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Abstract Solitary wave solutions are of great interest to bio-mathematicians and other scientists because they provide a basic description of nonlinear phenomena with many practical applications. They provide a strong foundation for the development of novel biological and medical models and therapies because of their remarkable behavior and persistence. They have the potential to improve our comprehension of intricate biological systems and help us create novel therapeutic approaches, which is something that researchers are actively investigating. In this study, solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Murray equation will be discovered using a modified extended direct algebraic method. These solutions represent a uniform variation in blood vessel shape and diameter that can be used to stimulate blood flow in patients with cardiovascular disease. These solutions are newly in the literature, and give researchers an important tool for grasping complex biological systems. To see how the solitary wave solutions behave, graphs are displayed using Matlab.

Abstract This research aims to explore the effectiveness of various approaches for promoting financial wellbeing among Gen-Z, with a particular focus on the parental role in shaping financial attitudes and behavior, using the theoretical lens of family financial socialization theory. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach to obtain in-depth findings on parental financial socialization and parental socioeconomic characteristics for Gen-Zs’ financial wellbeing. The qualitative findings revealed that parents use different strategies to financially socialize children by involving them in savings, financial decisions, and household and personal finances. Furthermore, it is found that parents are more inclined to teach daughters than sons about finances because of the expectations that females handle the household finances. Likewise, quantitative findings revealed that the father’s education level negatively influences Gen-Z’s financial attitude. This study strengthens the concept of family socialization and establishes a ground to explore potential mechanisms of action and implications for future research and practice.

Knee and hip replacement surgeries have revolutionised orthopaedic medicine by providing individuals with surgeries resulting in pain relief, improved mobility and a better quality of life. NHS Fife has been collecting routine data since 1998 on patient demographics, type of surgery, recovery time, follow-ups, revision, and outcomes, including complications. This work reports the challenges and strategies to clean the collected data. Data was available for 12,313 patients, totalising 14,524 THR and TKR surgeries performed in NHS Fife between 1998 and 2021. The original dataset consisted of 34 unique-structured files covering distinct periods and representing five categories: primary surgery, follow-up, infection, mortality, and revision. Data wrangling was done using the programming language R, transforming the raw data into a more functional form. The main elements of the data-cleaning procedure were combining variables representing the same information and converting void/corrupted/purposeless values into missing data, providing a standardisation for the collected information. Then, a rigorous data merging resulted in reshaping this complex collection of files into one single streamlined file for each of the five categories and type of surgery. Patients who had multiple surgeries were also cross-identifying, enabling the characterisation of the epidemiology of multiple lower limb joint replacements. The structured files can now be linked to studies across different datasets like social care, prescriptions, and primary care. It can also be used to develop future machine learning models to assess the risk of multiple primary and revision knee and hip replacements and their outcomes.

This study examines the complex relationships necessary for a sustainable economic recovery, focusing on the interplay between contracts for renewable energy, natural resource use, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and rights frameworks. Motivated by the increasing scrutiny of environmental practices, this research aims to highlight the need for sustainable business models during the transition to a more environmentally sensitive economy. The study area encompasses diverse sectors where CSR goals can be aligned with renewable energy project frameworks through natural resource utilization. Methodologies include a novel composite CSR evaluation indicator designed to complement industry rankings and a thorough analysis of CSR within the mining industry. Results demonstrate how aligning CSR with renewable energy initiatives can reshape profit models for stakeholders and emphasize the changing green product market as a catalyst for economic resurgence. Recommendations in the area of policies focus on the reasoned utilization of natural resources and the application of innovations following the principles of CSR. This research provides critical guidance to relevant authorities and institutions charged with ethical responsibility, ensuring the proper utilization and implementation of renewable energy sources to create a more ecological future based on green technology and sustainable resource management.

Abstract Background The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein regulates programmed cell death throughout the disease conditions by upholding apoptotic pathways. However, the mechanism by which it’s expressed in chondrocytes still needs to be studied in chondrocyte-related disorders. Additionally, exploring the potential therapeutic role of Chlorogenic acid (CGA) in confluence with Bcl-2 modulation is of significant interest. Methods In vivo and in vitro studies were performed according to our previous methodologies. The chondrocytes were cultured in specific growth media under standard conditions after expression verification of different microRNAs through high-throughput sequencing and verification of Bcl-2 involvement in tibial growth plates. The effect of Bcl-2 expression was investigated by transfecting chondrocytes with miR-460a, siRNA, and their negative controls alone or in combination with CGA. The RNA was extracted and subjected to a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assays were performed to visualize the intracellular localization of Bcl-2 and associated proteins related to apoptotic and inflammasome pathways. Moreover, apoptosis through flow cytometry was also performed to understand the modulation of concerning pathways. Results The suppression of Bcl-2 induced higher apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to IL-1β maturation and affecting the inflammasome during chondrocyte proliferation. Conversely, overexpression attenuated the activation, as evidenced by reduced caspase activity and IL-1β maturation. In parallel, CGA successfully reduced siRNA-induced apoptosis by decreasing Cytochrome C (Cyto C) release from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, which in turn decreased Caspase-3 and Caspase-7 cleavage with Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). Furthermore, siBcl-2 transfection and CGA therapy increased chondrocyte proliferation and survival. The CGA also showed a promising approach to maintaining chondrocyte viability by inhibiting siRNA-induced apoptosis. Conclusions Targeting Bcl-2-mediated regulation might be a possible treatment for chondrocyte-related conditions. Moreover, these results add knowledge of the complicated processes underlying chondrocyte function and the pathophysiology of related diseases, highlighting the significance of target specific therapies. Video Abstract

ABSTRACTThe success of universal coverage depends on ensuring that patients have access to medicine. Encouraging local production of medicines in developing countries can provide better access to medicines. In addition to determining the quality of pharmaceutical goods, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) also determine their cost. According to market forecasts, the active pharmaceutical ingredients market is expected to increase from USD 193.15 billion in 2023 to USD 285.29 billion by 2028. Pakistan largely depends on India and China for its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient requirements. It was feared that a shortage of medicines would result from Pakistan's government suspending all trade with India on August 9, 2019. To improve health security in Pakistan, the Government of Pakistan has introduced an API promotion Policy in 2022. Financial and non-financial incentives have helped many countries develop their API industries like China, India, and Bangladesh. The current domestic API market of Pakistan is around 150 million $. After the introduction of the policy, the existing units are increasing their capacity while eight new API units are in the process of establishment. Through local production of APIs and intermediates, Pakistan can improve its health security by learning from the experiences of neighbouring countries, especially China.

