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BACKGROUND: Translation and validation of important scales in other languages reduce bias in reporting the functional status of the patient. OBJECTIVE: To translate the Back Pain Functional Scale into Urdu (BPFSu), adapt it for use in other cultures, and evaluate its psychometric properties. METHOD: According to Beaton guidelines, translation and cultural adaption was carried out. On 100 Urdu-literate men and women aged 18–60 years with lower back pain, the final BPFSu was assessed for psychometric qualities. First at baseline and again after 7 days, participants completed the BPFSu, the Functional Rating Index (FRI), and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). RESULTS: Internal consistency of the BPFSu was excellent (Cronbach's alpha: 0.937). No floor and ceiling effects were found Excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.882, CI 95%; 0.830–0.919) was achieved. Spearman correlation coefficient showed criterion validity with the NPRS (rho = â ⁢ ˆ ⁢ ’ 0.701, p ⩽ 0.001) and Pearson correlation coefficient showed construct validity with the FRI (r = â ⁢ ˆ ⁢ ’ 0.740, p ⩽ 0.001). The minimum detectable changes were 9.96, while the standard error of measurement was 3.6. CONCLUSION: The BPFSu is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing physical function in individuals experiencing low back discomfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop integrated management approaches for Pectinophora gossypiella, basic studies are crucial. The two-sex life table is the most important tool for describing the fitness and population parameters of both sexes (male and female) of an insect, while the traditional life table only explains the female sex of an insect. However, no study has reported on the biology of P. gossypiella using two-sex life table tools. Therefore, this study explains the rearing dynamics of P. gossypiella on a cotton seed-based artificial diet and a natural diet (mature cotton bolls). According to the results, the oviposition period of P. gossypiella was recorded to be longer on the artificial diet (9.07 ± 0.24) compared to the natural diet (7.40 ± 0.11). The total fecundity of P. gossypiella was greater on the artificial diet (125.94 ± 3.06) in comparison to the natural diet (60.37 ± 1.10). The population parameters, including intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, gross reproductive rate, and net reproductive rate of P. gossypiella were highest on the artificial diet in comparison to the natural diet. This study concluded that the cotton seed-based artificial diet was most suitable for the rearing of P. gossypiella. In the future, P. gossypiella may be studied in depth in light of the findings in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop integrated management approaches for Pectinophora gossypiella, basic studies are crucial. The two-sex life table is the most important tool for describing the fitness and population parameters of both sexes (male and female) of an insect, while the traditional life table only explains the female sex of an insect. However, no study has reported on the biology of P. gossypiella using two-sex life table tools. Therefore, this study explains the rearing dynamics of P. gossypiella on a cotton seed-based artificial diet and a natural diet (mature cotton bolls). According to the results, the oviposition period of P. gossypiella was recorded to be longer on the artificial diet (9.07 ± 0.24) compared to the natural diet (7.40 ± 0.11). The total fecundity of P. gossypiella was greater on the artificial diet (125.94 ± 3.06) in comparison to the natural diet (60.37 ± 1.10). The population parameters, including intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, gross reproductive rate, and net reproductive rate of P. gossypiella were highest on the artificial diet in comparison to the natural diet. This study concluded that the cotton seed-based artificial diet was most suitable for the rearing of P. gossypiella. In the future, P. gossypiella may be studied in depth in light of the findings in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Food safety is a crucial aspect of human well‐being, covered under the second sustainable development goal (SDG). Sustainable food supply chains must ensure compliance with food safety standards from farm to fork. Consumers in developed countries are becoming ever more demanding regarding 'producers' compliance with food safety and quality standards. Most food products ending up in high‐end markets come from developing countries, predominantly agricultural economies characterised by fragmented and smallholder farmers. Owing to enhanced agricultural exports, developing countries are struggling to implement or improve food safety standards. This study examines the link between the willingness of smallholder dairy farmers to adopt minimum food safety standards and the country's ability to export agri‐food products. Moreover, it investigates the role of farmer's supply chain learning and level of value addition in this relationship. A cross‐section of 260 smallholder dairy farmers was surveyed from four districts of the Punjab province in Pakistan through purposive sampling. The data were collected using a questionnaire using a 5‐point Likert scale to gauge 'farmers' responses. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We found significant mediation of supply chain learning and value addition between compliance with minimum food safety standards and the country's export potential. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on food safety by testing its relationship with a country's export potential and the factors affecting this relationship. Moreover, it provides food for thought for policymakers in food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop integrated management approaches for Pectinophora gossypiella, basic studies are crucial. The two-sex life table is the most important tool for describing the fitness and population parameters of both sexes (male and female) of an insect, while the traditional life table only explains the female sex of an insect. However, no study has reported on the biology of P. gossypiella using two-sex life table tools. Therefore, this study explains the rearing dynamics of P. gossypiella on a cotton seed-based artificial diet and a natural diet (mature cotton bolls). According to the results, the oviposition period of P. gossypiella was recorded to be longer on the artificial diet (9.07 ± 0.24) compared to the natural diet (7.40 ± 0.11). The total fecundity of P. gossypiella was greater on the artificial diet (125.94 ± 3.06) in comparison to the natural diet (60.37 ± 1.10). The population parameters, including intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, gross reproductive rate, and net reproductive rate of P. gossypiella were highest on the artificial diet in comparison to the natural diet. This study concluded that the cotton seed-based artificial diet was most suitable for the rearing of P. gossypiella. In the future, P. gossypiella may be studied in depth in light of the findings in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has posed a challenge to disease control efforts worldwide. This study explored the genomic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of SARS-CoV-2 variants reported in Pakistan. Our objective was to understand the transmission dynamics of different lineages within the country. We retrieved and analyzed spike protein sequences from Pakistan and compared them with reference sequences reported worldwide. Our analysis revealed the clustering of Pakistan-origin isolates in nine different clades representing different regions worldwide, suggesting the transmission of multiple lineages within the country. We found 96 PANGO lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in Pakistan, and 64 of these corresponded to 4 WHO-designated variants: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron. The most dominant variants in Pakistan were Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2, AY.108), and Omicron (BA.2.75, BA.5.2), and the N-terminal domain and receptor binding regions were the most hypervariable regions of the spike gene. Compared to the reference strain, characteristic substitutions were found in dominant variants. Our findings emphasize the importance of continuously monitoring and assessing nucleotide and residue substitutions over time to understand virus evolutionary trends better and devise effective disease control interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present highly stretchable polypyrrole (PPy)/polydimethylsiloxane strain sensors of highly improved sensitivity and durability fabricated by a chemical oxidative polymerization with oxygen plasma treatment (O2 PT). In this study, O2 PT was performed for 30, 60, and 90 s at each growth stage of the PPy film in three steps to investigate the effects on the sensor performance as well as the microstructural properties of the PPy films. Bonding characteristics with underlying layers and resistance to microcrack generation of the multi-layer PPy films under our given strained state were significantly enhanced by the O2 PT. The best sensor performance in terms of sensitivity and stability were achieved by PT for 30 s with a maximum gauge factor of ~438 at a uniaxial strain of 50%, excellent durability over 500 stretching/release cycles, and a fast response time of ~50 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Susceptibility of three grains types namely brown rice, white rice and wheat was evaluated against Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), Trogoderma granarium E. (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in terms of percent weight loss and survival of these pests under laboratory conditions. Six 4 g samples of three types of grains were weighed and placed in open plastic jars. For T. castaneum wheat flour was used instead of wheat grains. Fifteen adults of R. dominica and T. castaneum and 15 larvae for T. granarium were released separately into every six replicates for three different experiments in randomized complete block design. After 30 d, maximum percentage of weight loss by R. dominica was in wheat grains followed by in white rice and the minimum percent weight loss was in brown rice. T. granarium caused maximum percent weight loss in white rice followed by in wheat and minimum percent weight loss was in brown rice. T. castaneum caused maximum percent weight loss in wheat flour followed by its weight loss in white rice and minimum percent weight loss was in brown rice. Maximum survival percentage of all three species was recorded in grain hosts where these caused maximum percent weight loss. This study also investigated a common physico-morphic trait in these grains potentially causing resistance or susceptibility against these pests. Study of hardness revealed hardness was maximum in brown rice followed by in wheat and minimum was in white rice. Hardness was also elaborated through particle size distribution after grinding of grains. Correlation results between hardness and percent weight loss and survival of these pests revealed hardness in grains was negatively correlated with percent weight loss and population survival for these pests. This study concludes hardness an important factor which caused resistance in brown rice compared with other two grain types against these pests and therefore this study pinpoints the importance of this trait for use in developing grain types for integrated pest management of storage insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital idiopathic nystagmus (CIN) is an oculomotor disorder characterized by repetitive and rapid involuntary movement of the eye that usually develops in the first six months after birth. Unlike other forms of nystagmus, CIN is widely associated with mutations in the FRMD7 gene. This study involves the molecular genetic analysis of a consanguineous Pakistani family with individuals suffering from CIN to undermine any potential pathogenic mutations. Blood samples were taken from affected and normal individuals of the family. Genomic DNA was extracted using an in-organic method. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and analysis were performed to find any mutations in the causative gene. To validate the existence and co-segregation of the FRMD7 gene variant found using WES, sanger sequencing was also carried out using primers that targeted all of the FRMD7 coding exons. Additionally, the pathogenicity of the identified variant was assessed using different bioinformatic tools. The WES results identified a novel nonsense mutation in the FRMD7 (c.443T>A; p. Leu148 *) gene in affected individuals from the Pakistani family, with CIN resulting in a premature termination codon, further resulting in the formation of a destabilized protein structure that was incomplete. Co-segregation analysis revealed that affected males are hemizygous for the mutated allele c.443T>A; p. Leu148 * and the affected mother is heterozygous. Overall, such molecular genetic studies expand our current knowledge of the mutations associated with the FRMD7 gene in Pakistani families with CIN and significantly enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in genetic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of packaging materials namely polyethylene (PT), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) and three wheat varieties namely Galaxy-13, Aas-11 and Shafaq-06 when packaged in above mentioned packaging on damage to packaging and wheat by Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae). After 90 days the maximum numbers of scratches, holes, insect penetrations in packaging and weight loss of packaged wheat was in PT followed by PP and minimum was in PVC. Varieties effect though not significant, showed that these damages were relatively less due to wheat variety Aas-11. Microphotography after 90 days showed maximum mean width of openings in scratch damage in PT followed by PP and minimum in PVC. Although, width of openings in holes was maximum in PVC followed by PP and PT in descending order but both scratches and holes in PT and PP usually contained multiple other accompanying damages along with a major damage per each damage, while in PVC damage mostly was either a single opening or with minor small openings showing more susceptibility of PT and PP compared with PVC. These results show none of the packaging was completely resistant to attack by R. dominica, while variety Aas-11 was relatively less susceptible than the other two varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that are produced in a cell endogenously. They are made up of 18 to 26 nucleotides in strength. Due to their evolutionary conserved nature, most of the miRNAs provide a logical basis for the prediction of novel miRNAs and their clusters in plants such as sunflowers related to the Asteraceae family. In addition, they participate in different biological processes of plants, including cell signaling and metabolism, development, growth, and tolerance to (biotic and abiotic) stresses. In this study profiling, conservation and characterization of novel miRNA possessing conserved nature in various plants and their targets annotation in sunflower (Asteraceae) were obtained by using various computational tools and software. As a result, we looked at 152 microRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana that had already been predicted. Drought tolerance stress is mediated by these 152 non-coding RNAs. Following that, we used local alignment to predict novel microRNAs that were specific to Helianthus annuus. We used BLAST to do a local alignment, and we chose sequences with an identity of 80% to 100%. MIR156a, MIR164a, MIR165a, MIR170, MIR172a, MIR172b, MIR319a, MIR393a, MIR394a, MIR399a, MIR156h, and MIR414 are the new anticipated miRNAs. We used MFold to predict the secondary structure of new microRNAs. We used conservation analysis and phylogenetic analysis against a variety of organisms, including Gossypium hirsutum, H. annuus, A. thaliana, Triticum aestivum, Saccharum officinarum, Zea mays, Brassica napus, Solanum tuberosum, Solanum lycopersicum, and Oryza sativa, to determine the evolutionary history of these novel non-coding RNAs. Clustal W was used to analyze the evolutionary history of discovered miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious tourism is a pioneering form of tourism that began at the dawn of mankind. Pakistan has many sacred sites in every state and people from all over the world visit these places. Notably, the Sikh community has many sacred sites, relics and Shrines that many Indian national Sikhs visit to pay for their rituals. But the big hurdle was the Indian- Pakistan clashes and the toxic history both share. