s offered an optimum combination of mechanical properties of one-step quenched and partitioned 65Mn steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-pass efficacy (FPE) is an established marker of technical and clinical efficacy among mechanical thrombectomy (MT) techniques. It is unclear what the optimal approach is in achieving FPE. We present a single-center experience comparing rates of FPE among 2 MT techniques and evaluate the potential predictors of FPE among other outcomes. A single-center retrospective analysis was carried out of patients with consecutive large-vessel occlusion strokes (LVOS) of anterior circulation from September 2015 to April 2019 who underwent MT and for whom data were available on the status of FPE. Four MT techniques were identified: ADAPT (a direct first-pass aspiration), SrADAPT (stent retriever with aspiration), SRBG (stent retriever with balloon guide catheter), and STRAP (stent retriever-aspiration and proximal flow arrest). The primary outcome was FPE and secondary outcomes included the rate of successful reperfusion. Among 226 patients with LVOS of the anterior circulation who underwent MT, data were available for 164 on FPE for the 4 MT techniques. SRBG was the most prevalent technique. No significant difference was found in rates of FPE among the 4 MT techniques (P = 0.332). No independent predictors of FPE were identified on multivariable analysis. STRAP had the highest rate of successful reperfusion compared with the other techniques (P = 0.049) and was the only independent predictor of that outcome (P = 0.027). Among patients with LVOS of the anterior circulation, the rate of FPE did not differ among the 4 MT techniques. There were no predictors of FPE among the studied variables. STRAP was the only predictor of successful reperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To find out association of gender and age with compliance of H Pylori eradication therapy. Study Design: Cross sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Multan and Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Sep 2017 to Feb 2020. Methodology: Two hundred and fifty patients with dyspepsia were included through convenient sampling after getting informed consent. The patients already under H Pylori eradication therapy were excluded from the study. Diagnosis of H Pylori infection was done by histopathology report of gastric mucosal biopsy on upper GI endoscopy in some individuals and H Pylori antigen on stool examination in others. They were placed in eight different groups keeping in mind their previous history of use of antibiotics and known side effects with the particular antibiotic. Results: There were 154 (61.60%) males and 96 (38.40) females with mean age of 36.71 ± 13.23 years. The frequency of male patients who complied to treatment (130/84.4%) was significantly higher as compared to the frequency of female patients (71/74.0%) at p-value of 0.04 and odds ratio of 1.9 (1.01-3.58). The study also showed that the difference of mean age between the patients who completed and those who did not complete the treatment was statistically not significant (36.33 ± 12.78 vs 38.24 ± 14.94 years). Conclusion: Compliance to H Pylori eradication therapy is associated with gender but not with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidden hunger is emerging as a major challenge for agricultural scientists because world population is increasing and food production is augmenting. Metals deficiencies (micronutrient malnutrition), especially Zn and Fe, are affecting over half of global population because they are depending cereal crops mainly wheat rice and maize for their daily diet. There are various possible techniques to overcome the hidden hunger but agronomic biofortification is one of the major agricultural strategies to enhance the grain concentration of micronutrients. Application of iron sulphate (FeSO4) zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) and as alone or in combination either soil and foliar application increased the height of plants, number of tillers, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, thousand grain weight, economical yield, biological yield and harvesting index, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and protein contents. Among different Zn and Fe concentrations applied either soil supplement or foliar spray, combine foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 and 1% FeSO4 significantly improved the maximum growth or quality attributes of wheat. Biofortification is one of the major agricultural strategies to enhance the concentration of micronutrients in grains to minimize the malnutrition. Combination of Zn and Fe as foliar spray (0.5% ZnSO4 and 1% FeSO4) increased the yield traits of wheat crop as well as quality parameters of grains. Foliar application method is more appropriate for availability of nutrients to plants for optimum growth as compared to soil application method. Combined application of Zn and Fe (0.5% ZnSO4 and 1% FeSO4) through foliar spray is recommended to enhance the productivity of wheat crop with good quality of grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is