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Abstract There is a growing interest in standardizing the biocompatible, cost‐effective, and eco‐friendly manufacturing techniques for metallic nanostructures due to their widespread applications in the industrial and medical sectors. In recent decades, green synthesis has been proven as the most suitable technique for synthesizing metal nanoparticles. The present research study investigates the use of Cassia angustifolia (senna) leaves and Pistacia vera (Pistachio) nuts to prepare crude aqueous extracts, ethanolic extracts, and biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The prepared aqueous extracts were used as reducing, stabilizing, and capping agents for the production of silver nanoparticles. These AgNPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. The outcomes validated the formation of stable AgNPs with bioactive functional components. In vitro antibacterial, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant potentials were assessed by Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion test, MIC test, MBC test, MTT assay, BSA denaturation inhibition assay, and DPPH antioxidant assay, respectively. Results confirmed that the tested plant extract possesses a variety of bioactive compounds with various biological activities and is therapeutically effective. These findings verified that C. angustifolia and P. vera are promising bioresources for the synthesis of therapeutic extracts and nanostructures with commendable therapeutic potency.

The adaptive versions of charting tools are well-established statistical monitoring techniques for detecting unknown changes in the process over a range of shifts. A re-weighted adaptive CUSUM mean (RACUSUM) charting scheme has been proposed in this study for monitoring the range of shifts. The proposed RACUSUM statistic estimates the unknown changes in the ongoing process using an EWMA statistic by plugging in an unbiased shift estimator and choosing a suitable smoothing constant according to the estimated shift to update the slack value of the CUSUM statistic. By employing Monte Carlo simulation using the zero- and steady-state processes, the proposal’s run-length (RL) profiles have been calculated. The proposed RACUSUM chart shows more sensitive behavior under the shift delay process than in the case of zero-state. A comparative analysis between the proposal and competitors has been presented using average RL, extra quadratic loss (EQL), and the relative mean index (RMI) as metrics for 1-sided and 2-sided charting schemes. The robustness of the proposed 2-sided RACUSUM chart against non-normality has also been reported. The proposal’s applicability has been demonstrated using two cases, one from the artificial and the other from a dataset of piston ring manufacturing industrial process.

Abstract This study aims to explore the precise resolution of the nonlinear Benjamin Bona Mahony Burgers (BBMB) equation, which finds application in a variety of nonlinear scientific disciplines including fluid dynamics, shock generation, wave transmission, and soliton theory. Within this paper, we employ two versatile methodologies, specifically the extended $$\exp (-\Psi (\chi ))$$ exp ( - Ψ ( χ ) ) expansion technique and the novel Kudryashov method, to identify the exact soliton solutions of the nonlinear BBMB equation. The solutions we discovered involve trigonometric functions, hyperbolic functions, and rational functions. The uniqueness of this research lies in uncovering the bright soliton, kink wave solution, and periodic wave solution, and conducting stability analysis. Furthermore, the solutions’ graphical characteristics were explored through the utilization of the mathematical software Maple 2022 ( https://maplesoft.com/downloads/selectplatform.aspx?hash=61ab59890f2313b2241fde3423fd975e ). The system’s physical interpretation is defined through various types of graphs, including contour graphs, 3D-surface graphs, and line graphs, which use appropriate parameter values. These recommended techniques hold significant importance and are applicable in diverse nonlinear evolutionary equations found in the field of nonlinear sciences for illustrating nonlinear physical models.

Abstract This research conducts a detailed analysis of a nonlinear mathematical model representing COVID-19, incorporating both environmental factors and social distancing measures. It thoroughly analyzes the model’s equilibrium points, computes the basic reproductive rate, and evaluates the stability of the model at disease-free and endemic equilibrium states, both locally and globally. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is carried out. The study develops a sophisticated stability theory, primarily focusing on the characteristics of the Volterra–Lyapunov (V–L) matrices method. To understand the dynamic behavior of COVID-19, numerical simulations are essential. For this purpose, the study employs a robust numerical technique known as the non-standard finite difference (NSFD) method, introduced by Mickens. Various results are visually presented through graphical representations across different parameter values to illustrate the impact of environmental factors and social distancing measures.

Abstract Background Dengue Viral Infection (DVI) has become endemic in Pakistan since the first major outbreak in Karachi in 1996. Despite aggressive measures taken by relevant authorities, Pakistan has been dealing with a worsening dengue crisis for the past two decades. DHF is severe form of dengue infection which is linked with significant morbidity and mortality. Early identification of severe dengue infections can reduce the morbidity and mortality. In this context we planned current study in which we find out the different factors related with DHF as well as clinical laboratory features of DHF and compare them to DF so that patients can be best evaluated for DHF and managed accordingly at admission. Methods Retrospective study conducted over a period of 6 years (2013–2018) in two tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Data were collected by using a pre-structured data collection form. Data were statistically analyzed to determine the clinical and laboratory characteristics of DVI and risk factors of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Results A total 512 dengue cases (34.05 ± 15.08 years; Male 69.53%) were reviewed. Most common clinical manifestations of DVI were fever (99.60%), headache (89.1%), chills (86.5%), rigors (86.5%), myalgia (72.3%). Less common clinical manifestations were vomiting (52.5%), arthralgia (50.2%) and skin rashes (47.5%). Furthermore, nasal bleeding (44.1%), gum bleeding (32.6%), pleural effusion (13.9%) and hematuria (13.1%) were more profound clinical presentations among DHF patients. Mortality rate was 1.5% in this study. Logistic regression analysis indicated that delayed hospitalization (OR: 2.30) and diabetes mellitus (OR:2.71), shortness of breath (OR:2.21), association with risk groups i.e., living near stagnant water, travelling to endemic areas, living in endemic regions (OR:1.95), and presence of warning signs (OR:2.18) were identified as risk factors of DHF. Statistically we found that there is strong association of diabetes mellitus (DM) with DHF while the patient suffering from DM individually had higher odds (2.71) of developing DHF than patients without disease. Conclusions The current study demonstrated that the clinical and laboratory profiles of DF and DHF are significantly distinct. Significant predictors of DHF were advanced age, diabetes mellitus, ascites, pleural effusion, thick gallbladder and delayed hospitalization. The identification of these factors at early stage provides opportunities for the clinicians to identify high risk patients and to reduce dengue-related morbidity and mortality.

Abstract Lead (Pb) is toxic to the development and growth of rice plants. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been considered one of the efficient remediation techniques to mitigate Pb stress in plants. Therefore, a study was carried out to examine the underlying mechanism of iron (Fe) and silicon (Si) nanoparticle-induced Pb toxicity alleviation in rice seedlings. Si–NPs (2.5 mM) and Fe-NPs (25 mg L−1) were applied alone and in combination to rice plants grown without (control; no Pb stress) and with (100 µM) Pb concentration. Our results revealed that Pb toxicity severely affected all rice growth-related traits, such as inhibited root fresh weight (42%), shoot length (24%), and chlorophyll b contents (26%). Moreover, a substantial amount of Pb was translocated to the above-ground parts of plants, which caused a disturbance in the antioxidative enzyme activities. However, the synergetic use of Fe- and Si–NPs reduced the Pb contents in the upper part of plants by 27%. It reduced the lethal impact of Pb on roots and shoots growth parameters by increasing shoot length (40%), shoot fresh weight (48%), and roots fresh weight (31%). Both Si and Fe–NPs synergistic application significantly elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) concentrations by 114%, 186%, 135%, and 151%, respectively, compared to plants subjected to Pb stress alone. The toxicity of Pb resulted in several cellular abnormalities and altered the expression levels of metal transporters and antioxidant genes. We conclude that the synergistic application of Si and Fe-NPs can be deemed favorable, environmentally promising, and cost-effective for reducing Pb deadliness in rice crops and reclaiming Pb-polluted soils.

The existence of natural gas and rare mineral reserves, energy transmission lines, and sacred places within its borders makes that geography a target for other countries, whether neighboring or not. These countries spend most of their budgets on war technologies and good defense. There are many factors to consider when choosing the location of a military base, which is vital in terms of both defense and logistic support. This study aimed to determine the criteria that should be taken into account in determining the borderline security and selecting the location of military bases of great strategic importance by getting rid of the disadvantages of classical decision-making processes. For this purpose, a solution to the problem was sought with the method obtained by combining the AHP method, one of the latest approaches in the decision-making process, with neutrosophic logic. In order to enable the experts to cope with uncertain information and to prevent errors in preference values due to differences in individual approaches, three expert opinions were obtained and the Delphi method was used to increase the advantages of the neutrosophic analytic hierarchy process (N-AHP) method by utilizing the degree of consensus. Expert opinions were received to determine, prioritize, and group the criteria using the Delphi method, and after these criteria were analyzed, their importance levels were determined by weighting the criteria using the N-AHP method. Thus, an important study in which these two compatible methods were used together for the establishment of a military base was presented to researchers. When the criteria weights of the 12 sub-criteria are analyzed, it was concluded that ease of logistics access is the most important criterion for base location selection.