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister Imran Khan took the initiative of opening the Kartar Pur Corridor and allowing Sikh pilgrims to perform their holy rituals without a visa. Moreover, the country has more religious sites such as Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal where the Shrine of Guru Nanak has a holy stone. The stone is a sacred relic and has a story behind it. Around 2000 visitors come to Panja Sahib every festival. The pilgrims at Panja Sahib Shrine were studied as a sample for the study. This research studied that the Sikh community is satisfied with their religious tour experience and has responded positively to the efforts and developments made by Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To look for patients of sepsis with a qSOFA score of more than two and an association of a high qSOFA score with mortality and other socio-demographic factors. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Sialkot Pakistan, from Nov 2021 to May 2022. Methodology: All baseline and relevant investigations were carried out at the time of initial clinical assessment, and the qSOFA score was calculated by a consultant medical specialist for all the patients diagnosed with the septic condition. Patients were followed up for two weeks to look for mortality. Results: A total of 500 patients, managed for sepsis during the study period were included in the study. Of them, 298(59.6) were males, while 202(40.4) were females. Out of all the patients in the study, 379(75.8) had a qSOFA score of two or less than two, while 121(24.2) had a qSOFA score of more than two. Increased mortality, patients with more than 50 years and comorbid illnesses were found statistically significantly more in the group having a qSOFA score of more than two (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: Mortality was significantly high in patients with sepsis who had a qSOFA score greater than two at the time of initial assessment compared to those with a score of two or less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Wheat is commonly stored in bags in Asian countries, which include jute bags, woven plastic bags, and hermetic plastic bags. We evaluated these bags under laboratory conditions for external infestations caused by two serious pests of wheat. Considering all three bags, results showed that insects preferred to enter jute bags due to their loose fibers (termed as invasions), while no insects created holes or entered (penetrations) in woven plastic bags and hermetic plastic bags which had no such openings. In the second experiment, insects were released in jars with only two types of bags, namely woven plastic bags and hermetic plastic bags. In this case, insects created holes and penetrated into woven plastic bags but not into hermetic plastic bags. Both these experiments showed hermetic plastic bags remained safe from external infestations due to their thick and smooth plastic. The third experiment evaluated fumigation efficacy against all three bags for the pests already present in bags with grains. Results showed mortality was maximum in jute and woven plastic bags but negligible in hermetic plastic bags. The results of these experiments pinpointed deficiencies in all three bags for controlling insect infestations (external or internal) and demand alterations in these bags to successfully control such infestations. Bag storage of wheat is common in Asian countries, and common types of such bags include jute bags, woven plastic bags, and hermetic plastic bags. In order to assess infestation by two serious pests, namely Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in these bags, two experiments were performed. In the first experiment, three popular wheat varieties, namely Akbar, Dilkash, and Bakhar star were filled in above-mentioned miniature-size bags which were then placed in jars with three replicates per bag type and variety. Forty insects (adults for R. dominica and larvae for T. granarium) were released in the center of the jars for a period of 30 d in two different setups for both species. Data were recorded twice: after 15 d and 30 d. Results showed insects entered the jute bags only (made invasions due to its loose fibers and openings). Inside the bags, R. dominica caused more weight loss and live insects in Dilkash and Akbar varieties, while T. granarium preferred Bakhar star and Dilkash compared with their third variety. In the second experiment, only two bags, namely woven plastic bags and hermetic plastic bags filled with one variety, were tested to check damage (penetrations because no openings are present in these bags as in jute bags) to the bags. Results showed both species created holes in woven plastic bags but not in hermetic plastic bags. These results showed hermetic plastic bags remained safe from external infestation compared with the other two bags. Sometimes if insects are already present in the grains inside the bags, fumigation is needed from outside to kill the pests inside. To evaluate this, all three bags were filled with a wheat variety and were also infested with both insect species and placed in a fumigation container with nine replicates per bag type. A phosphine tablet (3.0 g) wrapped in muslin cloth was placed in a container which was then sealed, and the fumigation-induced mortality after 24 h was recorded. Results showed mortality was >95% to 100% in woven and jute bags, respectively, while mortality in hermetic plastic bags remained very low (<3%). These results revealed the least fumigant gas permeation in hermetic plastic bags compared with jute and woven plastic bags. Results of all three experiments demand immediate alteration in creation of all three bags to curtail infestation from outside (jute and woven plastic bags) as well as to generate maximum fumigation efficacy when the source of infestation is with the grains (hermetic bags). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of the crystalline state for seed layers (SLs) on the growth morphology and material characteristics for hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods (NRs). For this, preheating (PH) at different temperatures (100–300 °C) and O2 plasma treatment (PT) for 9 min were performed during the growth of SLs on p-Si by the aqueous solution-based method to provide the characteristic change on the NR growth platform. An improvement in material properties was achieved from the ZnO NRs grown on the SL crystals of enhanced crystalline quality in terms of the increased preferred orientation (002), the higher UV emission with suppressed deep-level emissions, the recovery of O/Zn stoichiometry, and the reduction of various intrinsic defects. Ultraviolet photodiodes of a p-Si/n-ZnO-NR structure fabricated under the SL conditions of O2 PT and PH at 100 °C showed a significantly enhanced on-off current ratio of ~90 at +5 V and faster photoresponse characteristics presenting a reduction in the fall time from 16 to 9 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated farmers’ decisions to adopt organic farming. It was first introduced by developed countries to minimize environmental impacts originated by intensive use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to enhance production yield. Although, organic farming offers environmentally sound methodologies for crop production, but Asian farmers are reluctant to adopt organic farming. In this study, a survival analysis (SA) was employed to determine the reasons for and the time is taken by farmers to adopt organic agriculture. This research studied the farmers’ goals, agricultural policies, and attitude towards risk, as covariates in the survival analysis. A multiple criteria decisionmaking method based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process was used to evaluate the farmers’ goals. Data were collected from agricultural farms located in three districts in Punjab, Pakistan. A questionnaire was used to collect empirical evidence. This study reported that the farmers’ goals were crucial to their acceptance of organic farming; furthermore, young farmers and farmers with risk-inclined attitudes were more prone to adopting organic farming. The study also determined that change in policy and introduce special package for organic agriculture can encouraged the adoption of organic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurobiology depicts the human brain as the organ of intellect. It has located in the brain the stations for cognition (e.g., sight and hearing) and for feelings and experience (e.g., pain, anger and face recognition). It has even sited in the brain the places involved in moral functions (e.g., judgement and lies). However, the locale of the self itself has escaped from it; so has the one assigned with ontological questions. The