Influence of different priming treatments on germination potential and seedling establishment of four important hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars.

Medicinal hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is gaining popularity due to its natural products with potential therapeutic properties, and its cultivation has recently been initiated in developing countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan. The crop is primarily grown using feminized seeds or popular varieties to achieve higher cannabidiol (CBD) yields, with seeds costing approximately $5-10 each.

Advancing neutron imaging techniques to highest resolution with fluorescent nuclear track detectors.

Neutron imaging is a nondestructive and noninvasive inspection technique with a wide range of potential applications. However, the fundamentals of this technique still need to be improved, one of which involves achieving micrometer scale or even better resolution, which is a challenging task. Recently, a high-resolution neutron imaging device based on fine-grained nuclear emulsions was developed.

Breather, lump and other wave profiles for the nonlinear Rosenau equation arising in physical systems.

This work explores the mathematical technique known as the Hirota bilinear transformation to investigate different wave behaviors of the nonlinear Rosenau equation, which is fundamental in the study of wave occurrences in a variety of physical systems such as fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and materials science, where nonlinear dynamics and dispersion offer significant functions. This equation was suggested to describe the dynamic behaviour of dense discrete systems. We use Mathematica to investigate these wave patterns and obtained variety of wave behaviors, such as M-shaped waves, mixed waves, multiple wave forms, periodic lumps, periodic cross kinks, bright and dark breathers, and kinks and anti-kinks.

A higher infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii in soft ticks infesting domestic hens: A novel report from Pakistan.

Ticks are the second most important hematophagous ectoparasites after mosquitoes and serve as vectors for various pathogens, transmitting them to wild and domestic animals, as well as humans. Argas persicus are the soft ticks that are known to parasitize domestic poultry. Hard ticks are known to be the reservoir of Toxoplasma (T.

Taxonomic identification and prevalence of hard ticks on different breeds of sheep from district Quetta in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Ticks, being ectoparasites, are vectors for the transmission of various pathogens that can infect animals and can also pose a significant threat to human health. Due to hot and humid climatic conditions across different agro-ecological regions of Pakistan, ticks are widespread and infest a diverse range of animal species. This study aimed for taxonomic identification and prevalence determination of ticks in sheep collected from four different marketplaces in the Quetta district of Balochistan.

Degradation of fenamates.

Fenamates are the most crucial non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used to treat pain-related diseases. The clinically prescribed drugs of the fenamate group include mefenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, meclofenamic acid, flufenamic acid, and niflumic acid. Due to their widespread use, all these drugs are considered as the most common water and sewerage pollutants.

Cyclodextrins and their applications in pharmaceutical and related fields.

This chapter presents an overall account of cyclodextrins (CDs) with a brief description of the history, classification, and properties of these macromolecules. CDs act as complexing agents for drugs to form CD-drug inclusion complexes by various techniques. These complexes lead to the modification of the physicochemical properties of drugs to make them more soluble, chemically, and photochemically stable, and less toxic.

Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Effect of one prophylactic dose of Azithromycin on Bifidobacterium infantis colonization in infants from the Mumta Trial.

Objectives: The effects of antibiotics on the microbiome remain incompletely understood. Azithromycin (AZ) has been shown to improve child survival and infant growth outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of AZ on B.

Exploring Serotonin-1A receptor function in the effects of buspirone on cognition by molecular receptor expression and EEG analytical studies.

Buspirone, a commonly prescribed medication for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), is gaining attention for its narrow window of side effects such as lack of physical dependence, non-sedative properties as compared to other anxiolytic drugs. Its dose-specific therapeutic effects beyond anxiety highlights its clinical significance. Pharmacologically, buspirone activates serotonin-1A pre-synaptic autoreceptors and post-synaptic heteroreceptors which modulate serotonergic neurotransmission induced behavioral changes such as anxiolytic and nootropic effects.

A global review on perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the riverine systems: Environmental behaviours and risks implications.

This review provides a comprehensive global overview of the occurrences, distribution, emissions, and associated risks of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in riverine systems across both developed and developing countries including the United States (US), Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Pakistan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Italy, and Japan. Data for this review were systematically gathered through a comprehensive and structured search process using various databases, search engines, and academic repositories to identify relevant literature and studies. Human health risks were assessed using recommended United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) models, including estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard risk (HR), and hazard index (HI) for each reported PFAA compound in the studied countries.

Risk Factors for Delayed (>30 Days) Readmission Following Rectal Cancer Surgery.

Introduction: Unplanned, delayed readmissions (>30 ds) following oncologic surgeries can increase mortality and care costs and affect hospital quality indices. However, there is a dearth of literature on rectal cancer surgery. Hence, we aimed to assess the risk factors associated with delayed readmissions following rectal cancer surgery to improve targeted interventions, patient outcomes, and quality indices.

Analysis of seroprevalence and risk factors for syphilis and HIV among female sex workers and transgender individuals in different cities of Sindh, Pakistan.

Introduction: Co-infections of syphilis and HIV have been found to exacerbate the impact on sexual and reproductive health, especially among key population groups such as Female Sex Workers (FSWs) and Transgender Individuals (TGs). The data on the prevalence and determinants of syphilis and HIV in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh province, is limited. This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for HIV and syphilis infections among FSWs and TGs in different cities of Sindh, Pakistan.