Integrating Green Renewable Energy Sources (GRES) as substitutes for fossil fuel-based energy sources is essential for reducing harmful emissions. The GRES are intermittent and their integration into the conventional IEEE 30 bus configuration increases the complexity and nonlinearity of the system. The Grey Wolf optimizer (GWO) has excellent exploration capability but needs exploitation capability to enhance its convergence speed. Adding particle swarm optimization (PSO) with excellent convergence capability to GWO leads to the development of a novel algorithm, namely a Grey Wolf particle swarm optimization (GWPSO) algorithm with excellent exploration and exploitation capabilities. This study utilizes the advantages of the GWPSO algorithm to solve the optimal power flow (OPF) problem for adaptive IEEE 30 bus systems, including thermal, solar photovoltaic (SP), wind turbine (WT), and small hydropower (SHP) sources. Weibull, Lognormal, and Gumbel probability density functions (PDFs) are employed to forecast the output power of WT, SP, and SHP power sources after evaluating 8000 Monte Carlo possibilities, respectively. The multi-objective green economic optimal solution consisted of 11 control variables to reduce the cost, power losses, and harmful emissions. The proposed method to address the OPF problem is validated using an adaptive IEEE bus system. The proposed GWPSO algorithm is evaluated by comparing it with PSO and GWO optimization algorithms in terms of achieving an optimal green economic solution for the adaptive IEEE 30 bus system. This evaluation is conducted within the confines of the same test system using identical system constraints and control variables. The integration of a small SHP with WT and SP sources, along with the proposed GWPSO algorithm, led to a yearly cost reduction ranging from $\$$19,368 to $\$$30,081. Simulation findings endorsed that the proposed GWPSO algorithm executes fruitfully compared to alternative algorithms regarding a consistent convergence curve and robustness, proving its potential as a viable choice for achieving cost-effective solutions in power systems incorporating GRES.

The picture fuzzy soft set (PiFSS) is a new hybrid model to address complex and uncertain information in Industry 4.0. Topological structure on PiFSS develops an innovative approach for topological data analysis to seek an optimal and unanimous decision in decision-making processes. This conception combines the advantages of a picture fuzzy set (PiFS) and a soft set (SS), allowing for a more comprehensive representation of the ambiguity in the supplier selection. Moreover, the criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) and the combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) technique is applied to the proposed framework to determine the relative importance of the evaluation parameter and to select the most suitable supplier in the context of sustainable development. The suggested technique was implemented and evaluated by applying it to a manufacturing company as a case study. The outcomes reveal that the approach is practical, efficient and produces favorable results when used for decision-making purposes. Evaluating and ranking of efficient suppliers based on their sustainability performance can be effectively accomplished through the use of PiFS-topology, thus facilitating the decision-making process in the CE and Industry 4.0 era.

High-dimensional data, characterized by having more attributes or variables than observations, presents unique challenges in industrial operations surveillance. Traditional multivariate control charts, like Hotelling’s [Formula: see text] chart, perform adequately with lower-dimensional data. However, they often fail to detect variations in process means as data dimensionality increases. This research proposes new control charts designed to enhance the detection of mean variations in both high and low-dimensional data. Specifically, Srivastava-Du (SD), Bai-Saranadasa (BS) and Dempster (DS) statistic-based charts are introduced, and their effectiveness is evaluated through simulations and real-life data applications. The performance of these charts is compared under various multivariate normal and non-normal distributions. Results indicate that DS and BS charts perform similarly, with the DS chart outperforming in low-dimensional normal distribution. Conversely, the SD chart outperformed in high-dimensional non-normal distributions. Additionally, the practical application of these proposed charts is illustrated through the monitoring of grease degradation in wind turbine bearings.

The PANI-NiO composites were synthesized by employing an in situ chemical polymerization technique, with varying weight percentages of NiO dopant (PANI-5%NiO and PANI-10%NiO). Additionally, AC conductivity, dielectric constant and dielectric loss were investigated within a frequency range from 20 Hz to 1 MHz. XRD confirmed the phase purity and high crystallinity. SEM reveals the granular shape with a porous surface. In addition, the incorporation of NiO with different concentrations influences the composite’s dielectric properties. All samples exhibited frequency-dependent dielectric properties in line with the Maxwell–Wagner model. Notably, the AC conductivity of PANI-10% NiO composite increased as the frequency increased, this behaviour was certified with Jonscher’s power law. The I–V characteristics confirm the ohmic nature of all synthesized samples. Therefore, the potential of PANI and PANI-NiO composites, as efficient dielectric materials, has been explored and can be useful for device applications in diverse fields.

Abstract Nitrogen (N) as an inorganic macronutrient is inevitable for plant growth, development, and biomass production. Many external factors and stresses, such as acidity, alkalinity, salinity, temperature, oxygen, and rainfall, affect N uptake and metabolism in plants. The uptake of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) in plants mainly depends on soil properties. Under the sufficient availability of NO3− (>1 mM), low‐affinity transport system is activated by gene network NRT1, and under low NO3− availability (

Despite development, the present and prospects of olive cultivation in Pakistan are progressive in every aspect; people use olive oil and olive-based products not only for their food and nutritional values but also for their religious importance. With an annual expenditure of approximately 4.5 billion dollars on edible oil imports, Pakistan initiated olive production ventures in collaboration with Italy, Spain, and China to curtail import costs and attain self-sufficiency. The olive farming potential of Pakistan has been recognized due to more than 8 million wild olive plants and suitable land and climate conditions in various regions of KPK, Balochistan, and Punjab. Along with grafting millions of wild olive trees, about 5 million new plants have grown in the past few years, and still, more than 10 million acres of suitable land are available. The establishment of new olive processing mills, the “50 Million Olive Tree Tsunami” project, and the “Promotion of Olive Cultivation for Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation' project have been instrumental in expanding olive cultivation, augmenting production capacity, generating employment opportunities, and addressing poverty. However, there is still a dire need to mitigate the challenges and needs within the olive sector, which include awareness and training among farmers, infrastructure improvement, adequate storage and packaging facilities, standardized quality testing, and competitive pricing. The lack of interest from local vendors and food processing companies, along with financial constraints faced by farmers, poses additional hurdles. Recommendations to address these challenges include prioritizing training programs, conducting surveys for data collection, increasing awareness of the health benefits of olive oil, and establishing loan schemes and private-sector investments. Encouraging the local production of olive oil extraction machinery and upgrading technology can help reduce reliance on imports. These measures collectively aim to propel Pakistan toward becoming a significant player in the global olive production landscape.

The concept of T-spherical fuzzy sets (T-SFSs) provides a robust optimization approach to deal with uncertainties in environmental concerns. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a hybrid approach for the power system reforms and advances of low-carbon technology to address environmental concerns as well as transition towards a more sustainable energy infrastructure. To meet these objectives, various aggregation operators (AOs) are developed named as T-spherical fuzzy Dubois–Prade (T-SFDP), T-spherical fuzzy interactive Dubois–Prade weighted average (T-SFIDPWA), T-spherical fuzzy interactive Dubois–Prade ordered weighted average (T-SFIDPOWA), T-spherical fuzzy interactive Dubois–Prade weighted geometric (T-SFIDPWG), and T-spherical fuzzy interactive Dubois–Prade ordered weighted geometric (T-SFIDPOWG). These AOs are integrated in the construction CRITIC-EDAS framework, facilitating a comprehensive assessment and ranking of proposals. This paper underscores the methodology's efficacy and precision through rigorous validation with CRITIC-MAUT, CRITIC-ARAS, CRITIC-EDAS, and CRITIC-MABAC analyses, showcasing its ability to discern and prioritize reform initiatives with exactitude. Beyond enhancing the comprehension of reform proposals, this hybrid approach establishes a benchmark for future evaluations, significantly contributing to the dynamic landscape of power system optimization. The methodology's clarity and precision offer decision-makers a valuable tool for the thorough assessment and prioritization of power system reforms initiatives, fostering sustainability and environmentally conscious advancements.

The human body is affected by ultraviolet radiation because it can penetrate and harm bodily cells. Although skin cancer and early aging are consequences of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, sun rays signify immediate excessive exposure. In this context, some structural, optical, electrical, and mechanical properties of the beryllium-based cubic fluoro-perovskite RBeF3 (RK and Li) compounds are examined through the use of density functional theory (DFT) within generalized gradient approximation (GGA) using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) approximations (GGA-PBE). The compounds KBeF3 and LiBeF3 have space group 221-pm3m, and their lattice constants and volumes are (3.765, 3.566) Å and (53.380, 45.379) Å3, respectively, based on their structural properties. Computed results indicate that the compounds' bandgaps are 7.35 eV and 7.12 eV, respectively, with an indirect nature for KBeF3 and LiBeF3. The properties of the band structure indicate that both compounds are insulators. The bonding properties of these compounds, RBeF3, are a combination of covalent and ionic. Optical properties of the compounds are examined which reflect the light-matter interaction like reflectivity, conductivity, and absorption. These materials were likely very hard but brittle, based on a higher bulk modulus B from elastic features, the B/G ratio, Pugh's ratio, and Vickers hardness. The compound RBeF3, as determined by the findings, is used as a UV protection and reflection layer for car and room windows.

The control of infections is one of the key strategies to treat cuts, wounds, lung, and skin infections. In this study the folkloric use of Rumex dentatus (R. dentatus) roots in the mentioned conditions was scientifically investigated. The methanolic (MeOH) crude extract of R. dentatus root was fractionated (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and water) via bioassay-guided method, and its antibacterial activity was evaluated using the agar well diffusion and Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays against clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The antibiofilm activity was measured using the crystal violet staining method. The crude extract, fractions and sub-fractions tested showed the MICs values ranging from 200 to 1000 μg/mL respectively. Among the fractions, notably, the water fraction exhibited the highest activity against P. aeruginosa. The water fraction was then subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC). Following spectrometric analysis using HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS, gallic acid and emodin were identified as the primary components within the same fraction, responsible for eliciting antibacterial and antibiofilm effects. The in-silico studies conducted with AutoDock Vina on the LasR protein, using both isolated gallic acid and emodin, confirm the binding affinity of these molecules to the active sites of the LasR protein that has regulatory role in building of biofilm formation and its pathogenicity. By scientifically validating the infection-controlling properties of R. dentatus, this research provides compelling evidence that supports its traditional use as reported in folklore. Moreover, this study contributes to our understanding of the plant's potential in managing infections, thereby substantiating its traditional therapeutic application in a scientific context.