Quran invites its reader to seek knowledge and apply reason; however, it never introduces a term for the instrument of knowing, the brain. Instead, the intellectual roles are attributed to the heart and chest, a position that allows for a literal interpretation of these artefacts in the Book. The foundational objective of this work is to appraise this interpretation in the light of the lessons drawn from scientific studies. More than simply acknowledging the pre-knowledge of the Quran of some new scientific findings, this research seeks to re-appraise the meanings of the relevant Quranic ayahs in view of those findings. It reveals the literal significance of the terms 'heart' and 'chest' used in the Scripture but in a different context and also shows that Quranic depictions of neurobiological concepts are prescient. It finds the Quran furnishing a fuller picture of the intellect. It shows that a physical depiction of human intellect in the Quran is not only possible but indispensable. Importantly, this example yet again identifies the scope of the Quranic ayahs for fulfilling current multidisciplinary needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the impact of oxygen plasma treatment (O 2 PT) on the performance of polypyrrole (PPy)/polydimethylsiloxane strain sensors. Utilizing a three-step chemical oxidative polymerization method for PPy growth, we explore various durations of O 2 PT (0, 30, 60, and 90 s) during intermediate growth stages. Through analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we elucidate the relationship between O 2 PT, structural changes, and strain sensor performance. Sensor devices plasma-treated for 30 s exhibit exceptional characteristics: a gauge factor of 432 at 50% strain and a response time of 50 ms under quasi-step function strain variation from 0% to 1% in 40 ms. These results underscore the pivotal role of O 2 PT in enhancing the performance of PPy-based strain sensors, providing insights for advanced sensor design and fabrication techniques. [Display omitted] • A highly flexible strain sensor was fabricated by depositing multiple polypyrrole layers on PDMS under varying oxygen plasma treatments. • The multi-layered PPy/PDMS strain sensor exposed to 30 s O 2 PT exhibited superior performance. • A gauge factor of 432 was achieved in the strain range of 0 – 50%. • Transient response time of 50 ms was recorded under varying strain of 0 – 1%. • In depth XPS and FTIR analyses were conducted to understand the effect of O 2 PT on sensing performance of multi-layered PPy/PDMS strain sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waves with tailored shape and vectorial non-homogeneous polarization are of much interest due to the many prospects for relevant applications in the classical and quantum domains. Such vector beams can be generated naturally via conical diffraction in optically biaxial crystals. The recent strongly revived attention to this phenomenon is motivated by modern applications such as optical trapping, polarimetry or super-resolution imaging, partly enabled by new configurations increasing the beam complexity, like those with several crystals in cascade. However, up to now all beams generated by conical diffraction conserve at their sharpest plane the underlying circular shape connected with the planar section of light cones. Here we show that a proper manipulation in wave-vector space within a conical diffraction cascade produces vector beams with highly peculiar non-circular forms, leading to an interesting and reconfigurable platform for easily shaping all structured wave properties, increasing complexity and information content. The experimental observations are confirmed by numerical integration of a paraxial model incorporating the effects of the wave-vector space manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prevent the occurrence of localized necking, the concept of forming limit diagram is often used, thus playing an important role in sheet metal forming processes. The aim of the present study is to develop a numerical tool for the theoretical prediction of forming limit diagrams, which would be a cost-effective procedure as compared to experimental measurements. The proposed numerical tool is based on the Marciniak and Kuczyński imperfection approach combined with the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman damage model, which is implemented into the MATLAB program within the framework of plane-stress conditions. Forming limit diagrams have been predicted by assuming both geometric (thickness) as well as material initial imperfections in the Marciniak and Kuczyński imperfection approach. These forming limit diagrams, for different sizes of geometric or material imperfections, are also compared with the forming limit diagram obtained by using the bifurcation theory. It is shown that the bifurcation-based forming limit diagram provides an upper bound as compared to the Marciniak and Kuczyński imperfection approach predictions. The results also reveal that irrespective of the imperfection type considered in the Marciniak and Kuczyński imperfection approach, the corresponding forming limit diagram tends to that predicted by bifurcation theory when the size of initial imperfection tends to zero. Additionally, the predicted ductility limits are lowered as the magnitude of initial imperfection increases; however, the decrease in the ductility limits at balanced biaxial tension is more significant than for the other strain-path ratios. The results for the forming limit diagrams indicate that the predicted ductility limits are more sensitive to the initial imperfection in the thickness and the isotropic hardening coefficient as compared to the other types of material imperfections. Moreover, the initial imperfection in the critical porosity is the most influential one among the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman damage parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical rotations were cancelled during the start of the pandemic due to concerns about the students and their families contracting the virus and also for the protection of the vulnerable patients in hospitals. Covid-19 causes an unprecedented interruption to all students, however with courses such as Medicine, whereby a practical element is crucial, the adaptation to deliver the course effectively is more of a challenge. Summary Since the start of January 2019, COVID-19 has caused unparalleled disruption to all aspects of life globally, including the delivery of medical education. [Extracted from the article]

The complexes of Co (II), Ni (II), Cu (II) and 5, 8-dihydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone were prepared in an effective way of low cost and high yield using simple inexpensive catalyst (urea hydrogen peroxide) and a base t-BuOK. The polymetallic chelates of naphthazarin with cobalt (II), nickel (II) and copper (II), {[(C10H6O4)3 (Co)2 4H2O] 3H2O, [(C10H6O4)3 (Ni)2 4H2O]1½H2O, [(C10H6O4)3 (Cu)2] 4H2O} have been crystallographically defined and analysed applying the diffractograms data on the systems involved. The X-ray data helped settle on the cubic P lattices of all the polymetal chelates in preference to cubic F cubic I. The study further included the calculations on the interplaner spacing (dÅ), density, unit cell (aÅ) in which it had been found that dÅ gets decreased with increasing value of n. The (aÅ) for polycobalt chelate was the highest followed by polycopper and polynickel chelates, and the density values on these polymetal chelates assumed the similar order. The molecular weights of these chelate complexes show aligns with their formula weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that are produced in a cell endogenously. They are made up of 18 to 26 nucleotides in strength. Due to their evolutionary conserved nature, most of the miRNAs provide a logical basis for the prediction of novel miRNAs and their clusters in plants such as sunflowers related to the Asteraceae family. In addition, they participate in different biological processes of plants, including cell signaling and metabolism, development, growth, and tolerance to (biotic and abiotic) stresses. In this study profiling, conservation and characterization of novel miRNA possessing conserved nature in various plants and their targets annotation in sunflower (Asteraceae) were obtained by using various computational tools and software. As a result, we looked at 152 microRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana that had already been predicted. Drought