In the present work, Einstein's vacuum field equation is investigated analytically to explore the solitary wave solutions. This equation arises in mathematical physics, having meaningful applications in the general theory of relativity. This concept is crucial for numerous challenging experiments and space missions. The generalized exponential rational function and modified auxiliary equation approaches are used to obtain the exact solitary wave solution. Various types of solutions are extracted, including exponential functions, hyperbolic functions, trigonometric functions, and rational forms. Additionally, a stability analysis for the Einstein vacuum field equation is conducted. Appropriate parameters are chosen to draw 3-D and corresponding contour plots of some solutions, which clearly demonstrate the solitary wave behaviors. The obtained results support the idea that applying these approaches is the most effective strategy for resolving any nonlinear issues that may arise in science and technology.

Reports on development of resilient wheat mutants to aphid infestation—causing heavy losses to wheat production in many parts of the world, are scanty. The present study aimed to identify genetic diversity of wheat mutants in terms of varying degree of resistance to aphid infestation which can help protect wheat crop, improve yields and enhance food security. Resistance response to aphid infestation was studied on newly developed 33 wheat mutants, developed through irradiating seed of an elite wheat cultivar “Punjab-11” with gamma radiations, during three normal growing seasons at two sites. Data on various traits including aphid count per plant, biochemical traits, physiological traits and grain yield was recorded. Meteorological data was also collected to unravel the impact of environmental conditions on aphid infestation on wheat plants. Minimum average aphid infestation was found on Pb-M-2725, Pb-M-2550, and Pb-M-2719 as compared to the wild type. High yielding mutants Pb-M-1323, Pb-M-59, and Pb-M-1272 supported the moderate aphid infestation. The prevailing temperature up to 25 °C showed positive correlation (0.25) with aphid count. Among biochemical traits, POD (0.34), TSP (0.33), TFA (0.324) exhibited a high positive correlation with aphid count. In addition, CAT (0.31), TSS (0.294), and proline content (0.293) also showed a positive correlation with aphid count. However, all physiological traits depicted negative correlation with aphid count, while, a very weak correlation (0.12) was found between mean aphid count and grain yield. In PCA biplots, the biochemical variables clustered together with aphid count, while physiological variables grouped with grain yield. Biochemical parameters contributed most, towards first dimension of the PCA (48.6%) as compared to the physiological variables (13%). The FAMD revealed that mutant lines were major contributor towards total variation; Pb-M-1027, Pb-M-1323, Pb-M-59 were found to be the most diverse lines. The PCA revealed that biochemical parameters played a significant role in explaining variations in aphid resistance, emphasizing their importance in aphid defense mechanisms. The identified mutants can be utilized by the international wheat community for getting insight into the molecular circuits of resistant mechanism against aphids as well as for designing new KASP markers. This study also highlights the importance of considering both genetic and environmental factors in the development of resilient wheat varieties and pave the way for further investigations into the molecular mechanisms underpinning aphid resistance in wheat.

The appealing traits of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) encompassing mechanical and chemical steadiness, exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities, lightweight, and physiochemical reliability make them desired materials in engineering gadgets. Considering such stimulating characteristics of carbon nanotubes, our goal in the current study is to scrutinize the comparative analysis of Darcy–Forchheimer nanofluid flows containing CNTs of both types of multi and single-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs, SWCNTs) immersed into two different base fluids over a stretched surface. The originality of the model being presented is the implementation of the induced magnetic field that triggers the electric conductivity of carbon nanotubes. Moreover, the envisioned model is also analyzed with homogeneous-heterogeneous (h-h) chemical reactions and heat source/sink. The second-order slip constraint is assumed at the boundary of the surface. The transmuted high-nonlinearity ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are attained from the governing set of equations via similarity transformations. The bvp4c scheme is engaged to get the numerical results. The influence of different parameters is depicted via graphs. For both CNTs, the rate of heat flux and the surface drag coefficient are calculated using tables. It is highlighted that an increase in liquid velocity is witnessed for a varied counts volume fraction of nanoparticles. Also, Single-wall water-based carbon nanotube fluid has comparatively stronger effects on concentration than the multi-walled carbon nanotubes in water-based liquid. The analysis also indicates that the rate of heat flux and the surface drag coefficient are augmented for both SWCNTs and MWCNTs for different physical parameters. The said model is also validated by comparing it with a published result.

Abstract Background Intestinal inflammation has become a threatening concern in chicken production worldwide and is closely associated with Th17/Treg cell imbalance. Several studies described that gut microbiota is significantly implicated in chicken growth by modulating intestinal immune homeostasis and immune cell differentiation. Whether reshaping gut microbiota by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could improve chicken growth by balancing Th17/Treg cells is an interesting question. Results Here, the chickens with significantly different body weight from three different breeds (Turpan cockfighting × White Leghorn chickens, white feather chickens, and yellow feather chickens) were used to compare Th17 and Treg cells. qPCR and IHC staining results indicated that Th17 cell-associated transcriptional factors Stat3 and rorγt and cytokines IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-21 were significantly (P

Abstract Cecal microbiota plays an essential role in chicken health. However, its contribution to fat metabolism, particularly in abdominal fat deposition, which is a severe problem in the poultry industry, is still unclear. Here, chickens at 1, 4, and 12 months of age with significantly (p

Product evaluations, ratings, and other sorts of online expressions have risen in popularity as a result of the emergence of social networking sites and blogs. Sentiment analysis has emerged as a new area of study for computational linguists as a result of this rapidly expanding data set. From around a decade ago, this has been a topic of discussion for English speakers. However, the scientific community completely ignores other important languages, such as Urdu. Morphologically, Urdu is one of the most complex languages in the world. For this reason, a variety of unique characteristics, such as the language's unusual morphology and unrestricted word order, make the Urdu language processing a difficult challenge to solve. This research provides a new framework for the categorization of Urdu language sentiments. The main contributions of the research are to show how important this multidimensional research problem is as well as its technical parts, such as the parsing algorithm, corpus, lexicon, etc. A new approach for Urdu text sentiment analysis including data gathering, pre-processing, feature extraction, feature vector formation, and finally, sentiment classification has been designed to deal with Urdu language sentiments. The result and discussion section provides a comprehensive comparison of the proposed work with the standard baseline method in terms of precision, recall, f-measure, and accuracy of three different types of datasets. In the overall comparison of the models, the proposed work shows an encouraging achievement in terms of accuracy and other metrics. Last but not least, this section also provides the featured trend and possible direction of the current work.