Abstract The current study aimed to explore the anti‐diabetic effect of aqueous extracts of Gymnema sylvestre, Trigonella foenum‐graecum and mixture of both the plants in alloxan‐induced diabetic rabbits. A total of 30 rabbits were grouped into six equal groups as: normal control, diabetic control, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg body weight (bw) G. sylvestre, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw T. foenum‐graecum, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw mixture of both the plants and diabetic treated with 500 mg/kg bw metformin for 4 weeks. Diabetes was induced to all the study group animals except normal control by intravenous administration of alloxan monohydrate (80 mg/kg bw). Blood glucose was measured by glucometer and other biochemical parameters were determined through various kit methods. Serum insulin was measured through ELISA kit method. Results showed that both the plants and metformin significantly (p

Background: Babesia infections in sheep can cause a wide range of clinical and laboratory presentations. Changes in Blood parameters are a meaningful manifestation of physiological and pathological changes in an organism. Aim: Therefore, the present study was conducted to analyze and compare haematological and biochemical parameters between blood profiles of Lohi sheep naturally infected and un-infected with Babesia ovis, the main causative agent of ovine babesiosis. Methods: Initially, blood and serum samples from 67 Lohi sheep were collected, DNA was extracted and babesial infection was detected through PCR. Overall infection rate of B. ovis was 37% (25/67). Sixteen infected (experiment group) and sixteen uninfected (control group) sheep that were apparently healthy with no history of previous treatment for Babesiosis, were selected for haemato-biochemical analysis. Blood samples were analyzed through an automatic CBC analyzer, while serum collected from gel-vacutainers was analyzed for blood urea, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and total bilirubin. Each parameter was compared between infected and un-infected animals using a paired t-test in Minitab Express™ software for statistical analyses. Results: Erythron comparison showed a highly significant (P [Open Vet J 2023; 13(11.000): 1400-1408]

Abstract Background Following the mass influx of Rohingya refugees into Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh in 2017, makeshift settlement camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf have been overburdened, leading to livelihood challenges for both Rohingya and host communities. The humanitarian crisis has had adverse effects on vulnerable populations, which include older people, persons with disabilities, adolescents, and single female household heads. Using a subset of a larger dataset on households with most vulnerable groups in both communities, we analysed the effect of the pandemic and lockdown on the livelihood of single female household (HH) heads. Methods A cross-sectional household roster survey was designed to collect data from households with most vulnerable groups (MVGs) of host and Rohingya communities from December 2020 to March 2021; 11 host community villages and 10 Rohingya camps purposively selected as per the affiliated intervention of the project. The paper analysed quantitative and qualitative data from the sub-group of single female household heads without any income/low income. Participants were surveyed for their socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 experiences and knowledge, food security situation, social experiences and mental health using PHQ-2 test for depression. Results We surveyed 432 single female HH heads. Support during the pandemic was reported to be low, with less than 50% of HHs reporting relief meeting their needs; only 36% and 15% of these HHs received rations in camps and host communities respectively. Loan facilities were mostly unavailable and there were reported insufficiencies in food consumption. Over 50% of respondents tested positive on the PHQ-2, a scale used to screen for depression. Further analyses indicates that having a chronic health issue (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.33–3.66) was positively associated with the PHQ-2 score for Rohingya single females. For host single females, having an ill member in the HH (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.08) and the inability to save before the pandemic (OR 1.57 95% CI 1.11–2.23) increased the odds of screening positive for depression. Conclusion Our study findings revealed insufficiencies with economic opportunities and food security for single female-headed households, as well as a high rate of positive screening for depression amongst this population. These findings call for a more in-depth understanding of the needs of this group.

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Cardiovascular pressure sensors require dedicated, reliable, and customisable performance testing equipment. Devices available on the market, such as pulsatile pumps and pulse multipliers, offer limited adaptability to the needs of pressure sensor testing or are highly complex tools designed for other purposes. Therefore, there is a strong need to provide an adaptable and versatile device for characterisation during prototype development, prior to animal model testing. Early development requires detailed characterisation of a sensor performance in a realistic environmental scenario. To address this need, we adapted an off-the-shelf pressure chamber with a custom Arduino-based controller to achieve a rapid change in pressure that simulates the pulsatile profile of human blood pressure. The system is a highly customisable tool, and we have experimentally shown that it works successfully in a wide range of pressures from 30 mmHg to 400 mmHg with a resolution of 2 mmHg. By adjusting the chamber volume using a water balloon, we achieved a cycle rate of up to 120 beats per minute. The device can be operated directly from the Arduino IDE or with a customised graphical user interface developed by our research group. The proposed system is intended to assist other researchers in the development of industrial and biomedical pressure sensors.

Background: Solanum pseudocapsicum (PC) and Capsicum annum (CA) belongs to the family of Solanaceae. CA have been reported a rich source of phenolics whereas, the phenolics content of GA (gallic acid), SC (scopoletin), RA (rosmarinic acid), and RV (resveratrol) are yet to be reported for the PC-fruit. This study comparatively evaluates the phenolics profile for different parts (seeds and skin) and colors (green and red) of the PC- and CA-fruits using the green solvents of ethanol (ET), acetone (AC), water (H2O), and different combinations of these solvents. Methodology: Ultrasonics extraction (US) and UHPLC analysis were employed for phenolics evaluation. Results: The USMD (method development) revealed the highest extract yield of 62 mg/100 mg for the PC-skin in ET:AC (70:30) solvent whereas, more phenolics (ppm) were observed for PC-seeds in ET:AC (50:50) solvent, particularly the SC (29.46) and GA (16.92). The UHPLCMDMV exhibited significant accuracies (100.70–114.14 %) with r2-values (0.9993–0.9997) in the linearity range of 1–200 ppm. The USMV (method validation) in PC- and CA-fruit parts and colors revealed more extract yields for the red skin part of the PC- (180.5 mg) and CA-fruit (126.2 mg). The phenolics were seen more in the green seeds of the PC-fruit (ppm); SC (276), GA (147.36), RV (28.54), and RA (23.87) followed by the green PC-skin, and red/green CA-seeds. The statistical models of mean differences, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation showed significant differences for the PC-fruit parts (seeds and skin) and colors (red and green) vs extract yield and phenolics content (P = 0.05). Conclusion: PC-and CA-fruits were successfully evaluated where the seeds for the green fruits exhibited more phenolics amount.

The exceptional lubricating properties and stability of Al2O3−PAO nanolubricant make it a suitable option for many industries such as automotive, aerospace, renewable energy, and medical. This study aims to examine the squeezed flow of magnetized nanolubricant (Al2O3−PAO) across a sensor surface alongwith the fascinating impacts of nonlinear heat generation, thermal radiation and thermophoretic particle deposition (TPD). Heat transfer phenomenon is further observed in the presence of viscous dissipation and Joule heating. In order to make this investigation more convenient, the thermal conductivity is assumed to be variable. The introduction of nanolubricant Al2O3−PAO as a flow fluid over a sensor surface and the use of Patel model of thermal conductivity are novel features of this work. The mass transfer phenomenon is further supported by applying chemical reaction of higher order. With the introduction of apposite similarity transformations, the governing PDEs have been modified to ODEs. We have treated the resulting ODEs numerically by using MATLAB built-in bvp-4c solver. It is perceived that the improving values of solid volume fraction and magnetic parameter play a substantial role in enhancing velocity and temperature of the nanolubricant Al2O3−PAO, while squeezed flow index causes a decline in velocity as well as in temperature of the nanolubricant. The concentration profile declines for chemical reaction parameter and thermophoretic parameter, whereas increasing order of chemical reaction tends to enhance the concentration profile.

The q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROPFS) is a kind of fuzzy framework that is capable of introducing significantly more fuzzy information than other fuzzy frameworks. The concept of combining information and aggregating it plays a significant part in the multi-criteria decision-making method. However, this new branch has recently attracted scholars from several domains. The goal of this study is to introduce some dynamic q-rung orthopair fuzzy aggregation operators (AOs) for solving multi-period decision-making issues in which all decision information is given by decision makers in the form of “q-rung orthopair fuzzy numbers” (q-ROPFNs) spanning diverse time periods. Einstein AOs are used to provide seamless information fusion, taking this advantage we proposed two new AOs namely, “dynamic q-rung orthopair fuzzy Einstein weighted averaging (DQROPFEWA) operator and dynamic q-rung orthopair fuzzy Einstein weighted geometric (DQROPFEWG) operator”. Several attractive features of these AOs are addressed in depth. Additionally, we develop a method for addressing multi-period decision-making problems by using ideal solutions. To demonstrate the suggested approach’s use, a numerical example is provided for calculating the impact of “coronavirus disease” 2019 (COVID-19) on everyday living. Finally, a comparison of the proposed and existing studies is performed to establish the efficacy of the proposed method. The given AOs and decision-making technique have broad use in real-world multi-stage decision analysis and dynamic decision analysis.