the most serious and destructive pest of stored commodities around the globe, particularly on wheat, rice and maize. Previously, we confirmed that diallyl trisulfide (DAT), an active substance from garlic essential oil, reduced oviposition of females after a fumigation at the sublethal concentration (LC20 = 0.015 µL/L); meanwhile, through transcriptome sequencing, we found that DAT significantly downregulates the expression of chitin synthase A (CHSA) gene. To gain a broader insight, we assessed effects of DAT and dsRNA of CHSA gene of S. cerealella (dsScerCHSA) on the morphology, physiology and oviposition of adult S. cerealella, and we found that ScerCHSA was expressed in the adult stage and observed higher in the cuticle. Furthermore, results indicated that DAT fumigation significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of ScerCHSA and inhibited moth oviposition at the sublethal concentration. Downregulation of ScerCHSA resulted in chitin reduction, epidermal disruption, morphological and physiological alterations. Meanwhile, silencing of ScerCHSA resulted in the oviposition reduction of the moth; moreover, the morphological and physiological alterations were similar to the group treated with DAT. Therefore, we conclude that DAT could regulate the expression of ScerCHSA at the transcriptional level, cause histological and morphological alteration and finally inhibit the moth oviposition, which proves DAT possesses the great potential for being used in pest control as a friendly biopesticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Most of the antibiotics currently used in pediatrics are either unlicensed or being prescribed outside the specifications of product label (off-label prescribing). The aim of this study was to assess the extent of off-label antibiotic use in pediatrics. Methodology: A six month longitudinal off-label antibiotic utilization survey was carried out from January to June, 2018. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect detailed information for each pediatric patient admitted to participating health center. The data included basic demographic and clinical diagnosis with details of prescribed antibiotics (formulation, dose, dosage, route of administration and indication for use). Data were analyzed using Social packages for Statistical Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: Of 1,810 admissions, 1,795 (99.2%) patients received antibiotics. Out of these, a total of 451 (25.1%) patients (326 patients admitted in the medical ward and 125 patients in ICUs) received at least one unlicensed/off-label antibiotic. Antibiotics were predominantly prescribed for the treatment of infections (n = 311, 69.0%). The majority of the pediatric patients who received off-label antibiotic suffered from respiratory tract infections (n = 223, 49.4%), skin and soft tissue infections (n = 53, 11.8%), gastrointestinal tract infections (n = 56, 12.4%) and other infections (n = 46, 10.2%). Co-amoxiclav (n = 190, 42.1%) was the most frequently off-label prescribed antibiotic to pediatric patients. An inappropriate dose for patients (n = 430, 95.3%) was the most frequent cause of prescribing off-label antibiotics. Conclusions: Further evaluation of health and economic outcomes of off-label prescribing and determinants influencing the drug choice is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the outcomes of three-port versus four-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and assess the safety and efficacy of three-port LC as routine procedure. Study Design: Retrospective comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Kohat/CMH Multan, from Oct 2013 to Dec 2016. Methodology: Total of 403 patients were selected and were divided into two groups based on the principles of non-randomized clinical trial; group A having three-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and group B having four-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Fourth port in right axillary line at umbilicus level was not established in group A. Outcomes were recorded in terms of operating time, complications, pain assessment/analgesic requirement and hospital stay. Results: A total of 218 (54.09%) patients in group A and 185 (45.91%) patients in group B were assessed. The difference in terms of verbal pain score, analgesic requirement and duration of hospital stay/return to activity were significant statistically, all being less in group A. Cosmetic outcome as perceived by patients was also better in the group A because of less numbers of scars. Operative time (minutes) was less in group A in our study (35.59 ± 10.75) as compared to group B (50.17 ± 10.14). Results of other variables including intra-operative/postoperative complications were comparable among the two groups. Conclusion: Three-port LC has advantages of being less painful, with less analgesics requirement and reduced hospital stay without compromising the safety and efficacy. It is more acceptable to patients due to less numbers of scars and better cosmesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agriculture sector has a 21 percent share in global