tolerance stress is mediated by these 152 non-coding RNAs. Following that, we used local alignment to predict novel microRNAs that were specific to Helianthus annuus. We used BLAST to do a local alignment, and we chose sequences with an identity of 80% to 100%. MIR156a, MIR164a, MIR165a, MIR170, MIR172a, MIR172b, MIR319a, MIR393a, MIR394a, MIR399a, MIR156h, and MIR414 are the new anticipated miRNAs. We used MFold to predict the secondary structure of new microRNAs. We used conservation analysis and phylogenetic analysis against a variety of organisms, including Gossypium hirsutum, H. annuus, A. thaliana, Triticum aestivum, Saccharum officinarum, Zea mays, Brassica napus, Solanum tuberosum, Solanum lycopersicum, and Oryza sativa, to determine the evolutionary history of these novel non-coding RNAs. Clustal W was used to analyze the evolutionary history of discovered miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the implementation of blockchain technology in the Chinese food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines its advantages and challenges. This study uses an interpretive research strategy and theoretical framework to gather positive feedback on blockchain technology from the fresh vegetable food industry, online retailers, state-owned enterprises, the meat industry, the dairy industry, and retail stores. These findings highlight the potential benefits of blockchain, including enhanced efficiency, transparency, reliability, and traceability in the food supply chain. However, difficulties with labor data management, interoperability, data accuracy, financial constraints, and regulatory considerations have been identified. This study collects comprehensive data on labor management, standardized protocols, verification mechanisms, barrier-reduction efforts, and collaboration with stakeholders and regulators to address these challenges. This study aimed to create a more resilient and efficient food supply chain system by providing a roadmap for prioritizing improvements. The practical implications include risk management strategies, targeted support for farmers, and investments in sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for harnessing the potential of blockchain technology to strengthen the Chinese food supply chain amid crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, sulfur‐containing heterocyclic compounds also have a lot of significant applications. These sulfur heterocycles are mainly used as a core for the synthesis of different heterocyclic compounds with various biological applications. It also occupies a huge part of natural products. In this review, we focus on the thiones‐the analogous of ketones. Syntheses of thiones as well as their applications as biologically active compounds are discussed in great detail. We have considered seven different classes of thiones such as Benzimidazole thiones, Triazole thiones, Pyrimidine thiones, Thiadiazine thiones, Thiazoline thiones, Thiazolidine thiones, and Quinazoline thiones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equisetum diffusum was analysed for the presence of various phytochemicals and it had been found that the concerned plant is enriched with many phytochemicals with wide range of applications in daily life. In addition the plant was found to good antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergills Niger, Fusarium, Nigrospora oryzae. The concerned plant being anti fungal in nature is one of its best natures as least number of phytochemicals is antifungal in nature. In addition the plant extracts show antimicrobial activity against the concerned bacteria viz, E.coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella Typhi, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus licheniformis, Micrococcous luteus, Streptococcus mutans. The plant extracts show a good range of Rf values where a good number of phytochemicals are isolable with potential medicinal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To find out the outcomes of intra articular steroid injection in idiopathic adhesive capsulitis, in terms of pain control and functional activity. Methodology: This Quasi experimental study was conducted in the Department of Orthopedic and Spine, Hayatabad Medical Complex, from February 2019 to February 2020. All patients aged above 18 years of age, both genders, having a diagnosis of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis were included in this study. A total of 200 patients were included in the study. Sample size was calculated by Open-Epi. Their pre injection Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and Visual Analogue Score (VAS) were recorded. All patients received intra-articular corticosteroid injection. SPADI and VAS were recorded after 4 and 12 weeks. The baseline scores and those recorded at follow up after injection were compared. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Out of 200, 86 (43%) were female and 114 (57%) were male. The average age of our patients was 50.85 (±7.36). Their average pre injection SPADI was 79 (±6.4) while the average VAS was 6.5 (±0.9). Mean evaluation scores at 4th week of intra-articular corticosteroid injections were improved to SPADI 27.32 (±3.14) and VAS was 2.55 (±1.1) with a statistically significant p-value of 0.0001. At 12th week SPADI disability score was still consistent at 27 (±3) but their VAS score worsened to 6.1 (±0.86). Conclusion: Patients suffering from idiopathic adhesive capsulitis can benefit from intra-articular corticosteroid injection alone. The range of motion and functional ability in their diseased shoulder can get better till 12 weeks. Their pain, on other hand, will get better initially but later on it'll re-appear and would warrant re-evaluation and change in management plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the extent and pattern of damage in wheat caused by Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) over a period of 75 d. Damage parameters included numbers of damaged grains, their weight; numbers of undamaged grains, their weight; frass weight and percent weight loss. Results showed after 75 d, maximum damaged grains were 125.17 ± 22.88 by R. dominica followed 80.50 ± 6.91 by T. granarium and least were 20.00 ± 2.61 after 50 d by T. castaneum. For R. dominica and T. granarium damage to grains increased with time (P < 0.05) however for T. castenum damage decreased after 75 d (P > 0.05). Maximum percent weight loss was 7.02 ± 1.87 g by R. dominica followed by 2.89 ± 0.33 g by T. granarium and least 0.65 ± 0.08 g by T. castaneum. Maximum dead insects percentage was 82% after 25 d for R. dominica, 59.67 ± 3.44 for T. granarium after 50 d and 100.00 ± 0.00 for T. castenum after 50 or 75 d compared to other time periods (P < 0.05). Percent increase in population was recorded for T. granarium but not for other two species during 75 d period. Microphotography of damaged grains after 75 d to compare damage pattern showed R. dominica made circular holes (Fig. 1), T. granarium made irregular holes (Fig. 2) and T. castaneum made circular damage but it did not traverse grains (Fig. 3). Radius length of circular damage was more for T. castenum compared with for R. dominica (P < 0.05). Damage area was maximum by T. granarium followed by T. castenum and least by R. dominica while perimeter of damage was greatest by T. granarium followed by T. castenum and least by R. dominica (P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction in power loss while maintaining the acceptable voltage profile has become a challenge for distribution system operators due to expanded living standards. Properly sized shunt capacitors (SCs) allocated at suitable locations of the distribution system can enhance its performance by tackling the power quality issues and foster multiple technical and economic benefits. Most of the existing research work in this domain is accomplished at fixed loading conditions without incorporating purchasing, installation, operation and degradation costs of the SCs. In this work, an intelligent metaheuristic polar bear optimization algorithm (PBOA) is applied to solve the optimal capacitor placement and sizing problem in the radial distribution system (RDS) at various loading conditions. By formulating multiple objective functions for the annual operating cost (AOC), this work incorporates the cost of real power loss ( P loss ) and various costs associated with SCs. The proposed technique is tested on various IEEE standard bus systems under different loading conditions. The proposed PBOA