Demographics and regional trends of ischemic heart disease-related mortality in older adults in the United States, 1999-2020.

Background: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) has a significant impact on public health and healthcare expenditures in the United States (US).

Methods: We used data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999-2020 to identify trends in the IHD-related mortality of patients ≥ 75 years in the US. AAMRs per 100,000 population and APC were calculated and categorized by year, sex, race, and geographic divisions.

The green response of financial inclusion, infrastructure development and renewable energy to the environmental sustainability: A newly evidence from OECD economies.

Recently, economic environmental degradation is being considered a leading chellenge in forefront of policy analysts. Thus, the present study introduces core environmental determinants such as infrastructure development, finacail inclusion, gross domestic product, population, and renewable energy consumption. Financial inclusion (FI) is crucial for attaining a environment.

Development and nutritional evaluation of pomegranate peel enriched bars.

Pomegranate peel powder is used as a functional ingredient in the development of nutritional bars. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is well known fruit belongs to punicaceae family having multiple health benefits, not only limited to its edible parts but also in its non-edible parts mostly the peel. Fruit wastes are rich source of nutrients, and can be used for the development of functional food products.

Realist evaluation of the AKU-SONAM mentorship program.

Background & Objectives: The context, mechanism, and outcome (CMO) framework is meant to identify specific contextual factors (C) related to organizational and program structure that trigger certain mechanisms (M) involving the unique characteristics of a program, leading to specific outcomes (O). The purpose of this study was to explore the contextual underpinnings, operational processes, and resultant effects of the faculty mentorship program at AKU-SONAM. This exploration involved the context in terms of organizational culture, mechanisms examining processes such as communication between mentors and mentees, quality of relationships, the challenges encountered, and the program's adaptability to cope up while, outcomes encompassed improvements in interpersonal relationships, career advancement, and skill development.

Pedestrian POSE estimation using multi-branched deep learning pose net.

In human activity-recognition scenarios, including head and entire body pose and orientations, recognizing the pose and direction of a pedestrian is considered a complex problem. A person may be traveling in one sideway while focusing his attention on another side. It is occasionally desirable to analyze such orientation estimates using computer-vision tools for automated analysis of pedestrian behavior and intention.

Trace elements in fish species from the Punjnad headworks: Bioaccumulation and human health risk assessment.

Aquatic toxicology, as a result of industrial and agrieqcultural effluences, has become a global concern impacting not only the well-being of aquatic organisms but human health as well. The current study evaluated the impact of four toxic trace elements (TTEs) Cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) in three organs (liver, gills, and muscles) of five fish species viz, Rita rita, Sperata sarwari, Wallago attu, Mastacembelus armatus, and Cirrhinus mrigala collected from right and left banks of Punjnad headworks during winter, spring, and summer. We investigated the accumulation (mg/kg) of these TTEs in fish in addition to the human health risk assessment.

Low-resource MobileBERT for emotion recognition in imbalanced text datasets mitigating challenges with limited resources.

Modern dialogue systems rely on emotion recognition in conversation (ERC) as a core element enabling empathetic and human-like interactions. However, the weak correlation between emotions and semantics poses significant challenges to emotion recognition in dialogue. Semantically similar utterances can express different types of emotions, depending on the context or speaker.

Computational design of multi-epitope vaccine against Hepatitis C Virus infection using immunoinformatics techniques.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a blood borne pathogen that affects around 200 million individuals worldwide. Immunizations against the Hepatitis C Virus are intended to enhance T-cell responses and have been identified as a crucial component of successful antiviral therapy. Nevertheless, attempts to mediate clinically relevant anti-HCV activity in people have mainly failed, despite the vaccines present satisfactory progress.

Unveiling diabetes onset: Optimized XGBoost with Bayesian optimization for enhanced prediction.

Diabetes, a chronic condition affecting millions worldwide, necessitates early intervention to prevent severe complications. While accurately predicting diabetes onset or progression remains challenging due to complex and imbalanced datasets, recent advancements in machine learning offer potential solutions. Traditional prediction models, often limited by default parameters, have been superseded by more sophisticated approaches.

Design of Carbon Materials with Selective Ion Separation in Capacitive Deionisation and Their Applications.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly desalination technology that has garnered significant attention in recent years. Carbon materials, owing to their excellent properties, have become the preferred electrode materials for CDI. Given the significant differences between different ions, ion-selective performance has emerged as a critical aspect of CDI applications.

Enzymatic Antioxidants and Their Differential Response to Cryopreservation in Japanese Quail Semen.

A triad of enzymatic antioxidants viz., catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) constitutes a first line of defence against any redox imbalances in the semen. Cryopreservation enabling long term storage of semen also prompts generation of surplus reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells with waned antioxidants, hampering the full exploitation of this process.

Development of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides Based on Genomic Analysis of Streptococcus salivarius.

Background: In the oral environment, the production of bacteriocins or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by impeding the proliferation of closely related microorganisms. This study aims to conduct in silico genome screening of Streptococcus salivarius to identify potential antimicrobial compounds existing as hypothetical peptides, with the goal of developing novel synthetic antimicrobial peptides.

Methods: Draft genomes of various oral Streptococcus salivarius strains were obtained from the NCBI database and subjected to analysis using bioinformatic tools, viz.