The nanolubricant ZnO−SAE50 is essentially used in a range of industries, including electronics, renewable energy, automotive, and aerospace. Due to its distinct thermal and lubricating characteristics, it can serve a variety of purposes and has the potential to revolutionize a number of technological fields. The prime motive of this study is to introduce ZnO−SAE50 nanolubricant as a flow fluid around a rotating sphere immersed in a Darcy-Forchheimer medium. To control and direct the flow to the desired direction, an external magnetic field is employed. The thermal performance is assessed considering the effects of thermal radiation, nonlinear heat generation and Joule heating. A MATLAB's built-in solver bvp-4c is used to solve the achieved model numerically. The findings disclose that the implementation of an external magnetic field is quite advantageous in adjusting and directing the fluid flow. In order to achieve an excellent thermal performance, the role of thermal radiations and nonlinear heat generation is pivotal. Furthermore, ZnO−SAE50 nanolubricant maximizes heat transmission while conventional SAE50 is ineffective in achieving optimum heat transfer rates.

Chillies are considered a universal ingredient for imparting flavor and pungency to foods. Pakistan stood in the top twenty countries worldwide by producing 82 thousand Tons of chillies during 2022-23. Chilli fungal contamination and aflatoxin production during drying is a common problem during post-harvest process. Gasses treatment and Ionizing radiations are efficient methods for reducing toxigenic and pathogenic microbial growth in food items. The current study was designed to compare the effects of ethylene oxide (ETO), gamma (GB) & electron beam (EB) treatments on two red chilli local cultivars (Kunri and Hybrid) of Pakistan. After treatment, the chilli samples were analyzed for aflatoxins, physicochemical, quality & safety attributes. All results were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), dendrogram and ANOVA to check the correlations, grouping and level of significance within the varieties and treatments. The results showed that moisture and water activity mainly designated PC-2 directions and are slightly positively correlated. Conversely, both fat and proteins have a negative correlation with moisture, ash and water activity. Besides, carotenoids and ABTS assay mainly designated PC-2 directions and are slightly positively correlated. Color, flavonoids and TPC also possess positive correlations among them. ETO depicts effectiveness in the reduction of E. coli but is not effective in saving antioxidant potential such as total flavonoids. Similarly, gamma irradiations showed strong reduction trends in fungal and pathogenic count, however same trend was observed in ascorbic acid too. Besides, the electron beam with dosage levels of 12 and 15 kGy has shown effectiveness against Aspergillus spp., aflatoxins and pathogenic microbial load in addition to saving antioxidant potential (phenolics and flavonoids), physicochemical parameters and color values compared to other applied methods especially in Kunri variety. It was evident from the research that varietal combination in addition to applied treatment must be specially considered while designing a treatment for chillies.

The theory of cubic bipolar fuzzy sets (CBFSs) is a robust approach for dealing with vagueness and bipolarity in real-life circumstances. This theory provides a hybrid machine learning paradigm that can accurately describe two-sided contrasting features for medical diagnosis. The ELECTRE-II model, which is extensively used, is expanded in this article to include the cubic bipolar fuzzy (CBF) context. In order to produce a comprehensive preference ordering of actions, ELECTRE-II establishes two different forms of embedded outranking relations while taking into account the subjective human judgments. A huge number of applications have been created by its variations under various models, considering the CBF model's greater capacity to deal. For opinions in the adaptive CBF structure with unknown information, the CBF-ELECTRE-II group decision support method is described. With the use of proper CBF aggregation operations, the expert CBF views on each alternative and criterion are compiled in the first step. The approach then constructs weak and strong outranking relations and offers three distinct CBF outranking set kinds ("concordance", "indifferent" and "discordance" sets). Strong and weak outranking graphs serve as a visual depiction of the latter, which is finally studied by a rigorous iterative procedure that yields a preferred system. For these objectives, integrated CBF-VIKOR and CBF-ELECTRE-II techniques are developed for multi-criteria group decision making (MCDGM). Finally, suggested techniques are recommended to determine ranking index of efficient road freight transportation (FRT) in Industry 4.0. The ranking index and optimal decision are also computed with other techniques to demonstrate robustness of proposed MCDGM approach.

Abstract The use of traditional medicines has tremendously increased over the past few decades. Approximately 80% of the world's population relies on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare needs because of their cost effectiveness and efficiency with no or minimal side effects. Zootherapy refers to the use of medicines that are prepared or derived from animals or from their products. The current study documented the folk knowledge related to the practice of various animal‐derived products and ethnozoological based drugs used as medicines by the residents of the Cholistan desert of Bahawalpur (Pakistan). In this regard 46 knowledgeable and reliable elderly people, hakims and spiritual healers ranging from 35–60 years of age having knowledge related to zootherapy were included in the current study. A field survey from February 2006 to November 2007 was conducted by interviewing the selected respondents through a structured questionnaire. They provided knowledge regarding the use of animals and their derived products in traditional medicine. The zootherapeutic knowledge was based on both domestic animals as well as wild animals. A total of 20 animal species were included in the study, among which nine animals were domestic while 11 were wild animals. Among selected animals, nine were mammals, four birds, four reptiles and three insects. It was reported that camel was the most commonly used (n = 32 respondents) among mammals while Pigeon (n = 39 respondents), Spiny‐tailed lizard (n = 41 respondents) and Indian honey bee (n = 27 respondents) among birds, reptiles and insects, respectively, have significant use for the treatment of different diseases. Based on this communication we could recommend that this type of abandoned knowledge should be considered for the management and conservation of faunistic resources. However, the advantageous role of animals and their products was reported but more extensive research is required to explore the bioactive constituents in the raw material of these animals responsible for their beneficial effects.

Abstract Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway plays a role in cancer development, organogenesis, and embryogenesis. The abnormal activation promotes cancer stem cell renewal, proliferation, and differentiation. In the present study, molecular docking simulation and ADMET studies were carried out on selected bioactive compounds in search of β‐catenin protein inhibitors for drug discovery against cancer. Blind docking simulation was performed using PyRx software on Autodock Vina. β‐catenin protein (PDB ID: 1jdh) and 313 bioactive compounds (from PubChem database) with selected standard anticancer drugs were used for molecular docking. The ADMET properties of the best‐performing compounds were calculated using SwissADME and pkCMS web servers. The results obtained from the molecular docking study showed that glycyrrhizic acid, solanine, polyphyllin I, crocin, hypericin, tubeimoside‐1, diosmin, and rutin had the best binding interactions with β‐catenin protein based on their binding affinities. Glycyrrhizic acid and solanine had the same and lowest binding energy of −8.5 kcal/mol. This was followed by polyphyllin I with −8.4 kcal/mol, and crocin, hypericin, and tubeimoside‐1 which all had a binding energy of 8.1 kcal/mol. Other top‐performing compounds include diosmin and rutin with binding energy of −8.0 kcal/mol. The ADMET study revealed that the following compounds glycyrrhizic acid, solanine, polyphyllin I, crocin, hypericin, tubeimoside‐1, diosmin, rutin, and baicalin all violated Lipinski's rule of 5 which implies poor oral bioavailability. However, based on the binding energy score, it was suggested that these pharmacologically active compounds are potential molecules to be tested against cancer.

This paper investigates the dynamics of the SIR infectious disease model, with a specific emphasis on utilizing a harmonic mean-type incidence rate. It thoroughly analyzes the model’s equilibrium points, computes the basic reproductive rate, and evaluates the stability of the model at disease-free and endemic equilibrium states, both locally and globally. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is carried out. A sophisticated stability theory, primarily focusing on the characteristics of the Volterra–Lyapunov (V-L) matrices, is developed to examine the overall trajectory of the model globally. In addition to that, we describe the transmission of infectious disease through a mathematical model using fractal-fractional differential operators. We prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions in the SIR model framework with a harmonic mean-type incidence rate by using the Banach contraction approach. Functional analysis is used together with the Ulam–Hyers (UH) stability approach to perform stability analysis. We simulate the numerical results by using a computational scheme with the help of MATLAB. This study advances our knowledge of the dynamics of epidemic dissemination and facilitates the development of disease prevention and mitigation tactics.

Straw and biochar, two commonly used soil amendments, have been shown to enhance soil fertility and the composition of microbial communities. To compare the effects of straw and biochar on soil fertility, particularly focusing on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) components, and the physiochemical properties of soil and microbial communities, a combination of high-throughput sequencing and three-dimensional fluorescence mapping technology was employed. In our study, we set up four treatments, i.e., without biochar and straw (B0S0); biochar only (B1S0); straw returning only (B0S1); and biochar and straw (B1S1). Our results demonstrate that soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), and available potassium (AK) were increased by 34.71%, 22.96%, and 61.68%, respectively, under the B1S1 treatment compared to the B0S0 treatment. In addition, microbial carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) were significantly increased with the B1S1 treatment, by 55.13%, 15.59%, and 125.46%, respectively. The results also show an enhancement in microbial diversity, the composition of microbial communities, and the degree of soil humification with the application of biochar and straw. Moreover, by comparing the differences in soil fertility, DOM components, and other indicators under different treatments, the combined treatments of biochar and straw had a more significant positive impact on paddy soil fertility compared to biochar. In conclusion, our study revealed the combination of straw incorporation and biochar application has significant impacts and is considered an effective approach to improving soil fertility.

Piecewise fractional-order differential operators have received more attention in recent years because they can be used to describe various evolutionary dynamical problems to investigate crossover behaviors. In this manuscript, we use the aforementioned operators to investigate a mathematical model of COVID-19. By utilizing fractional calculus, our approach aims to capture the crossover dynamics of disease spread, considering heterogeneity and transitions between epidemic phases. This research seeks to develop a framework using specialized mathematical techniques, such as the Caputo fractional derivative, with the potential to investigate the crossover dynamical behaviors of the considered epidemic model. The anticipated contribution lies in bridging fractional calculus and epidemiology, offering insights for both theoretical advancements and practical public health interventions. In order to improve our understanding of epidemic dynamics and support, we used MATLAB to simulate numerical results for a visual representation of our findings. For this interpretation, we used various fractional-order values. In addition, we also compare our simulated results with some reported results for infected and death classes to demonstrate the efficiency of our numerical method.