CO2 emission. It is contributing the 40 percent share in the gross domestic product of OBORI (One Belt and One Road Initiative) economies. Therefore, the present work intends to evaluate the role of agriculture and forest on environmental degradation from 1980 to 2017 for OBORI economies. The cross-sectional dependence, and order of integration are checked by cross-sectional dependence and second-generation panel unit roots tests respectively. Afterwards, the Wester-Lund co-integration test infers the existence of co-integration between under-considered variables for OBORI region. The empirical results from Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) suggest that agriculture and energy demand cause to upsurge the environmental degradation. While, the forest is improving the environment quality. The authorities may consider the efficient energy utilizing, and eco-friendly techniques to overcome the deteriorating effects of energy usage and agriculture on environment respectively. The heterogeneous panel causality test infers a bidirectional causality between environmental degradation, finance, agriculture, and energy demand respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of malignancy in patients presented with Parotid swelling. Material and Methods: This study was conducted in Otolaryngology department, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan from January 2018 to December 2019. One-twenty six Patients of age 18 to 68 years with Parotid swelling were included. Patients with history of Parotid surgery and inflammatory conditions were excluded. Results: Out of 126 patients, males were 76 (60.31%) and females 50 (39.69%). Malignancy in male patients was 20 (15.87%) as compared to females which was 13 (10.32%). Conclusion: Malignancy was found in 10-15% of patients who presented with Parotid swelling which necessitates biopsy in all such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the stage of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) at the time of presentation. Methods: This cross sectional observational prospective study was carried out at Gastro Department of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Multan from August 2017 to December 2018. Patients were diagnosed on the basis of alpha fetoprotein, abdominal ultrasound, triphasic contrast enhanced computerized tomography (CECT). They were evaluated for etiology including Hepatitis B, C and non B & C. The patients were inquired about the previous treatment and when they came to know about the HCC. Staging of the tumor was done on the basis BCLC (Barcelona cancer liver clinic) and Melan's criteria. Performance status (PS) of the patient was checked by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) criteria. Severity of cirrhosis was assessed by CTP (Child Turcotte Pugh) and Model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score. The data was analyzed in IBM SPSS version 22. Results: Out of 135 patients 78% were males and 22% females. Age Mean SD was 58.81± 9.366. Frequency of hepatitis C, B, combined B, C and non-B non-C was 80%, 11%, 2.8% and 6.2% respectively. 96(73.8%) never got the treatment before for Hepatitis. 81(62.3%) came to know first time on this index admission. Maximum numbers of patients were in BCLC stage B i.e. 82(55.2%) with ECOG grade of one i.e.57 (39.3%), at the time of presentation. Mean MELD and CTP score were 12.24, 7.34 (class B) respectively. Conclusion: HCV was the most common in HCC, never treated before, presented for the first time in advance stage of the disease where very limited treatment options left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prime objective of the current study is to examine the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and FP of manufacturing firms listed in PSX. In addition to that, the mediating role of alliance formation orientation and total quality management in the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and FP of manufacturing firms listed in PSX is also examined. Using random sampling, the final sample appeared as 347. To answer the research questions, we have used PLS-SEM statistical technique. The reason behind using this technique primarily that the aim of current study is to check the weather there is any mediating effect on relations. The second foremost reason of using this technique is that there is no issue if the data is normally distributed or not. Mostly reaches of social science indicates the normality issue in data. So, for such studies PLS is the more appropriate technique, because it can easily handle the abnormal data. The response rate of present study is 63.2% which is significantly high. The survey results have supported the hypothesized results. This study is among the pioneer studies on the issue and will be beneficial for researchers and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) is a highly polyphagous agricultural pest that is distributed worldwide. However, the adaptive mechanisms of S. exigua for various insecticides and defensive substances in host plants are unknown. Insect P450 monooxygenases play an important role in the detoxification of