The seeds of twenty-five varieties/cultivars of mungbean were evaluated in respect of proximate assays, chemical composition, and nutritional values with the aim to ensure the suitability of the foodstuff for human consumption. The average fiber content of the tested varieties/cultivars was 4.85±0.04% while potassium (K) ranges from 250 to 938 and phosphorus (P) from 371 to 464 mg 100 g − 1. The tested cultivars contained micronutrients including Zn, Fe and Cu with average value of 30.70, 104.00 and 3.84 mg kg−1, respectively. Alpha (α-), Gamma (γ-) and Sigma (δ-) tocopherols were also present in mungbean seeds with average value of 25, 1962 and 670 mg kg−1. Among toxic heavy metals, average Cd, Cr and Pb were present at 0.22, 3.23 and 1.64 mg kg−1, respectively, indicating some values above the maximum permissible limit set under various rules and regulations. The content of phytic acid varied from 0.45% to 1.22% in these varieties and it was observed that the phytates were existed in negative correlation with Zn content. Aflatoxins AFB1 and AFB2 were 48% and 16% above the maximum permissible limits, respectively, while AFG1 and AFG2 were found to be below the permissible limits in all the tested varieties/cultivars. The results of the study showed the essential minerals and protein, nutritional and anti-nutritional characters of mungbean varieties/cultivars, which are potential health determinants and can be used to characterize food quality in human healthcare.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a natural common inorganic material with good biocompatibility, low toxicity, pH sensitivity, and low cost, has a widespread use in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In recent years, an increasing number of CaCO3-based nano-drug delivery systems have been developed. CaCO3 as a drug carrier and the utilization of CaCO3 as an efficient Ca2+ and CO2 donor have played a critical role in tumor diagnosis and treatment and have been explored in increasing depth and breadth. Starting from the CaCO3-based nano-drug delivery system, this paper systematically reviews the preparation of CaCO3 nanoparticles and the mechanisms of CaCO3-based therapeutic effects in the internal and external tumor environments and summarizes the latest advances in the application of CaCO3-based nano-drug delivery systems in tumor therapy. In view of the good biocompatibility and in vivo therapeutic mechanisms, they are expected to become an advancing biomedicine in the field of tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Objective: To evaluate bone mineral density in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Radiology Department, Pakistan Naval Ship, Shifa Hospital, Karachi Pakistan, from Aug 2017 to Aug 2019. Methodology: The symptomatic individuals included in this study were those referred by a treating physician with complaints related to the skeletal system, such as bone pain. Asymptomatic individuals that were included were volunteers who had no symptoms related to bones. These individuals were evaluated by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results: Five hundred twenty-nine individuals were included. Our study showed that the percentage of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 39.61% and 37% in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, respectively. These observations show that asymptomatic patients also suffer from osteopenia and osteoporosis. The percentage of asymptomatic patients suffering from osteopenia and osteoporosis was 2.0% and 35%, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of osteopenia and osteoporosis is increasing in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Pakistan. An alarming fact is that most of these positive asymptomatic patients are below 50 years.

The effect of source, geometrical and physical parameters of slab waveguide on the sensitivity of optical sensor and its evanescent field have been investigated. The waveguiding film of LiNbO3 was fabricated and the observations revealed that the maximal sensitivities of Transverse Magnetic (TM) modes and their corresponding frequencies are greater than those for Transverse Electric (TE) modes. Furthermore, the optimal source parameters improve the maximal sensitivity and evanescent field in the cover. However, the increment in the core thickness reduces the sensitivity of sensor due to reduction in evanescent field in the cover. The sensitivity of sensor was observed as a function of refractive indices of cover, core and the substrate. The increase in refractive indices of cover and core, directly affect the sensitivity while an inverse relation has been observed regarding increase in the refractive index of the substrate. It is worth noting that, any changes in the physical parameters of waveguide sensor show an insignificant effect on the evanescent fields.

Chitosan-based nano-sized particles increase the penetration of the drug through the narrow junction into the bloodstream and target the specific site. The objective of this study was to prepare chitosan nanoparticles to entrap a hydrophobic drug (tamoxifen citrate), followed by the alginate coating of the developed nanoparticles to decrease their degradation in the acidic pH. Drug-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by the ionic gelation method. Alginate coating was done by dissolving sodium alginate to buffer solution and drug-loaded chitosan nanoparticles drop-wise under mild agitation. The size of alginate coated chitosan nanoparticles, zeta potential, surface morphology, in-vitro drug release, and entrapment efficiency was measured. The optimised formulation of both uncoated (SH3) and coated (SH7) formulation showed the particle size, PDI, and zeta potential with values 221 & 338 nm, 0.161 & 0.230 and 36.5 & −20.7 mV, respectively. The resulted nanoparticle surface was non-porous. The percentage yield of the optimised formulation SH3 was 28% and SH6 was 33%. The entrapment efficiency of the optimised formulation SH3 (uncoated formulation) and SH6 (coated formulation) is 69.5 and 58.51%, respectively. Chitosan nanoparticles were successfully prepared to entrap tamoxifen citrate. The coating of chitosan nanoparticles decreased their degradation in the acidic pH.

This study examined the time–frequency relationship between renewable energy, globalization, economic growth, trade openness, urbanization, and CO2 emissions in Asia. The wavelet-based causality framework was utilized to quantify the causal associations in time–frequency space among the variables. The method is favorable as a scaling tool and it unveils the time–frequency dependence among variables with more reliability and it accounts for the seasonality, cycles, or trends extracted from the transformation change over time. The empirical data demonstrated that within the sample period, the substantial causal relationships between the employed variables are primarily focused on the short and medium runs at different frequency scales. The wavelet coherence results provided evidence of a strong association among the variables in the long-run estimation, which is supported by the Trace analysis and the Toda–Yamamoto causality. The findings also revealed that renewable energy and CO2 are out of phase and have an anti-cyclic impact, with CO2 emissions driving the cycle. A positive co-movement between globalization and CO2 emissions was observed with no lag relationship, while the association between trade openness and CO2 emissions was seen to be insignificant in the long run. These results have significant policy implications for Asian economies’ long-run sustainable policies. Environmental researchers should take into account lead–lag channels of transmission and the time–frequency nexus between series.