Background: Ovine and caprine theileriosis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease, caused by Theileria spp., responsible for heavy economic losses in terms of high mortality and morbidity rates. Diagnosis of ovine theileriosis is primarily based on clinical symptoms, microscopic screening of stained blood smears and lymph node biopsy smears, but the limitations of these detection methods against Theileria spp. infection limit their specificity. Aim: To overcome these limitations, the current study reports the differential diagnosis of theileriosis through Blood Smear Examination and Polymerase Chain Reaction in small ruminants from Pakistan. Methods: The study was conducted on 1200 apparently healthy small ruminants (737 sheep and 463 goats). Firstly, blood smears were screened for the presence of Theileria piroplasms in red blood cells. Secondly, PCR amplification based on 18S rRNA gene was performed by using primers specific to Theileria spp. Results: Out of 1200 small ruminants, 100 were positive for Theileria genus by blood smears microscopy while 315 samples were found positive by PCR. The sensitivity and specificity rates were 26.98 % and 98.31 % for blood smear method, and 73.01% and 100 % of PCR assay, respectively. Conclusion: Our finding suggests that PCR is the gold standard method compared to the conventional method of smear examination for the diagnosis of ovine and caprine theileriosis in Pakistan. [Open Vet J 2023; 13(6.000): 697-704]

Abstract The quality of olive fruit (OF) is widely affected due to geographical variation, affecting OF's chemical composition and biological properties. It is a novel and first-time study to evaluate the quality variation of 42 olive samples from different geographical origins based on phytochemical profile and their biological activities. The study reports the presence of unique chemical markers responsible for the difference in quality and biological activity of the olive samples. Biological activity (cytotoxic and antimicrobial) with GCMS phytochemical profile was evaluated. GCMS analysis confirmed the presence of 111 volatile compounds from various chemical classes with range (%) and average (%): esters (21.61–60.49) and 44.62, alcohols (20.73–49.2) and 38.06, hydrocarbons (3–38.88) and 15.39, ketones (0.16–3.87) and 0.75, acids (0.07–2.62) and 0.27, and aldehydes (0.12–1.47) and 0.45. The predominant ester was 13-methyl-pentadecanoic acid methyl ester, a differentiation marker between these samples. Cytotoxicity assay showed a significant inhibitory effect against MCF7 (8–64%) and HCT116 (0.11–44%) cell lines, whereas the extracts with the highest cytotoxicity observed were O17 (52.00 ± 2.00) and O25 (64.00 ± 4.88). The antimicrobial activity exhibited a range of zones of inhibition (mm) against P. aeruginosa (0.00–17.00), E. coli (0.00–15.00), S. aureus (0.00–13), and resistant S. aureus, i.e., MRSA (0.00–12.00). The extracts with the highest antimicrobial activity, i.e., O8 and O39 had identical MIC and MBC of 12.5 and 25 µg/ml against P. aeruginosa. In contrast, an MIC (50 and 25) and MBC (100 and 50) against E. coli were determined for O39 and O8. The statistical PCA and K-mean cluster analysis (P

Abstract Phytobioactive compounds are plant secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds abundantly present in medicinal plants and have remarkable therapeutic potential. Oxidative stress and antibiotic resistance are major causes of present‐day ailments such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and inflammation. The data for this review were collected from Google Scholar, PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Science Direct by using keywords: “Medicinal plants, Phytobioactive compounds, Polyphenols, Alkaloids, Carotenoids etc.” Several studies have reported the pharmacological and therapeutic potential of the phytobioactives. Polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, and polysaccharides isolated from medicinal plants showed remarkable antioxidant, anticancer, cytotoxic, anti‐inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities. This literature review was planned to provide comprehensive insight into the biopharmacological and therapeutic potential of phytobioactive compounds. The techniques used for the extraction and isolation of phytobioactive compounds, and bioassays required for their biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities, have been discussed. Characterization techniques for the structural elucidation of phytobioactive compounds such as HPLC, TLC, FTIR, GC–MS/MS, and NMR have also been discussed. This review concludes that phytobioactive compounds may be used as potential alternative to synthetic compounds as therapeutic agents for the treatment of various diseases.

Abstract Glycation generates advanced glycation end products (AGE) and its intermediates, thus increasing the risk of developing various ailments including diabetes mellitus. Current study was planned to explore the antioxidant and antiglycation potential of selected nuts viz, Juglans regia (Walnut), Prunus dulcis (Almond), Pistacia vera (Pistachio), and Arachis hypogaea (Peanut), locally available and readily consumed in Faisalabad, Pakistan, for their health‐promoting properties. The prepared methanolic extracts of selected nuts were tested for biological activities including the antioxidant and antiglycation potential. The effect of these extracts against oxidation and AGE formation was evaluated by in vitro method using bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐glucose system. Juglans regia, Pistacia vera, and Arachis hypogaea were found rich in phenolics and flavonoids contents with increased reducing potential and least IC50 due to the DPPH free radical scavenging inhibition. Dose‐ and time‐dependent inhibition of glucose‐induced advanced glycation end‐product (AGE) was exhibited by fruit extracts through in vitro bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐glucose system. Juglans regia and Pistacia vera were predominantly effective in the inhibition of early and intermediary glycation products at different incubation conditions. The study indicated that the extracts of selected nuts possess significant antioxidant capacity and are rich in phenolics and flavonoids, making them useful supplements as an important part of a balanced diet.

The hierarchical medical care structure is an efficient means of addressing some inadequate medical capabilities. Evaluating the several degrees of disease based on the physician’s diagnosis is a vital step in building a hierarchical healthcare treatment strategy. This study aims to offer different dynamic T-spherical fuzzy aggregation operators (AOs) for addressing multi-period decision-making (MPDM) situations in which decision-makers (DMs) have access to all information in the form of T-spherical fuzzy numbers (T-SFNs) spanning many time periods. AOs play a crucial role in decision-making, particularly when competing considerations are present. Developing suitable solutions for the aggregation process is a crucial challenge when dealing with unclear data. ”T-spherical fuzzy dynamic Einstein weighted averaging (T-SFDEWA) operator and the T-spherical fuzzy dynamic Einstein weighted geometric (T-SFDEWG) operator” are two innovative Einstein AOs. Several appealing properties of these AOs are addressed in depth. In addition, we present a strategy for addressing MPDM difficulties using optimum solutions. A numerical illustration of a hierarchical medical care system is provided to illustrate how the suggested method could be implemented. An authenticity assessment and comparative analysis is also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the suggested method. In practice, the proposed AOs and decision-making technique are typically useful in multi-stage and dynamic decision analysis.

Alternative splicing (AS) of RNA molecules is a key contributor to transcriptome diversity. In humans, 90%–95% of multi-exon genes produce alternatively spliced RNA transcripts. Therefore, every single gene has the opportunity of producing multiple splice variants, including long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes that undergo RNA maturation steps such as conventional and alternative splicing. Emerging evidence suggests significant roles for these lncRNA splice variants in many aspects of cell biology. Differential changes in expression of specific lncRNA splice variants have also been associated with many diseases including cancer. This review covers the current knowledge on this emerging topic of investigation. We provide exclusive insights on the AS landscape of lncRNAs and also describe at the molecular level the functional relevance of lncRNA splice variants, i.e., RNA-based differential functions, production of micropeptides, and generation of circular RNAs. Finally, we discuss exciting perspectives for this emerging field and outline the work required to further develop research endeavors in this field.

Open data has a large means of identifying commonly reachable information on different platforms. One of the open data sources is open government data. The goals of open governments are about building transparency, accountability and participation to strengthen governance and inform citizens. The aim of this study is twofold: (ⅰ) to propose a reliable decision-making tool for dealing with real-life problems and (ⅱ) to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed model through a case study of its ranking with an open government data indicator for G20 countries. This study proposes a multi-criteria methodology that evaluates open data management systems used in e-government development. First, a set of evaluation criteria is established that cover the indicators used in the Global Open Data Index. Second, weights from the Logarithm Methodology of Additive Weights (LMAW) and Logarithmic Percentage Change-driven Objective Weighting (LOPCOW) methods were combined with the Bayesian approach to determine the weights of these criteria. Finally, the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method was used to obtain the ranking results. The novelties of the study lie in the combination of objective and subjective weighting methods, both in determining the ranking of G20 countries with open government data indicators and in deciding the importance levels of the criteria used. The "air quality" and "procurement" criteria are the top two criteria, with weights of 0, 1378 and 0, 1254 respectively. The findings also show that Australia is the best performer, while the United Kingdom is the second best performing. Comprehensive sensitivity analysis verifies the validity, robustness and effectiveness of the proposed framework. According to research findings and analysis, the methodology applied has the potential to assist policymakers and decision-makers in the process of modernization of existing public services in terms of open data and the opportunities it presents.

There are certain areas of science and technology, such as agriculture, ecology, and environmental studies, that emphasize designing competent sampling strategies. The ranked set schemes, particularly the neoteric ranked set sampling (NRSS), are one method that meets such objectives. The NRSS provides plans that incorporates expert knowledge while choosing samples, which is beneficial. This study proposes a novel scheme for creating dispersion charts based on NRSS. The proposed scheme aims to improve the accuracy of dispersion charts by reducing the impact of outliers and non-normality in data sets. As a highly effective method in estimating population parameters, NRSS is used to select samples from the data set. The proposed dispersion charts are assessed based on individual performance measure criteria at shifts of different magnitudes. The dispersion charts created using this new scheme are compared with traditional dispersion charts, and the results demonstrate that the proposed scheme produces charts with higher accuracy and robustness. The study highlights the potential benefits of using NRSS-based dispersion charts in various fields, including quality control, environmental monitoring, and process control. An actual data application from a non-isothermal continuous stirred tank chemical reactor model further validates the simulation results.