plant toxins and insecticides, leading to insecticides resistance. We investigated the induced effects of xanthotoxin exposure on detoxification enzyme activity and larval tolerance to α-cypermethrin in S. exigua. Our results showed that the lethal concentration (LC 50) of α-cypermethrin for xanthotoxin-exposed larvae was 2.1-fold higher than in the control. Moreover, cytochrome P450 enzyme activity was significantly elevated by upregulation of P450 genes in treated larvae. RT-qPCR results showed that CYP9A10 expression level was significantly increased in all treatments, while maximal expression level was observed in xanthotoxin+α-cypermethrin-fed larvae. RNAi-mediated silencing of CYP9A10 further increased mortality by 18%, 26% and 35% at 48 h and by 27%, 43% and 55% at 72 h when larvae were exposed to diets containing chemicals as compared to the control. The results show that CYP9A10 might play an important role in xanthotoxin and α-cypermethrin detoxification in S. exigua. RNAi-mediated silencing could provide an effective synergistic agent for pest control or insecticide resistance management. Unlabelled Image • Plant secondary metabolites induce insecticide resistance in S. exigua and the activity of insect P450 detoxification enzymes • Xanthotocin induced up-regulation of P450s gene in α-cypermethrin fed Spodoptera exigua larvae • This systematic study enlightening the effect of plant secondary metabolite xanthotoxin on α-cypermethrin sensitivity of S. exigua • Exposure of S. exigua larvae to xanthotocin from host plants may compromise the efficacy of α-cypermethrin insecticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review the literature systematically on tonsillectomy by harmonic scalpel with a view of comparing its postoperative hemorrhagic rate with the conventional methods for tonsillectomy. Data Sources: Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, INAHTA, CRD (Centre for Review and Dissemination, York, UK), and related databases. papers were considered irrespective of language of publication. Review Methods: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied independently by two reviewers with a third reviewer available for adjudication. The papers were quality assessed using Chalmers' criteria. Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included in the final review with 5 RCTs comparing harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy with "cold steel" tonsillectomy and 6 RCTs comparing harmonic scalpel with "hot" tonsillectomy techniques. Results: All studies were underpowered to detect a significant difference in the postoperative hemorrhagic complication between harmonic scalpel and the comparator tonsillectomy techniques. The heterogeneity of studies made quantitative combination of results impossible. Conclusion: The evidence reviewed is of low quality and does not support any significant difference in postoperative hemorrhage rates when harmonic scalpel is compared with other tonsillectomy techniques. As studies have numerous methodological flaws and incorporate biases and confounding factors, these results need to be interpreted with caution. Larger and better-conducted studies would be needed in order to compare the safety of harmonic against conventional tonsillectomy methods. The need for a large sample size might make an RCT impractical; therefore a large, well-controlled cohort study could be more suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the demographic variance in location and histopathological findings of esophageal carcinoma in Punjab-Pakistan. Study Design: Observational cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Multicentre Tertiary Care Hospitals of Combined Military Hospital/Pak Emirates Military Hospital/Army Medical College Rawalpindi, Combined Military Hospital Kharian and Combined Military Hospital Multan from 2010 to 2017. Methodology: Patients with dysphagia and histopathology proven malignancy were included in this study. All patients had undergone flexible upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Patients with lesions other than carcinoma, causing dysphagia and those with inconclusive histopathology were excluded from our study. The morphological site of the carcinoma were divided into upper, middle, lower and at gastro-esophageal junction. Histo pathologically proven carcinoma of esophagus was reviewed for subtype of grading differentiation. Statistical analysis was done using IBM version SPSS 22. Results: Out of 150 patients, 85 (57%) were males and 65 (43%) were females. Their age ranged between 30 to 85 ± 12.33. Among one hundred and fifty patients 107 (71.33%) had Squamous Cell Carcinoma, 42 (28%), Adenocarcinoma and metastasis in two cases. Frequency of distribution of esophageal carcinoma in North, East and South Districts of Punjab was 73%, 18% and 9% respectively. Esophageal Carcinoma in upper, middle, lower and Gastroesophageal junction was 22.5%, 35%, 15% and 27.5% respectively. Frequency of well differentiated SCC was 46 (30.6%) and well differentiated AC 31 (20.7%) respectively. Conclusion: SCC with male preponderance is more common in North of Punjab. Lower 