Abstract Background Intestinal inflammation is prevalent in chicken, which results in decreased growth performance and considerable economic losses. Accumulated findings established the close relationship between gut microbiota and chicken growth performance. However, whether gut microbiota impacts chicken growth performance by lessening intestinal inflammation remains elusive. Results Seven-weeks-old male and female chickens with the highest or lowest body weights were significantly different in breast and leg muscle indices and average cross-sectional area of muscle cells. 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated Gram-positive bacteria, such as Lactobacilli, were the predominant species in high body weight chickens. Conversely, Gram-negative bacteria, such as Comamonas, Acinetobacter, Brucella, Escherichia-Shigella, Thermus, Undibacterium, and Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium were significantly abundant in low body weight chickens. Serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) level was significantly higher in low body weight chickens (101.58 ± 5.78 ng/mL) compared with high body weight chickens (85.12 ± 4.79 ng/mL). The expression of TLR4, NF-κB, MyD88, and related inflammatory cytokines in the jejunum was significantly upregulated in low body weight chickens, which led to the damage of gut barrier integrity. Furthermore, transferring fecal microbiota from adult chickens with high body weight into 1-day-old chicks reshaped the jejunal microbiota, mitigated inflammatory response, and improved chicken growth performance. Conclusions Our findings suggested that jejunal microbiota could affect chicken growth performance by mitigating intestinal inflammation. Video Abstract

Islamic intellectualism is an unfailing source of revealed wisdom for addressing all the issues that may keep arising till the judgment day. History has preserved works of several exceptional individuals who formulated effective answers in the light of this knowledge to the challenges of their times. In this age, modernity and its pernicious impacts on different aspects of human life pose a new challenge which has drawn undivided attention of scholars. Hence, they come up with various proposals to deal with it in an emphatic manner. It is, therefore, necessary for scholars to reevaluate the works of such influential intellectuals in order to enable themselves to address the new challenges. The current study incorporated the matchless contribution made by Jamal al-Din Afghani, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, and Dr. Fazlur Rahman to the struggle against unabated onslaught on the faith and its foundations, civilization, and cultural development by western modernity. Afghani was the first to identify the problem and deliver a forceful and logical response by uncovering the pernicious effects of modernity. Dr. Iqbal improved upon Afghani’s contribution and strove to revive the dynamic spirit of Islamic thought, while Dr Fazlur Rahman completed their mission by moulding their ideas into an all-inclusive synthetic system. The discourse set off by the trilogy of their ideas constitutes an effective response to modernity which may also prove to be a blueprint for formulating viable responses to any future challenges to the true spirit of Islam.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess the outcome of close distal tibial fractures fixed with pre-contoured locking plate using MIPPO technique in terms of union and infection. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology from Sep 2013 to May 2017. We enrolled 40 cases with close distal tibial fractures. Fractures were managed with locking compression plate using MIPPO technique. Patients were followed for 12 months post-fracture stabilization. Results: In this study total 40 patients (24 males and 16 females) were included. Male to female ratio of the patients was 1.5:1. The mean age of the patients was 44.70±13.67 years with minimum and maximum ages of 18 & 60 years respectively. All fractures united with the mean union time of 16±4 weeks. The infection rate was 5%.

Different methods such as physical, biological and chemical are used to manage soil fungus increasing termites. Synthetic insecticide plays a vital part in the management of termites. The pesticide used in big quantities causes phytotoxicity, mammalian toxicity and resistance to pesticides in target pests and insect outbreaks. Intensive pesticides exert chronic effects on living organisms with annoyance for beneficial insects. It also accompanied with environmental hazards and developed resistance. Plant leaves extracts provide a distinct variety of biochemical compounds with diverse prospective uses. Resistance development requires the discovery of fresh biological compounds with a wide spectrum of action. Plant leaves extract and Chlorfenapyr solution in methanol and water with various concentrations (15 %, 10 %, 5 % and 0 %) were applied to the soil against termites to determine mortality and repellency. Posttreatment data was obtained and evaluated through statistical analysis. The result revealed that the extract of Conocarpus lancifolius with the solution of methanol and solution of water exhibited higher mortality of subterranean termites, whereas the solution of methanol had higher repellency and mortality than water solution of botanical extract. Water and methanol solution of insecticide chlorfenapyr used against the subterranean termites, both are found to be efficacious against termites, while insecticide with the solution of methanol revealed 100% mortality. Nonetheless, plant extract of C. lancifolius with water and methanol solution and chlorfenapyr with methanol solution can be applied as new biological control tools against subterranean termites.

In this article, we investigate existence and the exact solutions of the extended Fisher-Kolmogorov (EFK) equation. This equation is used in the population growth dynamics and wave propagation. The fourth-order term in this model describes the phase transitions near critical points which are also known as Lipschitz points. He's variational method is adopted to construct the soliton solutions as well as the periodic wave solutions successfully for the extended (higher-order) EFK equation. This approach is simple and has the greatest advantages because it can reduce the order of our equation and make the equation more simple. So, the results that are obtained by this approach are very simple and straightforward. The graphics behavior of these solutions are also sketched in 3D, 2D, and corresponding contour representations by the different choices of parameters.

Abstract Objective: Investigate the potential predictors’ dysarthria and dyspraxia of speech and language impairment after childhood stroke. Study Design: Cross sectional study Place and duration of study: Study was conducted in the department of Paediatric Neurology, The Children’s Hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore for about one year i.e. from 31st August 2019 to 31st August 2020. Methodology: Seventy children of radiological diagnosed arterial ischemic stroke were selected for study. Prevalence of dyspraxia and dysarthria and language impairment was measured within 2 weeks of stroke. Side of stroke (right, left or both) were assessed and proportion of language impairment, dysarthria, dyspraxia was measured in this study. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis and determination of variables. P values of ≤0.05 were considered as significant. Results: Seventy patients were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 8.11±1.26 years. Stroke effects on left side was noted in 27 (38.6%) cases, stroke effects on right side was noted in 33 (47.1%) cases, while in 13 (18.6%) cases both Hemispheres were involved, dysarthria was present in 50 (71.4%) cases, language impairment was observed in 45 (64.3%) cases and verbal dyspraxia was noted in 12 (17.1%) cases. Conclusion: Long term cognitive, motor and neurological outcomes are the results of arterial ischemic stroke. Dysarthria, language impairment and dysparaxia are the main affects of stroke that dependant on size and place lesion. Rehabilitation cannot be predicted after childhood stroke. Keywords: Apraxia; Brain injury; Child; Dysarthria; Language; Stroke; Speech.

The current research deals with the exact solutions of the nonlinear partial differential equations having two important difficulties, that is, the coefficient singularities and the stochastic function (white noise). There are four major contributions to contemporary research. One is the mathematical analysis where the explicit a priori estimates for the existence of solutions are constructed by Schauder’s fixed point theorem. Secondly, the control of the solution behavior subject to the singular parameter ϵ when ϵ → 0. Thirdly, the impact of noise that is present in the differential equation has been successfully handled in exact solutions. The final contribution is to simulate the exact solutions and explain the plots.