Abstract The current study scrutinizes heat and mass transfer features of magnetized flow of $${\mathrm{ZnO}-SAE50}$$ ZnO - S A E 50 nanolubricant over Riga plate in a Darcy Forchheimer medium. The effects of variable viscosity, thermal radiation, variable thermal conductivity, viscous dissipation and uniform heat source/sink are examined in this study. The diffusion model presented by Cattaneo–Christov is incorporated in this study to enclose heat and mass transport phenomenon. Additionally, the mass transfer rate is inspected subjected to the effects of variable solutal diffusivity and higher order chemical reaction. Heat and mass transfer phenomena have significant applications in the disciplines of science and technology that can be seen everywhere in nature. This simultaneous transportation phenomenon indicates a variety of applications in manufacturing processes, aerodynamics, cooling systems, environmental sciences, oceanography, food industries, biological disciplines, and energy transport systems etc. The modeled system of PDEs is metamorphosed to nonlinear ODEs with the introduction of appropriate transformations. An eminent bvp4c method in MATLAB has been incorporated to execute the resulting system of ODEs numerically. The outcomes of velocity, temperature and concentration profiles corresponding to various emerging parameters have been exposed graphically. The motion of $${\mathrm{ZnO}-SAE50}$$ ZnO - S A E 50 nanolubricant tends to enhance significantly with larger modified Hartmann number, whereas converse behavior is reported by increasing porosity parameter and variable viscosity parameter. The greater heat transfer rate is observed for variable thermal conductivity parameter. The rates of heat and mass transfer slow down for thermal and solutal time relaxation parameters respectively. The concentration profile gets enriched by growing the order of the chemical reaction and variable mass diffusivity parameter. It is concluded that by increasing solid volume fraction up to $$1.5\%$$ 1.5 % , the viscosity of the nanolubricant enhances up to $$12\%$$ 12 % which consequently slows down motion of the nanolubricant but increases temperature and concentration profiles.

Decision-making is a complex issue, especially for attributes being more than one and further bifurcated. Correlation analysis plays an important role in decision-making problems. For neutrosophic hypersoft sets (NHSSs), they have bifurcated sub-attributes so that we cannot compare the attributive values. Thus, Correlation Coefficient (CC) should be a good tool for decision-making in NHSSs. Moreover, in decision-making problems, most of the times opinion of more than one expert is involved. For dealing this, m-polar values can be better used. The basic purpose of this paper is to propose the concept of CC and Weighted CC (WCC) for m-polar NHSSs with some aggregation operators, theorems, and propositions. Algorithms, based on CC and WCC are also been proposed to solve decision-making problems. Two case studies have been solved by applying the proposed algorithms. The results obtained are compared with existing approaches. The experiment and comparison results reveal the validity and superiority of the proposed methods. They are more accurate and precise. In the future, the proposed methods can be applied to case studies, in which attributes are more than one and further bifurcated along with more than one decision-maker. They can be extended for several existing approaches, like TOPSIS, VIKOR, AHP, and many others.

Rideshare electric scooter accidents have led to increasing emergency department (ED) visits and neurosurgical consultations. This study categorizes e-scooter-related injuries requiring neurosurgical consultation at a single level 1 trauma center. Patients who required neurosurgical consultation from June 2019 to June 2021 with a positive finding on computed tomography imaging were selected for review of patient and injury characteristics, resulting in a sample size of 50 cases. Average patient age was 36.9 (15?69) years, and 70% were male. Seventy-four percent of patients were under the influence of alcohol and 12% illicit drugs. None (0%) were helmeted. Seventy-eight percent of accidents occurred between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am. Twenty-two percent of patients required surgical intervention by craniotomy/craniectomy, and 4% required intracranial pressure monitor placement. Average intracranial hemorrhage volume was 17.8 cc (trace to 125). Volume of hemorrhage was associated with the need for an intensive care unit (ICU) stay (odds ratio [OR]?=?1.01; p?=?0.04), need for surgical intervention (OR?=?1.007; p?=?0.0001), and mortality (1.816; p?0.001) and trended toward, but did not reach significance for, overall poor outcome (OR?=?1.63; p?=?0.06). Sixty-two percent of this patient pool required ICU admission. Average length of ICU stay was 3.5 days (0?35), and average length of hospital stay was 8.3 days (0?82). Mortality in this series was 8%. Lower admission Glasgow Coma Scale (OR?=?0.974; p?

A cubic bipolar fuzzy set (CBFS) is by far the most efficient model for handling bipolar fuzziness because it carries both single-valued (SV) and interval-valued (Ⅳ) bipolar fuzzy numbers at the same time. The sine trigonometric function possesses two consequential qualities, namely, periodicity and symmetry, both of which are helpful tools for matching decision makers' conjectures. This article aims to integrate the sine function and cubic bipolar fuzzy data. As a result, sine trigonometric operational laws (STOLs) for cubic bipolar fuzzy numbers (CBFNs) are defined in this article. Premised on these laws, a substantial range of aggregation operators (AOs) are introduced. Certain features of these operators, including monotonicity, idempotency, and boundedness, are explored as well. Using the proffered AOs, a novel multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) strategy is developed. An extensive case study of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has been provided to show the viability of the suggested method. A numerical example is provided to manifest the feasibility of the developed approach. Finally, a comparison study is executed to discuss the efficacy of the novel MCGDM framework.

Regional integration is aimed at promoting socioeconomic growth and development in a region through economic cooperation among the member states. The European Union (EU) was established to promote economic and political cooperation among member countries. EU’s unprecedented success in regional integration offers lessons for other regions. Unlike the EU, SAARC has not been successful in achieving significant economic integration among member states. Despite its potential, SAARC has been plagued by political and economic differences among member states, especially between Pakistan and India. South Asian countries are unable to boost regional integration not only because of their political differences but also due to other sub-regional and trans-regional initiatives that run anti to the spirit of regional integration under the umbrella of SAARC. India’s role towards regional integration in South Asia is considered significant being the leading nation in the region. This paper first identifies the economic and political factors that hinder regional integration in South Asia. Then, it focuses on the dynamics of successful regional integration in Europe intending to underline the lessons to be learned by the South Asian countries to boost their regional cooperation. Bibliography Entry Niaz, Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Riaz Shad. 2023. "Dynamics of Regional Integration in South Asia: Lessons from the European Union." Margalla Papers 27 (2): 85-101.