1/3rd and GE junction esophageal tumor are the commonest sites in all North, East and South Punjab. Histopathological differentiation revealed Well Differentiated SCC along with significant rise in Adeno-carcinomas compared to previous national studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ReS 2 is an emerging member from the family of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and has interesting optical and electrical properties due to its weak interlayer coupling. Systematically, layered ReS 2 structures were successfully synthesized by hydrogen assisted controlled chemical vapor deposition method. DFT calculations were performed to determine the interface energies between ReS 2 layer and SiO 2 /Si, sapphire and mica substrates. Calculated interface energy and % strain are lower for mica as compared to SiO 2 /Si and sapphire, which helps to grow smooth layers on mica substrate as compared to SiO 2 /Si. At atmospheric pressure, larger interface strains are produced between substrate and growing layers which transforms the 2D layered structure to 3D flower-like structures. Under the controlled conditions, substrates surface energy is playing a key role and mica with the freshly clean surface is probably facilitating the atoms to grow along in-plane direction to form smooth films. Finally, photo-detector measurements were made under the extreme conditions (high energy and intense light with large voltage sweep) to check the stability and reliability of the devices. The good stability, sensitivity (217 mAW−1) and fast response (T rise = 0.61 s, T decay = 1.59 s) of the devices reflects the quality of the synthesize product for their use in the future optoelectronic devices. • ReS 2 is an emerging member in layered transition metal dichalcogenides due to its weak interlayer coupling. • Hydrogen assisted CVD method was used to synthesize high quality ReS2 films for photodetectors. • Role of interface energy between ReS 2 and growth substrates in 1D, 2D and 3D type's growth of ReS 2 was studied. • Interface energy and % strain are lower for mica than SiO 2 /Si and sapphire, which helps to grow smooth layers. • The good stability, sensitivity and fast response of devices reflect their use in the future optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the extent of use of unlicensed/off-label drug in the children hospitalized in The Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A prospective prevalence study was carried out in the selected hospital. A total of 1946 pediatric patients were hospitalized during study period. The patients’ demographic data and unlicensed/off-label drug use were noted by the researcher using a structured questionnaire and then analyzed. Results: During the survey period, 102 (5.24 %) pediatric patients received at least one off-label drug/unlicensed drug. The unlicensed drug was administered to 65 patients (63.7 %) while off-label drug was administered to 37 patients (36.3%). Milrinone (23.5%) was the most frequently prescribed unlicensed drug. Conclusion: The administration of unlicensed/off-label drug to treat different diseases in pediatric population is widespread in the health facility studied. These findings will provide guidance to new researchers in clinical trials, especially on cardiovascular drugs, opioid analgesic, antiemetic and anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optoelectronic properties of ZnS nanowires (NWs) and ZnS—Si core shell nanowires (CSNWs) oriented along different directions has been investigated using first principles calculations. Both NWs and CSNWs exhibit semiconductor characteristics in [100] and [111] directions while [110] oriented NWs and CSNWs exhibit metallic characteristics. The semiconductor characteristics of the ZnS NWs and ZnS—Si CSNWs in [100] and [111] directions have been confirmed from the electronic and optical energy gaps. We observed strong optical absorption in [110] directional ZnS—Si CSNWs throughout the spectrum from visible to UV region which represents significance to the optoelectronic and energy harvesting devices. Furthermore, the parallel and perpendicular parts of the optical absorption of ZnS—Si CSNWs show good improvement as compared to ZnS NWs. The refractive index and reflectivity spectra of ZnS—Si CSNWs also offered considerably upgraded values than ZnS NWs. Our predicated optical static dielectric constant ε 1 (0) and static refractive index n (0) values are also much better than the previously reported one. The strong optical absorption in [110] directional ZnS—Si core shell nanowires from visible to UV region represents significance to the optoelectronic and energy harvesting devices. Display Omitted • ZnS NWs and ZnS/Si CSNWs are semiconductors in [100] and [111] directions and are metals in [110] direction • Strong optical absorption in ZnS NWs and ZnS—Si CSNWs growing along [110] direction are observed • The refractive index and reflectivity spectra of ZnS/Si CSNWs also offered upgraded values than ZnS NWs • ZnS/Si CSNWs growing along [110] direction are good condidate for the optoelectronic devices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]