reduces AOC and P loss of RDS while maintaining tolerable voltages at systems' buses. The reductions of 51%, 35%, 26% and 53% in P loss are observed for IEEE standard 15-, 33-, 34- and 85-bus systems, respectively, at 100% loading from their uncompensated cases. Similarly, reductions in AOCs for the same systems at 100% loading are 32%, 25%, 16% and 45%, respectively. These results prove superiority of proposed method over recent state-of-the-art algorithmic approaches. The results of this work can be useful for distribution system operators in achieving reliable and efficient operation of the power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of the hospital associated persons, particularly those dealing directly with insertion of devices, are serious cause of concern for hospitals. In this study, the most prevalent organism on the surface of medical devices in PICU were CoNS (16.66%) and Staphylococcus aureus (16.66%), while in NICU the most prevalent organism was Klebsiella spp. (11.25%) among Entero-bacteriaceae group followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (10%), Escherichia coli (2.5%), CoNS (6.25%), S. aureus (6.25%) and Enterococcus faecalis (6.25%). The most common species identified from blood specimen of clinical samples shows the maximum presence of Candida sp. (60/135) followed by A. baumannii (21/135), Klebsiella Pneumoniae (20/135), Enterococci (12/135), Burkholderia cepacia complex (8/135), S. aureus (6/135), E. coli (5/135), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3/135). Different antibiotics have been used against these micro-organisms; but Cotrimoxazole, Vancomycin have been found more effective against CoNS bacteria, Clindamycin, Tetracycline for S. aureus, Nitofurantoin for Acinetobacter, and for E. faecalis, A. baumanii, and Klebsiella, erythromycin, Colistin, and Ceftriaxone have been found more effective respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological distress is a generic term which refers to "feeling of emotional strain" that affects our normal mental and physical functioning. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychological distress perceived by the Pakistani students living in quarantine and to determine risk and protective factors, including knowledge of COVD-19, among this population. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from February to May 2020. Students enrolled at different colleges and universities of Pakistan participated in this survey. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is computed for comparing knowledge scores of participants having different levels of psychological distress. A total of 937 participants completed the survey questionnaire, with slightly more male respondents (60.6%) than female (39.4%). The average age of survey participants is 22.0 years (SD = 3.01), with majority (76.2%) belonging to urban areas. The mean COVID-19 knowledge score is 8.91 (SD = 1.69, range: 1-12), suggesting an overall 74.25% precision rate for this knowledge test for individual participant. The participants scored least knowledge regarding the disease transmission, showing a percentage correctness of only 40%. Majority of the participants (57.3%) are likely to be well, while others (42.7%) have shown symptoms of mental distress. The analysis reveals that participants with moderate mental distress (M = 8.81, SD = 2.37) and those with severe mental distress (M = 8.75, SD = 2.69) scored lower than participants who were likely to be well (M = 9.49, SD = 1.71). Our study concludes that a higher knowledge base regarding the disease will help to mitigate distress levels. Our study suggests that in order to deal with this pandemic effectively, the knowledge regarding COVID-19 should be properly conveyed to general public. It is need of the hour to address mental issues of the population aggressively along with providing awareness about COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coleus barbatus roots have been analysed for its phytochemical and antimicrobial properties. The roots extracts have shown the presence of many phytochemicals which have direct impact on the health of humans and other animals. The extracts have been analysed for the antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas fluorescein, and Kelebsiella pneumonia in which it had been found that few extracts have much more antimicrobial potential as compared to the standard drug. Also the root extracts suppress the growth of many fungi viz, Aspergillus flavs, Aspergillus parasiticus, Trichoderma rubrum, Microsporum gypseum. The ethanolic root extract by spectroscopic techniques, IR, NMR, Mass spectrometry, made available the presence of two compounds in the form of Froskolin and a pericyclic compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to its nontoxicity and better efficiency, low-temperature plasma (LTP) has been proposed to be a strong antibacterial agent against multidrug-resistant bactericidal pathogens. On the other hand, previously several food-borne pathogens were treated by chemically hazardous and least-efficient irradiation techniques. Because of its superior efficiency, in the current study, we implemented LTP protective mechanism against Escherichia coli (E.coli). In particular, we investigated the sterilization effects of plasma on the degradation of pure samples of E.coli strain ( 10 7 colony forming units) in the presence and absence of H 2 O 2 fumes. Interestingly, the proposed mechanism improved considerably the microbial reduction, inactivation efficiency and kill rate of the plasma-treated E.coli samples. The decrease in bactericidal cell viability was confirmed by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) quantification and membrane damage by protein leakage test. The reactive oxidants species (ROS) were explored via optical emission spectroscopy (OES). For the investigation of the surface characteristics, we carried out the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the plasma-treated nutrient media containing E.coli colonies. The reported results confirmed that low pressure and low temperature plasma can be a potential alternative for the degradation of multidrug-resistant E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Influence of natural and non-natural diets on the fitness and rearing of Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses an incorrect affiliation for one of the authors, Montaser M. Hassan. The correct affiliations for Montaser M. Hassan are the Department of Entomology, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and the Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Natural pathogen pressure is an important factor that shapes the host immune defense mechanism. The current study primarily aimed to explore the molecular basis of the natural immune defense mechanism of a sporadic pest, Gryllus bimaculatus, during swarming by constructing cDNA libraries of the female mid-gut, male mid-gut, testes, and ovaries. The Illumina HiSeq platform generated an average of 7.9 G, 11.77 G, 10.07 G, and 10.07 G bases of outputs from the male mid-gut, female mid-gut, testes, and ovaries and libraries, respectively. The transcriptome of two-spotted field crickets was assembled into 233,172 UniGenes, which yielded approximately 163.58 million reads. On the other hand, there were 43,055 genes in common that were shared among all the biological samples. Gene Ontology analysis successfully annotated 492 immune-related genes, which comprised mainly Pattern Recognition Receptors (62 genes), Signal modulators (57 genes), Signal transduction (214 genes), Effectors (36 genes), and another immune-related 123 genes. In summary, the identified wide range of immune-related genes from G. bimaculatus indicates the existence of a sophisticated and specialized broad spectrum immune mechanism against invading pathogens, which provides, for the first time, insights into the molecular mechanism of disease resistance among two-spotted field crickets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on HbA1c in individuals with pre-diabetes Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was executed in department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi in collaboration with Chemical Pathology department, Army Medical College and Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2019. Methodology: One hundred and forty individuals with pre-diabetes and co-existing hypovitaminosis D3 were selected, with serum 25(OH) D (<50 nmol/L) and elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (5.7-6.4%). Individuals