Summary It has been established that gut microbiota influences chicken growth performance and fat metabolism. However, whether gut microbiota affects chicken growth performance by regulating fat metabolism remains unclear. Therefore, seven‐week‐old chickens with high or low body weight were used in the present study. There were significant differences in body weight, breast and leg muscle indices, and cross‐sectional area of muscle cells, suggesting different growth performance. The relative abundance of gut microbiota in the caecal contents at the genus level was compared by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results of LEfSe indicated that high body weight chickens contained Microbacterium and Sphingomonas more abundantly (P

Gut inflammation is a challenging concern in humans and animals, which disturbs normal growth and leads to severe bowel diseases. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the gut microbiota metabolites produced from fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates, and have been reported to modulate gut inflammation. SCFA have been implicated as the potential therapeutic bioactive molecules for gut inflammatory diseases, and could be an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). In this review, the existing knowledge about the types of SCFA, the related gut microbes producing SCFA, the roles of SCFA in maintaining gut homeostasis, and how SCFA modulate gut inflammation is summarized. The therapeutic application of SCFA in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is also highlighted.

The gut microbiota is known to regulate the immune system and thereby influence susceptibility to infection. In this study, we observed that the administration of Enterococcus faecium HDRsEf1 (HDRsEf1) led to an improvement in the development of the immune system. This was evidenced by an increase in both the spleen index and the area of spleen white pulp. Specifically, the proportion of T helper (Th) 1 cells and the production of IFN-γ and IL-12 were significantly increased in the spleens of mice treated with HDRsEf1. In agreement with the in vivo results, we found that Th1-related cytokines, including IFN-γ and IL-12p70, were strongly induced in splenocytes treated with HDRsEf1. In addition, Th1 cell activation and high-level secretion of IL-12p70 were also confirmed by coculture of CD4+ T cells with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells treated with HDRsEf1. Moreover, the employment of HDRsEf1 was identified to augment resilience against systemic infection provoked by S. Typhimurium and stimulate the expression of the genes for TNFα and iNOS in the initial stage of infection, signifying that reinforced Th1 cells and IL-12 might activate macrophages for antibacterial safeguards. In summary, our study suggests that HDRsEf1 could act as an effective immunobiotic functional agent, promoting systemic Th1 immunological responses and priming defenses against infection.

The public–private partnership (PPP) based model for the execution of infrastructure projects originated from Anglo-Saxon countries and was initially used in 1977 by the United Kingdom (U.K). Since then, its popularity has increased worldwide. Earlier studies by researchers and many other professional sectors and departments have introduced PPP contracts into different execution modes like Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT); Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT); and Build, Lease, and Transfer (BLT), etc. All definitions of PPP contracts are different but have a few common characteristics and risks. Previously, numerous pieces of literature were available on these common risks for various execution modes of PPP contracts. However, each PPP mode still has unique risks that must be identified to understand and successfully implement the PPP projects properly. This paper fills the gap mentioned above and aims to identify various commonly used PPP execution modes in infrastructure projects and their corresponding risks after placing the different PPP execution modes into four (04) different categories. Identified risks for the corresponding PPP categories were also divided into seven (07) stages of the PPP life cycle. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information from thirty-four (34) PPP experts worldwide. Accordingly, interviews are transcribed and processed for thematic analysis in academic NVIVO software. These identified risks are further placed in the respective PPP category for the convenience and better understanding of the study’s outcome to the users and for the subsequent prioritization and allocation of these identified risks accordingly to the PPP parties during the finalization of the PPP execution mode.

Natural scene classification, which has potential applications in precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and disaster management, poses significant challenges due to variations in the spatial resolution, spectral resolution, texture, and size of remotely sensed images of natural scenes on Earth. For such challenging problems, deep-learning-based algorithms have demonstrated amazing performances in recent years. Among these methodologies, transfer learning is a useful technique which employs the learned features already extracted from the pre-trained models from large-scale datasets for the problem at hand, resulting in quicker and more accurate models. In this study, we deployed cross-domain transfer learning for the land-cover classification of remotely sensed images of natural scenes. We conducted extensive experiments to measure the performance of the proposed method and explored the factors that affect the performance of the models. Our findings suggest that fine-tuning the ResNet-50 model outperforms various other models in terms of the classification accuracy. The experimental results showed that the deployed cross-domain transfer-learning system achieved outstanding (99.5% and 99.1%) accurate performances compared to previous benchmarks on the NaSC-TG2 dataset with the final tuning of the whole structure and only the last three layers, respectively.

Objective: Taking leads from the available research, we aimed to develop a synergy-based herbal combination of Tinospora cordifolia (TC), Phyllanthus emblica (PE), and Piper nigrum (PN). Also, evaluating their synergistic effect on CP-induced immunosuppression in mice model and exploring the possible mechanisms involved in reversing the damage. Methodology: The immunomodulatory activity of combination, of TC stem, PE fruits, and PN dried fruits, was determined by in vitro assays (splenocyte proliferation and pinocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages of mice) and in vivo study using CP-induced immunosuppression model in Swiss Albino mice. The ratio was optimized for combining three by in vitro MTT assay. The combination was further evaluated for anti-oxidant activity by DPPH scavenging method and quantified for its bioactive metabolites by HPTLC. Serum collected on day 0, 4, 7 and 14 was employed for estimation of haematogram (haematocrit, TLC, DLC, and haemoglobin, etc) and immune parameters (IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α) by ELISA. Results: The study demonstrated, that combination of herbal extracts at an intermediate dose could inhibit the proliferation of spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages (P ≤ 0.0001) and induce suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators, and also certified that combination exerts synergized effects. The results showed that the combination possess potential antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging method (IC50-113.5 µg/ml). It was identified that combination significantly (P ≤ 0.0001) improved the immune markers, haematogram parameters, and histological parameters, with maximum protection offered by an intermediate dose. Conclusion: The results suggested that present combination could be further explored clinically as potent synergy-based therapeutic approach for immune modulation.

This research utilizes a hybrid technology through resonant line-level control phase-shifted full-bridge (HR-LLC-PSFB) dc–dc converter. In this research, a line level control (LLC) auxiliary circuit is used to achieve zero-current soft-switching turned-off operation of a controlled switch. The zero-voltage soft-switching turned-on operation is achieved by using the transformers’ magnetic branch energy and the energy reflected by the output filter inductor. The effective turn’s ratio of the isolating transformers is used to reduce the inverter circuit’s voltage stresses. The effect of voltage overshoots and freewheeling circulating current in rectifying branches is improved by implementing an energy recovery circuit with an output filter. A closed loop coordination proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is proposed to generate the pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal to transmit smooth power by controlling output voltage and current values. The droop constant current charging (CCC) and reduced constant current charging (RCCC) technique is proposed for the charging process. Simulations performed in MATLAB and results substantiate the proposed work superiority in comparison to other topologies.

