3D Printed Lenses for Vertical Beam Collimation of Optical Phased Arrays.

This article presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of edge-coupled 1D optical phased arrays (OPAs) combined with collimating lenses. Our concept was tested with two OPAs having different collimation ranges. Both OPA designs have 3-μm waveguide spacing and the maximum beam steering range is about 30° based on wavelength tuning around 1550 nm.

Electronic and adsorption properties of halogen molecule X (X=F, Cl) adsorbed arsenene: First-principles study.

The geometry, electronic structure, and adsorption properties of halogen molecule X(X = F, Cl) on arsenene were investigated using first-principles calculations. The adsorption of molecules was considered at various sites and in various orientations on the pristine arsenene (p-As) surface. Both molecules show chemisorption and the crystal orbital Hamiltonian population (COHP) analysis reveals the formation of strong X-As bonds.

Association analysis of miRNA-146a and miRNA-196a polymorphism with breast cancer risk in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: a preliminary study.

Background: microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules, functioning either as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. SNPs in miRNAs might modify the expression of genes associated with miRNAs, enhancing susceptibility to breast cancer. Both miRNA-146a (rs2910164) and miRNA-196a (rs11614913) are identified and significantly associated with breast cancer risk in several ethnicities, but remains unexplored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population of Pakistan.

Bioactive, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of chemically fingerprinted essential oil extracted from : and investigations.

Innovative approaches are urgently required to treat divestating bacterial diseases in the face of rising bacterial resistance rates. The current investigative work focused on hydro-distilling Tasmanian blue gum () to isolate the essential oil, which was then tested for bioactivity, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity using and assays. The antioxidant activity was avualated against DPPH and FRAP.

Assessment of HER1 (rs11543848) and HER2 (rs1136201) polymorphism and their association with colorectal cancer susceptibility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a widespread malignancy characterized by uncontrolled growth in the colon or rectum and remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. Various genes polymorphisms have been linked with the risk of CRC, but our study aimed to investigate the association between HER1 (rs11543848) and HER2 (rs1136201) polymorphisms with the risk of CRC in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) population of Pakistan. The association of the selected polymorphisms (rs11543848 and rs1136201) with CRC risk has been investigated in various ethnic groups, but their impact remains unexplored in Pakistan, particularly within the KPK population, highlighting the need of the study in this region.

Multi-stakeholder perspective to generate evidence and strategies for sustainable management of ropes from the fishing sector of Norway.

Marine plastic pollution is a growing stressor affecting both marine and terrestrial life. Plastic polymers are widespread in oceans, including sparsely populated Nordic countries. Norway, a fishing-dominant region, faces substantial plastic pollution from fishing ropes, which often end up incinerated, landfilled, or lost in the ocean, contributing to the ghost fishing problem.

Comparison of 5% Phenol With Almond Oil Versus 15% Hypertonic Saline in Treatment of Pediatric Idiopathic Rectal Prolapse.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the frequency of recurrence with 5% phenol in almond oil versus 15% hypertonic saline for pediatric idiopathic rectal prolapse.

Methodology:  An open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Services Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, over a period of one year from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019. Altogether, 120 patients with idiopathic rectal prolapse were included in this study.

Dominance of Asia II 1 species of Bemisia tabaci in Pakistan and beyond.

Globally, Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is one of the most important insect pests of crops that causes huge economical losses. The current study was designed to exclusively screen the B. tabaci species in the cotton field of Pakistan during 2017-2020 and have to conduct comparative analysis of B.

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern dominate in Lahore, Pakistan in April 2021.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to expand globally, with case numbers rising in many areas of the world, including the Indian sub-continent. Pakistan has one of the world's largest populations, of over 200 million people and is experiencing a severe third wave of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 that began in March 2021. In Pakistan, during the third wave until now only 12 SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been collected and among these nine are from Islamabad.

Linum usitatissimum seed mucilage-alginate mucoadhesive microspheres of metformin HCl: Fabrication, characterization and evaluation.

This study investigates the fabrication, characterization and optimization of Linum usitatissimum mucilage (LSM) with sodium alginate mucoadhesive microspheres loaded metformin HCl, a sustained release dosage form prepared by ionic gelation technique. The effect of changing the polymer ratio with drug was studied for drug encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release for 12 h. Drug entrapment efficiency of all formulations was in the range of 77.

Comparative study of the genetic basis of nitrogen use efficiency in wild and cultivated barley.

To curb the increasing demand for nitrogenous fertilizers, it is imperative to develop new cultivars with comparatively greater nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Nonetheless, so far very meager information is available concerning the variances among barley ( L.) varieties for their response to nitrogen deprivation.

Successful Use of Deltopectoral Flap in Reconstruction of Defect Caused by Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Deltopectoral flap is a widely used flap in reconstruction surgery. A patient presented with extra-oral solitary swelling on the right lower jaw and an intra-oral exophytic growth located along the lower border of right mandibular jaw. Incisional biopsy was done which revealed moderately-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.

Order and disorder in the domain organization of the plasmid partition protein KorB.

The plasmid partition protein KorB has a dual role: it is essential for the correct segregation of the low copy number broad host range RK2 plasmid while also being an important regulator of transcription. KorB belongs to the ParB family of proteins, and partitioning in RK2 has been studied as a simplified model of bacterial chromosome segregation. Structural information on full-length ParB proteins is limited, mainly due to the inability to grow crystals suitable for diffraction studies.

A single aromatic residue in transcriptional repressor protein KorA is critical for cooperativity with its co-regulator KorB.

A central feature of broad host range IncP-1 plasmids is the set of regulatory circuits that tightly control plasmid core functions under steady-state conditions. Cooperativity between KorB and either KorA or TrbA repressor proteins is a key element of these circuits and deletion analysis has implicated the conserved C-terminal domain of KorA and TrbA in this interaction. By NMR we show that KorA and KorB interact directly and identify KorA amino acids that are affected on KorB binding.

Distribution of the partitioning protein KorB on the genome of IncP-1 plasmid RK2.

The ParB family partitioning protein, KorB, of plasmid RK2 is central to a regulatory network coordinating replication, maintenance and transfer genes. Previous immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that the majority of KorB is localized in plasmid foci. The 12 identified KorB binding sites on RK2 are differentiated by: position relative to promoters; binding strength; and cooperativity with other repressors and so the distribution of KorB may be sequestered around a sub-set of sites.