were randomly assigned to receive 2000000 IU of vitamin D3 (Vit D3; n=70) or placebo (n=70) one stat at the beginning of study and one after one month. The primary outcome was amelioration of HbA1c. Results of HbA1c and vitamin D3 were compared after completion of study with the initial values. Results: A considerable inverse association was found between vitamin D3 and HbA1c in individuals with prediabetes. Median with inter-quartile range of baseline serum 25(OH) D3 was 43 and 41 nmol/L in the Vitamin D3 and placebo group, respectively. Post treatment serum 25(OH) D3 was significantly increased to 54nmol/L (p<0.0001) in the Vitamin D3 group. HbA1c level was decreased in the vitamin D3 group. Conclusion: This study evaluated the correlation between vitamin D3 in individuals with pre-diabetes. A statistically significant improvement in Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was observed in the patients selected in the pre-diabetic range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health issues regarding pediatric persons with liver disease are discussed. Considerable research has been accomplished with respect to liver transplantation that includes the key issue of medical adherence; considerations in this regard include psychological factors influencing adherence, identifying barriers to adherence, interventions to improve adherence, transition of care and adherence, measuring medical adherence, and the importance of preoperative psychological screening. Issues of post-operative neuropsychological outcomes and hepatic encephalopathy are also reviewed. Cognitive dysfunction in those with liver disease and liver transplantation is also considered as well as such concerns as medical trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Finally, mental health issues are also presented regarding children with Wilson's disease and hepatitis C virus infection as well as metabolic side-effects of psychotropic medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem end rot (SER) is a fungal disease complex that poses a major threat to the delivery of quality mangoes from Pakistan to export markets. The dynamics of this disease remain unclear but must be elucidated so that effectiveness of disease management can be improved. The present study sought to describe the infection process and delineate a disease cycle of SER under Pakistani growing conditions. Our study discovered three possible routes of infection that could lead to SER: 1) infection at bloom stage; 2) the pathogen may be endophytic within the twigs and branches; and 3) airborne spores of the pathogen invade the pedicels and xylem and then grow into the ripening fruit. Culturing of symptomatic samples from selected orchards revealed colonization by five fungal pathogens, of which Lasiodiplodia theobromae was most prevalent. A pathogenicity assay revealed that all five pathogens were pathogenic to mango fruit when inoculated artificially. The efficacy of fungicides - Cabrio Top®, Nativo®, Scholar®, Tecto®, Amistar®, and Sportak® at several concentrations was evaluated against SER pathogens in vitro and in vivo. Results indicated that Nativo®, and Cabrio Top®, at 250 µg/mL provided statistically significant suppression of mycelial growth and SER development as compared to other tested fungicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the gaps in knowledge of medical ethics among undergraduates. Study Design: An observational cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at CMH Lahore medical College, from Aug 2017 to Mar 2018. Methodology: Students from 3rd to 5th year MBBS were included in this study. Sample size calculated was 272, non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used. To collect the data, a 25 item questionnaire was developed following An International Association for Medical Education (AMEE) guide line number 87. Five point likert scale was used as well as categorical yes/no questions were asked to assess the responses. Results: Data were collected from 3rd year to 5th year MBBS undergraduates. Response rate was 82.72%. There was almost equal gender distribution; 51.1 % were male and 48.9% were female. Most of the respondents, 95.6% and 95.1% were of the view that medical ethics are important and should be taught at undergraduate level respectively. Majority 72.4% said Hippocrates declaration oath was not taught adequately. Only 42% and 46% were aware of medical ethics regarding publication and organ transplant respectively. Total score was calculated which showed that knowledge of medical ethics was highest among 3rd year and lowest among 4th year medical students. Conclusion: Important ethical issues are being neglected in our current curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical insight into the thermodynamic, structural, electronic and optical properties of SrZr 1-x Ce x O 3 (x = 0, 0.037 and 0.125) ceramics is presented using DFT calculations for predicting their potential applications as photocatalysts. The stable incorporation of Ce4+ dopant at Zr site of SrZrO 3 is examined in terms of enthalpies of formation and defect formation energies using valid limits of atomic chemical potentials of the species involved in substitutional doping. Our results indicate expansion in the SrZrO 3 lattice and decrease of band gap with increasing cerium doping concentration. Significant differences are observed in the electronic and optical properties of SrZr 1-x Ce x O 3 ceramics due to different nature of unoccupied Ce- 4f states above the Femi level when cerium doping concentration increases from x = 0.037 to x = 0.125. Inclusion of the spin-orbit coupling in our DFT calculations are found to cause splitting of the unoccupied Ce- 4f states above Fermi level for high concentration of doping. The trends observed in the structural and electronic properties of SrZr 1-x Ce x O 3 ceramics with increasing cerium doping concentration are found to be qualitatively similar for calculations performed without and with the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling. We show that the near UV absorption of SrZrO 3 can be considerably enhanced by increasing cerium doping concentration beyond x = 0.037; making Ce4+ doped SrZrO 3 potential heterogeneous photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the gastroprotective effect of montelukast on aspirin induced gastric mucosal ulceration in rabbits. Study Design: Laboratory based quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: National Institute of Health Islamabad and department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in collaboration with Histopathology department at Army Medical College Rawalpindi from March to May 2018. Methodology: Twenty eight New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups as follows: Group 1 was normal control group, group 2 received aspirin as a single dose of 300mg/kg orally on day 6 of the study, group 3 and 4 received omeprazole and montelukast respectively on a similar dosing schedule: where a total of 10mg/kg/day of each respective drug was administered orally for 6 consecutive days followed by a single oral dose of 300 mg/kg of aspirin after 1 hour of the last dose. All animals were sacrificed 5 hours after aspirin administration. The abdomens were dissected and the gastric tissues were excised for macroscopic, ulcer index and pH evaluation and were sent for histopathology for microscopic assessment. Results: Moderate to severe gastric mucosal damage (grade II-III) was seen in the aspirin treated toxic group, with considerable increase in ulcer index and decrease in pH (p<0.001). Montelukast significantly ameliorated the gastric mucosal ulceration as evident by substantial decrease in ulcer index (UI), increase in pH, gross and histoarchitecture findings with preventive index of 51.36% closed to the percentage protection of standard antiulcer drug omeprazole. Conclusions: Montelukast has anti-ulcerogenic gastroprotective effect on microscopic, macroscopic and biochemical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated 4 types of plastic packaging containing whole wheat grains for damage to packaging in the form of scratches (damage through which insects cannot enter packages), holes (damage through which insects can enter packages), and penetrations (insects entering the packaging through holes) by Trogoderma granarium (Everts) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) during the third and fourth instars. The plastic packaging used in this study was opaque