Bone defect assessment in primary advanced knee arthritis can present a challenge for the surgeon and lead to unfavourable outcomes if not adequately determined during preoperative planning. The aim of this study was to introduce a new, simple and quick way to assess and quantify bone defect using short film radiographs and utilising it to choose the total knee prosthesis. This is a prospective case series of patients who underwent TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty) using various types of prostheses. Three different angles—Tibiofemoral angle, MPTA (medial proximal tibial angle), and JLCA (joint line convergence angle)—were measured preoperatively to evaluate limb alignment, placement of the tibial, and femoral components of total knee prosthesis. Postoperatively roentgenographic index introduced by Lotke et al was used to assess our preoperative methodology. ---Continue

We aim to investigate the impact of corporate governance attributes on future stock price crash risk in stable and crisis periods. We used Dynamic Panel Generalized Method of Movements (DPGMM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to generate the factors for the individual attribute to capture the accuracy of the results. Ownership concentration and board structure have a significant negative while audit quality has no association with the stock price crash risk. However, the financial crisis has a positive association with stock crash risk. Furthermore, the study provides a potential screening methodology for investors to mitigate future risk as to price crash risk for portfolios that cannot be dealt with diversification.

Microorganisms play a key role in ruminal digestion, some of which can be used as probiotics to promote growth in ruminants. However, which potential bacteria are responsible for ruminant growth and how they potentiate the basic mechanism is unclear. In this study, three bacterial strains, Bacillus pumilus (SN-3), Bacillus paralicheniformis (SN-6), and Bacillus altitudinis (SN-20) with multiple digestive enzymes were isolated from the rumen of healthy buffaloes. Among these strains, SN-6 secreted cellulase, laccase, and amylase, and significantly inhibited Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 and Escherichia coli K99 in vitro. In addition, SN-6 exhibited strong tolerance to artificial gastric juice, intestinal juice, and high temperature. Antibiotic resistance test, virulence gene test, and mouse toxicity test confirmed the safety of SN-6. Further, SN-6 significantly increased the body weight (p < 0.01), affects the intestinal microbiota structure, and alters the metabolomic patterns of Simmental. There was a remarkable difference in the β diversity of fecal microflora between SN-6 and control groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, SN-6 significantly increased the abundance of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Bifidobacterium, Blautia, and Cellulolyticum, decreased the relative abundance of Monoglobus and norank_f_Ruminococcacea. Moreover, SN-6 feeding significantly enriched intestinal metabolites (i.e., 3-indoleacrylic acid, kynurenic acid) to maintain intestinal homeostasis. Finally, the microbial and metabolic functional analysis indicated that SN-6 could enhance amino acid metabolism (mainly tryptophan metabolism) and lipid metabolism pathways. Overall, these findings indicated that SN-6 could be used as a probiotic in ruminants.

Abstract Background Genes in the Ras pathway have somatic mutations in at least 60 % of colorectal cancers. Despite activating the same pathway, the BRAF V600E mutation and the prevalent mutations in codon 12 and 13 of KRAS have all been linked to different clinical outcomes, but the molecular mechanisms behind these differences largely remain to be clarified. Methods To characterize the similarities and differences between common activating KRAS mutations and between KRAS and BRAF mutations, we used genome editing to engineer KRAS G12C/D/V and G13D mutations in colorectal cancer cells that had their mutant BRAF V600E allele removed and subjected them to transcriptome sequencing, global proteomics and metabolomics analyses. Results By intersecting differentially expressed genes, proteins and metabolites, we uncovered (i) two-fold more regulated genes and proteins when comparing KRAS to BRAF mutant cells to those lacking Ras pathway mutation, (ii) five differentially expressed proteins in KRAS mutants compared to cells lacking Ras pathway mutation (IFI16, S100A10, CD44, GLRX and AHNAK2) and 6 (CRABP2, FLNA, NXN, LCP1, S100A10 and S100A2) compared to BRAF mutant cells, (iii) 19 proteins expressed differentially in a KRAS mutation specific manner versus BRAF V600E cells, (iv) regulation of the Integrin Linked Kinase pathway by KRAS but not BRAF mutation, (v) regulation of amino acid metabolism, particularly of the tyrosine, histidine, arginine and proline pathways, the urea cycle and purine metabolism by Ras pathway mutations, (vi) increased free carnitine in KRAS and BRAF mutant RKO cells. Conclusions This comprehensive integrative -omics analysis confirms known and adds novel genes, proteins and metabolic pathways regulated by mutant KRAS and BRAF signaling in colorectal cancer. The results from the new model systems presented here can inform future development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches targeting tumors with KRAS and BRAF mutations.

Objectives: Due to the absence of necessary rules, poor coordination, and various challenges, the pharmacovigilance system of Pakistan is not optimally functional at all levels of the health system. The objective of the study was to assess the stakeholders’ perceptions of the current ADR reporting system and to identify the pharmacovigilance policy issues and problems of effective coordination.Methodology: Stakeholders from a broad range of disciplines, academia, regulatory authorities, the pharmaceutical industry, international health organizations, as well as pharmacovigilance experts, and healthcare professionals were included in the study. A total of 25 stakeholders throughout Pakistan were interviewed during exploratory semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed, coded, compared, and grouped according to their similarity of themes. Participants provided insights into gaps, limitations, and challenges of Pakistan’s current ADR reporting system, issues with proposed pharmacovigilance rules, and coordination difficulties.Results: The majority of the participants considered the ADR reporting system in Pakistan to be improving but in a nascent phase. The identified gaps, challenges, limitations of the system, and barriers to reporting were labeled as reasons for limited functioning. Almost all stakeholders were aware of the existence of draft pharmacovigilance rules; however, participants in the industry were familiar with the contents and context of draft pharmacovigilance rules. Bureaucratic red tape and lack of political will appeared to be the top reasons for delaying the approval of the pharmacovigilance rules. Wider consultation, advocacy, and awareness sessions of policymakers and HCPs were suggested for early approval of rules. Participants unanimously agreed that the approval of rules shall improve the quality of life and reduce the economic burden along with morbidity and mortality rates. The need for greater and collaborative coordination among the stakeholders in promoting medicines’ safety was highlighted. All participants suggested the use of media and celebrities to disseminate the safety information.Conclusion: Participants showed partial satisfaction with the way pharmacovigilance in Pakistan is moving forward. However, stakeholders believed that engagement of multi-stakeholders, approval of pharmacovigilance rules, and the establishment of pharmacovigilance centers in provinces, hospitals, and public health programs (PHPs) shall support in achieving the desired results.