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterised by recurrent inflammatory lesions and skin tunnels in flexural sites such as the axilla. Deroofing of skin tunnels and laser treatment are standard hidradenitis suppurativa interventions in some countries but not yet introduced in the United Kingdom. Objective To understand current hidradenitis suppurativa management pathways and what influences treatment choices to inform the design of future randomised controlled trials. Design Prospective 12-month observational cohort study, including five treatment options, with nested qualitative interviews and an end-of-study consensus workshop. Setting Ten United Kingdom hospitals with recruitment led by dermatology and plastic surgery departments. Participants Adults with active hidradenitis suppurativa of any severity not adequately controlled by current treatment. Interventions Oral doxycycline 200 mg once daily; oral clindamycin and rifampicin, both 300 mg twice daily for 10 weeks initially; laser treatment targeting the hair follicle (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet or alexandrite); deroofing; and conventional surgery. Main outcome measures Primary outcome was the proportion of participants who are eligible, and hypothetically willing, to use the different treatment options. Secondary outcomes included proportion of participants choosing each of the study interventions, with reasons for their choices; proportion of participants who switched treatments; treatment fidelity; loss to follow-up rates over 12 months; and efficacy outcome estimates to inform outcome measure instrument responsiveness. Results Between February 2020 and July 2021, 151 participants were recruited, with two pauses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow-up rates were 89% and 83% after 3 and 6 months, decreasing to 70% and 44% at 9 and 12 months, respectively, because pandemic recruitment delays prevented all participants reaching their final review. Baseline demographics included an average age of 36 years, 81% female, 20% black, Asian or Caribbean, 64% current or ex-smokers and 86% with a raised body mass index. Some 69% had moderate disease, 19% severe disease and 13% mild disease. Regarding the study’s primary outcome, laser treatment was the intervention with the highest proportion (69%) of participants who were eligible and hypothetically willing to receive treatment, followed by deroofing (58%), conventional surgery (54%), the combination of oral clindamycin and rifampicin (44%) and doxycycline (37%). Considering participant willingness in isolation, laser was ranked first choice by the greatest proportion (41%) of participants. The cohort study and qualitative study demonstrated that participant willingness to receive treatment was strongly influenced by their clinician. Fidelity to oral doxycycline was only 52% after 3 months due to lack of effectiveness, participant preference and adverse effects. Delays receiving procedural interventions were common, with only 43% and 26% of participants commencing laser therapy and deroofing, respectively, after 3 months. Treatment switching was uncommon and there were no serious adverse events. Daily pain score text messages were initiated in 110 participants. Daily responses reduced over time with greatest concordance during the first 14 days. Limitations It was not possible to characterise conventional surgery due to a low number of participants. Conclusion The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study established deroofing and laser treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa in the United Kingdom and developed a network of 10 sites for subsequent hidradenitis suppurativa randomised controlled trials. Future work The consensus workshop prioritised laser treatment and deroofing as interventions for future randomised controlled trials, in some cases combined with drug treatment. Trial registration This trial is registered as ISRCTN69985145. Funding This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 12/35/64) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 27, No. 30. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information. Plain language summary Hidradenitis suppurativa is a long-term condition causing boils in skin creases such as the arm pits that are very painful, produce pus and cause scarring in about 1% of the United Kingdom population. The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study aimed to understand current hidradenitis suppurativa treatments, to determine what influences treatment choices and to inform the design of future hidradenitis suppurativa randomised controlled trials. Ten UK hospitals took part and 151 people with active hidradenitis suppurativa, mostly moderate in severity, were enrolled and followed up for 12 months. The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study offered five treatments chosen by participants with their doctor: doxycycline antibiotic tablets, combined clindamycin and rifampicin antibiotic tablets, laser hair removal treatment, ‘deroofing’ of skin tunnels which form due to hidradenitis suppurativa scarring and standard skin surgery. Laser treatment and deroofing were not available in the United Kingdom for hidradenitis suppurativa previously. We made an information video for deroofing which has been viewed more than 1 million times (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-trials-research/research/studies-and-trials/view/theseus). Laser treatment was most popular, with 69% of participants willing and eligible for treatment, followed by deroofing (58%), standard surgery (54%) and then the antibiotic options. Interviewing participants revealed that willingness and final choice of treatment was most influenced by their doctor. Only about half of participants were still taking their doxycycline tablets after 3 months, due to lack of effectiveness and adverse effects, and the figure was even lower for combined clindamycin and rifampicin. Despite delays in receiving laser treatment and deroofing, switching between treatments was uncommon. Few participants chose standard surgery, perhaps because of long waiting times and the popularity of deroofing. Participants were sent a daily text message for 12 weeks, asking them to score their skin pain out of 10 and this worked well for 2 weeks and then rates of reply dropped. We hosted a workshop to discuss the Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study results and decide which treatments to take forward in future trials, with laser and deroofing being recommended. Headline The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study introduced deroofing of skin tunnels and laser treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa and found that these are preferred interventions for future trials compared with oral antibiotics or conventional surgery. Scientific summary Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterised by recurrent inflammatory nodules, abscesses and skin tunnels in flexural sites including the axilla and groin. Flares are very painful, may produce pus and scarring and have a large impact on quality of life. Prevalence is about 1% of the UK population and HS particularly affects young adult women, detrimentally affecting relationships and employment. Multidisciplinary team (MDT) management is recommended, integrating drug treatments that reduce HS inflammation and surgery to manage scarring. A consensus process conducted by the Hidradenitis SuppuraTiva cORe outcomes set International Collaboration (HiSTORIC) defined outcome domains to measure in HS trials and validation of outcome measure instruments (OMIs) to assess each domain is underway. The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study (THESEUS) addressed several questions prioritised in the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) for HS, including what is the most effective and safe group of oral treatments in treating HS (ranked number one priority), what is the impact of HS and the treatments on people with HS (ranked third) and what is the best surgical procedure to perform in treating HS (ranked sixth). Deroofing is a surgical procedure usually performed under local anaesthetic allowing targeted removal of HS subcutaneous skin tunnels by blunt skin probing followed by removal of the tunnel roof and secondary intention healing of the base. It is routinely performed in several countries but not the UK. Laser treatment targeting the hair follicle is another well-recognised intervention for HS not currently used in the UK. The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study was designed as a prospective cohort study to introduce deroofing and laser treatment for HS in the UK and to understand how conventional surgery and oral antibiotics are currently used. Objectives To understand current HS patient pathways and what influences patients’ and clinicians’ treatment choices to inform the design of future randomised controlled trials (RCTs). To determine the feasibility of recruiting individuals with HS into clinical trials. To fully characterise the THESEUS drug and procedural interventions. To test the feasibility and responsiveness of OMIs for HS trials. To explore consensus-agreed recommendations for future RCT study designs. Methods Study design A multicentre prospective observational cohort study, including five treatment options, with nested process evaluation, including participant and clinician interviews, and an end-of-study consensus workshop. Recruitment and follow-up Participants were recruited from 10 hospitals across the UK. Six sites were dermatology-led, two were plastic surgery-led and two had HS MDTs. Initial treatment was for 6 months, during which participants stayed on their chosen intervention, after which intervention switching was permitted, with an additional 6 months of follow-up. Reviews occurred every 3 months after recruitment and a study amendment allowed remote follow-up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sites were required to offer at least four of the five THESEUS interventions. Eligibility criteria Adults of at least 18 years with active HS not adequately controlled by current treatment were eligible for the study. Disease definition was a lifetime history of at least five flexural skin boils or two flexural skin boils in past 6 months, confirmed by a recruiting clinician with experience of HS care. Provided at least one of the study interventions was appropriate for the participant, any level of disease severity was acceptable. Exclusion criteria were being unable or unwilling to give informed consent, pregnancy or breasteeding, and being unable to complete outcome questionnaires in English. Participants could continue their current treatment on study entry. Interventions oral doxycycline 200 mg once daily; oral clindamycin and rifampicin both 300 mg twice daily for 10 weeks initially; laser treatment targeting the hair follicle: neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd-YAG) or alexandrite; deroofing; conventional surgery, procedure and closure method as per site’s usual practice. Participants could choose their intervention subject to availability on discussion with their clinician, who advised on the suitability of the interventions, the shared decision-making process mirroring usual clinical practice. Participant choice was supported by a decision grid (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-trials-research/research/studies-and-trials/view/theseus) providing a description and head-to-head comparison of THESEUS interventions. Outcomes Primary outcome Proportion of participants eligible, and hypothetically willing, to use the interventions. Secondary outcomes proportion of participants choosing each study intervention, with reasons; proportion of participants switching treatments, with reasons; treatment fidelity; loss to follow-up over 12 months; efficacy outcome estimates after 6 months’ follow-up, informing OMI responsiveness. Safety As an observational study, investigators followed their usual process for managing adverse events, for example yellow card reporting, and adverse event data were collected at scheduled study visits. Daily pain score For 12 weeks after the intervention was commenced, participants were sent a daily text message to record the magnitude of their current pain due to HS from 0 to 10 using the pain numerical rating scale (NRS). Sample size The target sample size was 150 participants, permitting estimation of the proportion of participants hypothetically willing and eligible to be randomised in a clinical study within a 95% confidence interval (CI) of ±7%. Preliminary survey work ascertained that the sample size should ensure at least 20 participants were recruited for each intervention, sufficient to explore delivery in an IDEAL 2b evaluation. Statistical methods Study participation (screened, eligible, recruited, withdrawals) and completeness of follow-up was illustrated by a Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow diagram. For the primary outcome, willingness and eligibility data were combined for each intervention. THESESUS was not powered to test hypotheses and most analyses were descriptive. Continuous data were reported as means and standard deviations or medians and interquartile ranges, as appropriate, and categorical data reported as frequencies and proportions. Analysis and results were based on the participants’ final treatment selection. Treatment fidelity was measured by self-reported concordance at each follow-up. Effect over time was estimated for efficacy outcomes for each intervention with 95% CIs. The pattern of missingness of daily pain scores during 12-weeks was examined for levels of completion. Patient and public involvement Patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives were involved in THESEUS from the outset, two leaders of the HS Trust patient advocacy organisation being funding co-applicants and a further two PPI representatives joined the study management group and one joined the study steering group. The creation of a decision grid was requested by THESEUS PPI members and they reviewed all patient-facing study documentation. Specific PPI representative feedback led to chlorhexidine solution being removed as a cotreatment from the doxycycline intervention arm to avoid misconceptions that HS is linked to poor personal hygiene. PPI representatives directed the timing of the daily text messages, requested a patient version of a deroofing information video and advised on flexible remote follow-up to mitigate for COVID-19 pandemic disruption. Following discussion with THESEUS PPI representatives, it was decided to host a combined results reveal meeting for trial participants, clinicians and researchers. THESEUS patient research partners guided logistical arrangements for the end-of-study workshop and led two participant meetings beforehand. Results Between February 2020 and July 2021, 151 participants were recruited. Recruitment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and there were two substantial pauses which mirrored two waves of the pandemic in the UK. Outside these periods, a recruitment rate of 15–20 participants per month was achieved. Follow-up rates were 89% and 83% after 3 and 6 months, respectively, decreasing to 42% at 12 months, in part because pandemic recruitment delays prevented all participants from reaching their final study review. Baseline demographics of THESEUS participants were in keeping with secondary care HS patients, with an average age of 36 years, 81% female, two-thirds current or ex-smokers and 86% with a raised body mass index (BMI). There was a slightly higher proportion of non-white participants than the UK average, with 20% being black, Asian or Caribbean. Baseline disease severity again reflects the HS secondary care population, two-thirds having moderate disease, 19% severe disease and 13% mild disease. Regarding THESEUS’s primary outcome, laser treatment was the intervention with the highest proportion (69%) of participants who were eligible and hypothetically willing to receive treatment, followed by deroofing (58%), conventional surgery (54%), oral clindamycin and rifampicin (44%), and finally doxycycline (37%). Considering participant willingness in isolation, laser was ranked the first choice by the greatest proportion (41%) of participants. Final intervention choice mirrored the primary outcome, except the proportion choosing laser treatment was lower because it was offered by only 6 of the 10 recruiting sites. The cohort study and nested qualitative study results demonstrated participant willingness to receive treatment and final intervention choice were strongly influenced by clinicians. ‘My doctor recommended it’ was the most common reason (59%) given by participants for their final choice. Fidelity to oral doxycycline was only 52% after 3 months due to lack of effectiveness, participant preference and adverse effects. Continuation of clindamycin and rifampicin after 3 months was affected by the standard course being 10 weeks initially, reflected by only 30% still receiving treatment after 12 weeks. Delays receiving procedural interventions were common, with only 43% and 26% of participants commencing laser therapy and deroofing, respectively, after 3 months. Treatment switching was uncommon, with only five participants switching from laser and nine switching from deroofing. There were no serious adverse events reported. Those receiving doxycycline had modest improvements after 3 months in median International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System (IHS4) score from 7 to 6, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score from 6 to 3.5 points, Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life score (HiSQOL) score from 26.5 to 11.5 and pain NRS from 2 to 1. Small effect sizes are in part due to relatively low baseline disease severity in the doxycycline group. Corresponding score changes for clindamycin and rifampicin at 3 months were decreases in IHS4 score from 11 to 5 points, DLQI score from 14 to 10.5 points, HiSQOL score from 34 to 23 and pain NRS from 4 to 2. The variable timing of procedural interventions limited interpretation of efficacy data for these interventions with follow-up reviews fixed in time after recruitment. Daily pain score text messages were initiated in 110 participants and 100 returned at least one score. Daily responses reduced over time and the median duration of concordance was 36 days. A higher level of completion occurred in the first 14 and 28 days. Characterisation of deroofing and laser Deroofing was a popular intervention with both clinicians and participants, reflected by more than 1 million views of the THESEUS study video (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-trials-research/research/studies-and-trials/view/theseus). Deroofing proved straightforward for sites to adopt, both those led by plastic surgery and dermatology departments. The instrument used for incision varied, with needle tip diathermy used more often than loop tip diathermy. However, identification of skin tunnels by blunt probing and removal of the tunnel roof with secondary intention healing were highly conserved. Unintended variation was encountered in the laser group, one-third of treatments being intense pulsed light (IPL) rather than laser treatment. The effect of the two interventions is similar because both target the hair follicle and there is evidence supporting IPL for HS. The THESEUS laser protocol specified double pulse treatment for HS lesions and single pulses for neighbouring unaffected skin; however, considerable variation was observed. It was not possible to characterise conventional surgery due to the low number of participants in this group, in part reflecting preference for deroofing. Process evaluation The qualitative studies aimed to understand participants’ and clinicians’ perspectives on treatment choices and to identify recruitment barriers and facilitators for future trials. Semistructured participant interviews were conducted by telephone using a topic guide and subsequent thematic analysis. Purposive sampling ensured diversity of participants across the five interventions. Interviews demonstrated that intervention choice was influenced by ‘push’ factors such as lack of efficacy and adverse effects if an intervention had been received previously and ‘pull’ factors such as the novelty of laser treatment and deroofing. Participants supported flexibility in remote compared with in-person follow-up and highlighted the need to minimise questionnaire burden. Consensus workshop In June 2022, a 1-day consensus workshop occurred, informed by THESEUS results. Nineteen individuals attended in person, including six people living with HS. Fourteen individuals attended remotely via videoconferencing. The workshop was preceded by two meetings for patients and a pre-workshop survey asked for initial voting on interventions to investigate in future HS RCTs. Early intervention to prevent HS scarring was agreed upon as a general principle. The workshop prioritised combined laser and medical therapy, which could be compared with laser or medical therapy, potentially in a multiarm study. Combination therapy with biologic treatments such as adalimumab was considered and deroofing was also prioritised, either for chronic lesions or for acute flares. Conclusions Implications for health care Offering medical and non-medical interventions, THESEUS encouraged an MDT approach to optimise HS care. Training and equipment provided by THESEUS established deroofing as a surgical option, bringing the UK in line with other countries. Deroofing is a tissue-sparing treatment for tunnels and can also be adapted for acute flares, the latter being ranked second highest priority in the HS PSP. A need for deroofing is demonstrated by 1 million views of the THESEUS deroofing video. While laser and light hair removal treatment was already available in the UK, it was rarely used for HS therapy and THESEUS showed that it can be provided for HS within existing infrastructure. Use of HiSTORIC-developed OMIs for HS familiarised 10 centres with well-validated tools to monitor patient progress. Several OMIs are suitable for routine clinical care; for example, HiSQOL can be completed in the waiting area before appointments. Implications for research The Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study was designed to underpin future HS RCTs. The 10 THESEUS sites are well-placed to be recruiting centres in future trials, which, from the THESEUS workshop, are likely to involve laser or deroofing. Whether to allow IPL within a laser and light hair removal treatment intervention in a future RCT will depend on availability of Nd-YAG and alexandrite lasers and whether the study is more explanatory or pragmatic in design. The nested qualitative study provided multiple insights for future trials. A RCT with an active comparator will need to ensure equipoise for participants and clinicians and provide equivalent information, for example study videos, for each intervention. Flexibility should be offered where possible for in-person or remote appointments. OMIs should be minimised and carefully explained. Collection of daily pain scores remotely is feasible, but it should be restricted to short periods. Delivering the planned recruitment of 150 THESEUS participants despite the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that future RCTs for HS in the UK are feasible and will be well-supported by patients and health-care professionals (HCPs). Trial registration This trial is registered as ISRCTN69985145. Funding This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 12/35/64) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 27, No. 30. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