polyethylene (high density), polypropylene, transparent polyethylene (low density), and polyvinylchloride with thicknesses of 0.021, 0.023, 0.026, and 0.036 mm, respectively. After 90 d, damage (scratches) was common with polypropylene and transparent polyethylene packaging, less so with opaque polyethylene, and no damage was found with polyvinylchloride packaging. Holes were more frequent in polypropylene, followed by opaque polyethylene, but none in the other forms of packaging. Insect penetrations were more frequent in opaque polyethylene, followed by polypropylene, but none in other forms of packaging. We also determined the number of damaged grains, weight of damaged grains, number of undamaged grains, weight of undamaged grains, weight of frass, and percent weight loss of grains caused by insects in the aforementioned types of packaging, and compared this with a fifth treatment consisting of open (unpackaged) grains infested by T. granarium larvae. We found that there was more damage to grain, greater weight loss of damaged grain, greater weight of frass, and higher percentage of weight loss of grains in unpackaged wheat, followed by opaque polyethylene and polypropylene, but not in transparent polyethylene or polyvinylchloride packaging. Microphotography after 90 d to measure the lengths of openings showed the maximum lengths in scratches and holes in opaque polyethylene, followed by polypropylene, although scratches in transparent polyethylene did not have openings for measurement. Following this, the types of packaging that were resistant to damage, i.e., transparent polyethylene and polyvinylchloride, were evaluated further for phosphine fumigation efficacy in terms of mortality of T. granarium. Fumigation results showed that in 24 h more larval mortality occurred in transparent polyethylene than in polyvinyl chloride, making transparent polyethylene overall a better foodstuff packaging material for protection from T. granarium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysoidine is a type of industrial azo dye and a well-known toxicant. Due to its good dyeing characteristics, it is widely used for dyeing leather, paper, feather, grass, wood, bamboo, etc. Hence, it is very important to remove or reduce its concentration below the contamination level in the waste line by using low-cost technologies. Sawdust is a plentiful material available very cheaply from sawmills and woodworks. Therefore, the present work was conducted to study sorption ability of both raw sawdust and chemically activated sawdust carbon on the removal of chrysoidine from the aqueous solutions. Adsorption isotherms of the dye on sawdust were determined and correlated with usual isotherm equations like Freundlich and Langmuir. Experimental results have shown that sawdust has a high adsorption efficiency, and the adsorption of chrysoidine followed Freundlich's isotherm. Although raw sawdust proved to be slightly less efficient in comparison to chemically treated sawdust but in economic terms, raw sawdust is more cost-effective as the difference in the percent dye removal is less than the difference in the manufacturing costs. The influence of several parameters such as effect of temperature, adsorbent dose, adsorption time, etc., on the adsorption process was studied along with thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the quantitative comparison of handgrip strength between cardiac patients and age matched healthy controls using a handheld dynamometer. METHODS: This quantitative comparison cross-sectional study was th conducted at University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore from 17, th October 2017 to 5 February 2018. Twenty cardiac and twenty age matched healthy participants were selected using consecutive (non-probability) sampling technique. After approval from ethical committee, data was collected using questionnaire. Measurements were taken of grip strength of both hands by using Jammer Dynamometer. This method was repeated three times in order to obtain mean value of both hands. RESULTS: In this study 40 subjects were studied with mean age of the participants as 62.08±7.63years. Among them 23(57.5%) were male and 17(42.5%) were female. Mean age of males were 65±7.37years whereas mean age of females were 64.11±7.75years. Out of twenty cardiac patients, 12(60%) male and 5 (25%) female were suffering from myocardial infarction, 3(15%) female had angina. Twenty participants of age-matched healthy individual group included 11 (55%) males and 9 (45%) females. In quantitative comparison of the dominant handgrip strength of cardiac patients (54.28 ± 27.75) and age matched healthy control (74.78±30.33) there was noteworthy difference in mean values of both groups with significant p-value of 0.032 whereas in the strength of non-dominant hand grip in cardiac patients (54.11±26.46) and age matched healthy control (71.03±29.25), no significant difference was recorded. CONCLUSION: Grip strength of dominant hand is less in cardiac patients as compared to healthy normal individual with significant relationship whereas there is no significant difference among non-dominant hand strength in both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture practices are considered a profitable business and are gaining popularity in Pakistan. Small farmers produce a sizeable amount of fish. The fish waste removed at the farm level and/or fishermen's end is utilized with low economic return. Fish waste produced at the farm level generally is causing environmental pollution as well. A very small amount of fish waste is used to extract the oil using crude heating technology, which is unacceptable, uneconomical, and unhygienic. Extracted oil from wastes of aquatic resources is used as raw material for production of biodiesel around the world. In view of this scenario, a study was conducted to design and develop an indigenous small-scale fishoil extraction unit. A batch-type oil extraction unit is designed in this study, which further evaluated the performance of the developed unit. The extraction unit consists of a crusher, cooker, and centrifuge system. The crusher and centrifuge system were equipped with 2 hp and 1 hp electric motors, respectively. The motor has a revolution capacity of about 1,450 rpm. A double jacket fully water-filled system is proposed with an agitator installed in the cooker. A 1 hp electric motor was provided to operate an agitator at 40 rmp. The centrifuge unit has a double screening mechanism. The extraction unit is tested at a small fish farm near Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan. The fish oil is successfully separated from fish wastes with the help of a newly designed small-scale oil extraction unit. The tests showed that 90 minutes is required to process one batch of fish waste. The extraction unit has the capacity to process 15-20 kg of fish waste in a single batch. Research for producing bio-fuels from extracted fish oil is at its initial stages and there is a substantial need for further research to study the other economic issues related to bio-fuels and evaluate the oil extraction unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crowd phenomenon frequently occurs in dense urban living environments. Crowd counting or estimation helps to develop management strategies such as designing safe public places and evacuation plan for emergencies. These strategies are different depending upon the type of event such as political and public demonstrations, sports, and religious events. However, estimating the number of people in crowds at closed or open environments is quite challenging because of the dynamics involved in the process. In addition, crowd estimation itself poses challenges due to randomness in crowd behavior, motion, and an area’s geometric specifications. Crowd behavior as well as the area parameters is studied before suggesting any possible technological solution for managing a crowd. This article presents a theoretical understanding of the major crowd size estimation approaches that cannot be achieved through the study of existing survey papers in this area, because the existing survey papers focus on particular technologies/specific areas with no or brief description of the involved steps. Besides, this article also highlights the strength and weakness of crowd size estimation solutions and their possible applications. It is, therefore, believed that the provided information would assist in developing an intelligent system for crowd management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]