Energy shortage has a significant effect on businesses in developing countries. To overcome energy crises, such countries are adopting different strategies in their industrial sectors. This study contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the impact of energy crises on the profitability and productivity of 424 non-financial listed companies in Pakistan over the period 2001–2017. The fixed effect (FE) is used as a basic regression technique, while generalized method of moments (GMM) is used for the robust analysis. Seven measures, in which four measures of electricity shortfall (i.e., neutral period (NP), increasing shortfall (IS), worst shortfall (WS), decreasing shortfall (DS), energy consumption (EC), energy price (EP), and access to electricity (ATE)) were applied to examine their impact on profitability, that is, return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and productivity, that is, asset turnover ratio (ATO). The results confirmed the negative impact of energy crises on business profitability, where IS, WS, and DS significantly reduce profitability by 39%, 36%, and 33%, respectively. In addition, NP exerts a significantly positive impact on profitability, where a 1% increase in NP increases profitability by 33%. The results concluded that energy supply is highly critical for business profitability and productivity. This study puts forward several key policy implications that may be helpful for policymakers to overcome energy crises.

Burns cause many significant changes in metabolism and inflammatory reactions, leading to poor regeneration in animals and humans. A list of medicines to treat burns is available in the market. But due to the high cost of these medicines, these are unaffordable, especially for farmers of middle-class families of Africa and Asia. Therefore, a low-cost complementary treatment has always been a topic of many researchers, and there is a dire need of time for the welfare of animals to save them. The current study was planned to scrutinize the therapeutic effects of Manuka honey and Nitrofurazone ointments on full-thickness burn wounds in the rabbit model. The healing efficacy was performed through wound contraction rate, hematological analysis, the thickness of dermis and epidermis, and collagen content percentage. Histopathology was performed after taking biopsy samples at the end of the research. Based on statistical analysis using wound healing time (days, D), the combination (MO + NT) resulted in a shorter period (27 D ± 1) than the average healing time of controlled (36 ± 2), Manuka ointment (31.33 D ± 1.52), and Nitrofurazone ointment (32 ± 1). A significant decrease in the count of red blood cell (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in all treatments was noticed mainly in MO + NT. Furthermore, burns induced a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the white blood cells (WBCs) count levels in the MO-treated group. While the level of platelets (PLTs) was not significantly different from the healthy control group. Histopathological assessment (epithelialization, fibrosis, and angiogenesis) of skin showed burn healing to be better in MO and MO + NT groups. In conclusion, the composite of Manuka honey with Nitrofurazone led to the faster recovery than other treatments.

Total knee arthroplasty is gaining popularity in individuals with advanced stages of knee osteoarthritis among the affording economic class. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of preoperative rehabilitation in the management of post-operative quadriceps lag. The study design was non-randomised clinical study conducted from January 2017 to March 2017 at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Non probability convenient sampling technique was applied to collect data of 30 patients with TKA. The data was collected by self-designed questionnaire, and goniometric range of knee extension was used as the main outcome. Independent sample t-test was applied to assess the difference between the groups. The mean age of the patients was 64.37±11.66 years. The mean score for Extensor Lag with pre-operative rehabilitation regime was 12.53º±36.57º and without this regime it was 23.20 ±79.18º (p value 0.005 & t-value -3.035). ---Continue

The effect of fertilizer on yield and yield related traits studied in two consecutive years at two different locations. Three different doses of fertilizer (NPK) applied at the rate of 9:23:0, 18:46:12 and 27:69:25 respectively on sixteen chickpea, genotypes (Desi and Kabuli advance lines and commercial varieties). Data recorded for days to 50% flowering, plant height, primary and secondary branches, pods per plant, 100-grain weight and grain yield (kg/ha). In Desi chickpea highest grain yield (kg/ha) in both years was produced by advance line D-12026 and in Kabuli advance line K-70005 at Faisalabad location. Grain yield kg/ha had significant positive correlation with all the considered parameters except days to 50% flowering and days to 50% maturity. The treatment comparison manifested that fertilizer doses 9:23:0 enhanced grain yield. The high dose of fertilizer is not recommendable. The grain yield of Desi and Kabuli chickpea at two locations Pulses Research Institute (PRI) Faisalabad and GBRSS (Gram Breeding Research Sub Station) Kallurkot had significant variation. The grain yield (kg ha−1) was significant high in research area of PRI, Faisalabad in both years. The NPK 9:23:0 found operative dose of fertilizer for chickpea.

Wastewater management is one of the biggest challenges in the world due to increase in population and industrialization. In Faisalabad (FSD), wastewater treatment is being done through Wastewater Stabilization Ponds (WSPs) at Chokera, which is one of the most economical methods of Wastewater Treatment (WWT). Various parameters were examined to check wastewater treatment efficiency of the ponds under diverse climatic conditions. These included Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Turbidity, Copper, Total Solids (TS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Lead. Six locations which were selected for monitoring treatment efficiency, included inlet and outlet of treatment plant, influent of anaerobic ponds, effluent of anaerobic ponds, effluent of facultative ponds, and Pharang drain before and after blending with treated sewage. The testing was performed in two seasons (i.e. Winter 2015 and Summer 2016) in Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan. BOD5 removal efficiency of the treatment plant was found 30.08% in winter and 51.74% in summer against designed value of 90% removal. Most of the parameters of the effluent were not meeting the Punjab Environmental Quality Standards (PEQS). The reasons of low efficiency are; variation in climatic conditions (i.e. less solar heat intensity, wind speed and ceased microbial activity in winter), lack of funds by government, increased population, mixing of industrial sewage with domestic sewage and less attention being paid to maintain the performance of Ponds. The study was carried out to assess and compare the efficiency of treatment plant with PEQS in two climatic conditions.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a clinically prevalent bacterium and is resistant to many drugs. Genetic factors such as mec genes are considered to be responsible for this resistance. Recently, Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) element mutations produced mecC, a new genetic variant that encodes a transpeptidase enzyme (63% similarity with mecA-encoded PBP2a). This cross-sectional study was conducted to establish the prevalence of the mecA and mecC genes among phenotypically identified MRSA and their effectiveness against different antibiotics in clinical specimens. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus was 10.2% (n = 102) in the total number of clinical specimens collected (n = 1000). However, the prevalence of MRSA was 6.3% (n = 63) of the total samples collected, while it was 61.8% among total Staphylococcus aureus isolates. mec genes were confirmed in 96.8% (n = 61) isolates of MRSA, while 3.2% (n = 2) were found to be negative for mec genes. The combination of mecA and mecC was detected in 57.1% (n = 36) of the MRSA isolates. The prevalence of lone mecA was 31.8% (n = 20) and that of lone mecC was 7.9% (n = 5) among all the MRSA samples. Penicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid were the most resistant antibiotics followed by norfloxacin (91.2%), levofloxacin (87.1%), ciprofloxacin (83.9%), azithromycin (78.6%), erythromycin (77.4%), moxifloxacin (69.8%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (54.9%). On the other hand, vancomycin and teicoplanin (98.4%) were more effective drugs against MRSA followed by linezolid (96.7%), clindamycin (84.6%), chloramphenicol (83.7%), fusidic acid (70.6%), gentamicin (67.7%), and tetracycline (56.8%). In conclusion, a significant prevalence of mecA and mecC has been found among MRSA isolated from clinical specimens, which is likely responsible for antibiotic resistance in MRSA in our clinical settings. However, vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid were found the top three most effective drugs against MRSA in our clinical settings. Thus, MRSA endemics in local areas require routine molecular and epidemiological investigation.