The nanolubricant ZnO−SAE50 is widely used in automobiles and heat exchange systems to minimize friction and resist corrosion and scrape between moving parts. It also improves system's performance and durability and cuts fuel consumption. In this work, the flow of magnetized ZnO−SAE50 nanolubricant is analyzed over a flat plate with variable temperature immersed in a Darcy-Forchheimer medium. The thermal analysis is carried out in the occurrence of nonlinear heat generation and thermal radiation. Furthermore, the influences of viscous dissipation and Joule heating have also been deliberated. A micro-nano convection model named as Patel model of thermal conductivity has been used in view of rise in thermal conductivity. The governing PDEs are altered to ODEs with the incorporation of similarity transformations and then numerically treated by using an eminent MATLAB's built-in bvp4c method. The influences of different physical parameters on velocity, temperature and Nusselt number are discussed and analyzed graphically and in tabular form. The velocity profile diminishes under the impacts of inertia coefficient and magnetic field. The temperature and exponential dependent heat generation parameters considerably enhance temperature of the nanolubricant ZnO−SAE50. The temperature power coefficient tends to reduce the temperature profile. The enhancing strength of thermal radiations and nonlinear heat generation significantly enhance the value of Nusselt number. Furthermore, an increase in the value of temperature dependent heat generation parameter from 0.2 to 0.6 tends 12.37% increment in the value of Nusselt number in conventional SAE50oil, whereas the nanolubricant ZnO−SAE50 experiences a more significant 26.72% increment in the value of Nusselt number. Thus, better heat transmission rate can be achieved by using ZnO−SAE50 nanolubricant rather than conventional SAE50 oil.

Introduction: Educational attainment, widely used in epidemiologic studies as a surrogate for socioeconomic status, is a predictor of cardiovascular health outcomes.Methods: A two-stage genome-wide meta-analysis of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and triglyceride (TG) levels was performed while accounting for gene-educational attainment interactions in up to 226,315 individuals from five population groups. We considered two educational attainment variables: “Some College” (yes/no, for any education beyond high school) and “Graduated College” (yes/no, for completing a 4-year college degree). Genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8) and suggestive (p < 1 × 10−6) variants were identified in Stage 1 (in up to 108,784 individuals) through genome-wide analysis, and those variants were followed up in Stage 2 studies (in up to 117,531 individuals).Results: In combined analysis of Stages 1 and 2, we identified 18 novel lipid loci (nine for LDL, seven for HDL, and two for TG) by two degree-of-freedom (2 DF) joint tests of main and interaction effects. Four loci showed significant interaction with educational attainment. Two loci were significant only in cross-population analyses. Several loci include genes with known or suggested roles in adipose (FOXP1, MBOAT4, SKP2, STIM1, STX4), brain (BRI3, FILIP1, FOXP1, LINC00290, LMTK2, MBOAT4, MYO6, SENP6, SRGAP3, STIM1, TMEM167A, TMEM30A), and liver (BRI3, FOXP1) biology, highlighting the potential importance of brain-adipose-liver communication in the regulation of lipid metabolism. An investigation of the potential druggability of genes in identified loci resulted in five gene targets shown to interact with drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including genes with roles in adipose and brain tissue.Discussion: Genome-wide interaction analysis of educational attainment identified novel lipid loci not previously detected by analyses limited to main genetic effects.

The synthesis and characterization of novel 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (2,4-DNPH) derivatives were investigated using a comprehensive combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. Spectroscopic techniques such as 1H NMR, IR, Raman, and UV–Vis were employed to probe the structural and chemical properties of the synthesized compounds. These compounds were tested for their in vitro anti-oxidant activity. All the synthesized derivatives showed good to excellent activities. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP functional with 6-31G and 6–311++G(d,p) basis sets were performed to reveal the molecular nature of the synthesized derivatives. Conformational analysis confirmed the stability of the optimized structures. The DFT simulations revealed the presence of hydrogen bonding between the N–H and nitro groups and further explored the charge transfer within the molecule as well as the sites that are favorable for electrophilic and nucleophilic attacks. The frontier molecular orbital (FMO) calculations provided insights into various reactivity parameters, such as ionization potential, electron affinity, electronegativity, chemical hardness, and chemical softness. Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of the molecular structure, spectroscopic properties, and reactivity of these new 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives, which could have potential applications in the field of biochemistry.