Drought is one of the major constraints for sustainable crop production worldwide, especially in arid and semiarid regions. The global warming and climate change scenario has worsened the dilemma of water scarcity, creating an immediate threat to food security. Conserving water resources and exploiting various strategies that enable plants to withstand water deficits need to be urgently addressed. Drought adversely affects plant growth by modulating a range of physio-chemical, metabolic, and molecular processes inside the plant body, which ultimately reduces crop productivity. Besides developing drought-tolerant cultivars, better nutrient management could be a promising strategy to enhance drought tolerance in crop plants. Silicon, a quasi-essential element, is known to play a vital role in improving crop performance under a range of biotic and abiotic stresses. This review discusses the potential of Si application in attenuating the adverse effects of water-deficit stress. Silicon enhances plant growth by improving seed germination, cell membrane stability, carbon assimilation, plant–water relations and osmotic adjustment (by accumulating soluble sugars, proline and glycine betaine). It triggers the activity of antioxidants, promotes the biosynthesis of phytohormones, enhances nutrient acquisition and regulates the activity of vital enzymes in plants under drought stress. Silicon also induces anatomical changes in the plant cell wall through the deposition of polymerized amorphous silica (SiO2-nH2O), thereby improving stem and leaf erectness and reducing lodging. Further, Si-mediated physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms associated with drought tolerance in plants and future research prospects have been elucidated.

The world bank has classified 80 economies based on their Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as High-Income. European Medicines Agency (EMA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) are the major regulatory stakeholders driving global pharmacovigilance regulations. The purpose of this article is to describe pharmacovigilance systems and processes in high-income countries, particularly those that are also members of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). All high-income countries are members of the WHO PIDM. The income level of a country has a direct relationship with medicine safety measures. All ten pioneering members of the Uppsala monitoring centre are from high-income countries and were the first responders after the thalidomide tragedy by making drug evaluation committees, introducing the ADR reporting forms and taking safety measures. Despite access to the VigiBase, some countries have separate databases for managing and analyzing data like Canada Vigilance online database, FDA Adverse Event Reporting System, the French pharmacovigilance database and European Union’s system Eudravigilance. All high-income countries have robust pharmacovigilance systems. USFDA and EMA are the world leaders in the field of pharmacovigilance. Most high-income countries follow EMA guidelines. Medicine safety is directly influenced by a country’s income level.

Zika virus (ZIKV) pandemic and its implication in congenital malformations and severe neurological disorders had created serious threats to global health. ZIKV is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which spread rapidly and infect a large number of people in a shorter time-span. Due to the lack of effective therapeutics, this had become paramount urgency to discover effective drug molecules to encounter the viral infection. Various anti-ZIKV drug discovery efforts during the past several years had been unsuccessful to develop an effective cure. The NS2B-NS3 protein was reported as an attractive therapeutic target for inhibiting viral proliferation, due to its central role in viral replication and maturation of non-structural viral proteins. Therefore, the current in silico drug exploration aimed to identify the novel inhibitors of Zika NS2B-NS3 protease by implementing an e-pharmacophore-based high-throughput virtual screening. A 3D e-pharmacophore model was generated based on the five-featured (ADPRR) pharmacophore hypothesis. Subsequently, the predicted model is further subjected to the high-throughput virtual screening to reveal top hit molecules from the various small molecule databases. Initial hits were examined in terms of binding free energies and ADME properties to identify the candidate hit exhibiting a favourable pharmacokinetic profile. Eventually, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations studies were conducted to evaluate the binding stability of the hit molecule inside the receptor cavity. The findings of the in silico analysis manifested affirmative evidence for three hit molecules with −64.28, −55.15 and −50.16 kcal/mol binding free energies, as potent inhibitors of Zika NS2B-NS3 protease. Hence, these molecules holds the promising potential to serve as a prospective candidates to design effective drugs against ZIKV and related viral infections.

Abstract Background The objective of the study was to compare the effects of neuromobilization (NM) techniques and routine physiotherapy on pain and functional disability in patients having shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS). Present study was aimed to discover evidence based conservative and cost effective remedy on pain and functional disability. Study design Single blinded randomized control clinical trial. Methods A total of 80 patients with SIS were randomly assigned into care and experimental groups (40 in each group). After the baseline assessment routine physiotherapy was executed on both groups, while NM was applied additionally to experimental group. Pain and functional disability score were evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale and University of California at Los Angeles rating score at baseline, 5th and 11th week. Differences in outcome between groups were evaluated with clinical improvement. Results The experimental group compared with care group at 11th week had lower mean pain score 2.15(1.66–2.64) vs 4.90(4.41–5.40); between group difference, 1.82; 95% (CI), − 2.38 to − 1.25; P < 0.001 and Partial ƞ2 = 0.33, similarly functional disability score 28.58(27.32–29.83) vs 20.10(18.84–21.36); between group difference,5.62; 95%CI, (4.32–6.92); P< 0.001 and Partial ƞ2 = 0.49 respectively. In experimental group NM was a more effective technique to reduce the pain severity and disability in SIS patients as compare to care group. Conclusion Neuromobilization techniques in addition to routine physiotherapy were significantly effective for the treatment of SIS. Trial registration IRCT20190121042445N1 , Registered 19 February 2019.