Ambassador of Lifelong Learning/ Public Libraries in Multicultural Society: The Case of Pakistan

Cultural diversity is an asset, an added value, and an opportunity. Public libraries promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. They play dynamic roles as social meeting places. Public libraries in a culturally diverse society work as mediatorsbetween society, culture and users. Pakistani community is a mixture of different languages and cultures which have different dimensions’ and local cultural roots. This present research aims to draw a real picture of public library's role in the multicultural and digital society of Pakistani. The role of public libraries can be very vital. They can play a critical part in advocating multiplicity responsiveness, as they are responsible to provide resources to the public. They provide help and guide general public to accomplish the objective of social and monetary fairness and equity that at last will prompt a peaceful & flourishing society. To get the maximum benefits from the cultural awareness programs devoted efforts, sufficient funds, adequate training and total commitment are required from the top management to low management of public libraries of Lahore. Public libraries can play essential role to overcome the cultural gap in Pakistani society. The work serves as a source to develop concepts and best practices of multicultural library work for all librarians concerned with these issues. It will provide an opportunity for professionals, students, and library members to create new awareness and practice

Using Social Media for Marketing Public Libraries' Collection and Services in Pakistan: Current Practices, Challenges and Future Prospects

Social media has emerged as a popular marketing tool. The present study explored the current practices of social media marketing in public libraries. It also identified the barriers which hampered the usage of social media for promoting library collection and services.  We employed a qualitative approach and conducted 10 interviews with librarians from public libraries of Lahore. The findings showed that public libraries' use of social media for marketing purposes is at its infancy stage. The interviewees reported a number of personal, administrative and infrastructural hurdles which hampered the effective use of social media for promoting public library collection and services. A number of strategies are also discussed for an enhanced and effective social media use in public libraries. This study is one of the first attempts to understand the phenomenon of social media for marketing in public libraries.   &nbsp

Do Services Matter

The current study identifies and highlights some of the cutting-edge new services offered by Pakistani libraries. To get the desired results, a qualitative methodology of research was adopted and data were collected through interview technique. Furthermore, the websites and social media accounts of these public libraries have been reviewed. The study's sample included each of Lahore's public libraries. The outcomes indicated there are many innovations in the services of public libraries introduced during the last two decades. The purpose of this research was to present the innovations in public libraries that will be helpful for new library users and build a positive image of these libraries in society. Additionally, the results can draw the attention of decision-makers from other nearby developing nations to enhance services, image, and the professional development of their staff

Cognitive Architecture to Generate Motivational Feelings: A Way to Improve Visual Learning in Robots

Expressions and voice pitch of an individual play an indispensable role in different cognitive processes. These factor help humans to learn a lot about different things present in their environment. This paper proposes a way to motivate robot learning through their environment and human around them. This mechanism is based on recognition of other agent’s facial expressions and voice pitch analysis by robot. A motivational level can be calculated through these feelings. Motivational level can impel the robots to improve their past learning. This mechanism can possibly help a robot to apprehend its environment and interact with other agents effectively. Keywords: cognition; motivation; facial expression; voice pitch; perception; memory

Impact of caffeine and vitamin D3 on the body-weight of pregnant BALB/c mice

Objective:  To investigate the effect of caffeine and Vitamin D3 on the body weight of pregnant BALB/c mice.  Design of Study:  An RCT (Randomized control trial) in the Lab.  Place and Duration of Study:  The study was carried out at Anatomy Department, Army Medical College (AMC), Rawalpindi, in collaboration with National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, from Oct 2018 to Oct 2019.  Material and Methods:  Six-week old pregnant BALB/c mice, thirty (30) in number, weighing  26-28g, were taken and divided into three groups with 10 pregnant mice in each group.  The control group G1 was given standard diet with water ad libitum for 21 days.  The animals in experimental group G2, in addition to the standard diet, were given 10mg of caffeine per 100g body-weight once a day on alternate days by oral gavage for 21 days.  Similarly, mice in group G3, in addition to the diet of group G2, were given 0.1µg of vitamin D3 per day by oral gavage for 21 days.  The body-weights on 1st day, 7th day, 14th day and 21st day of gestation in all the groups were measured to determine the influence of caffeine and vitamin D3.  Results:  Mean body-weights of mice in control group G1 were noted as 26.8 ± 0.789g,  30.7 ± 0.949g, 36 ± 0.667g and 42 ± 1.054g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day of gestation, respectively.  The mean body-weights of experimental group G2 were recorded to be 26.7 ± 0.675g, 29.9 ± 0.738g, 34.3 ± 0.823g and 39.5 ± 0.972g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21th day of gestation, respectively.  The mean body-weights of experimental group G3 were determined as 26.8 ± 0.632g, 30.4 ± 0.699g, 34.6 ± 0.516g and 40.5 ± 0.850g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day of gestation, respectively.  In comparison to the control group G1, the body-weights of animals in experimental group G2 showed more decrease in accrual of body-weight than noted in experimental group G3.  Conclusion:  Caffeine intake has decreasing influence on the growth of body-weight in pregnant mice while intake of vitamin D3 somewhat nullifies the harmful effect of caffeine on body-weight.

In vitro evaluation of mutagenicity and genotoxicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with artificial sweeteners

Purpose: To determine the in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with three commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k).Methods: The in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of Sitagliptin alone and in combination with three popular artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k) were evaluated by Comet and Ames assays, respectively.Results: Sitagliptin demonstrated mutagenic potential only to TA 98 with S9 mix at a concentration of 3040 μg/plate. The mutagenicity of sitagliptin was enhanced when tested in combination with the artificial sweeteners. Furthermore, sitagliptin also caused pronounced DNA fragmentation at higher doses compared with negative control.Conclusion: At higher doses, sitagliptin showed both mutagenicity and genotoxicity. Thus, long-term use of artificial sweeteners with sitagliptin may lead to increase in both mutagenicity and genotoxicity.Keywords: Sitagliptin, Artificial sweeteners, Comet assay, DNA damage, Ames assay, Genotoxicity, Mutagenicit

Singlet oxygen damages the function of Photosystem II in isolated thylakoids and in the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana

Singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) is an important damaging agent, which is produced during illumination by the interaction of the triplet excited state pigment molecules with molecular oxygen. In cells of photosynthetic organisms O-1(2) is formed primarily in chlorophyll containing complexes, and damages pigments, lipids, proteins and other cellular constituents in their environment. A useful approach to study the physiological role of O-1(2) is the utilization of external photosensitizers. In the present study, we employed a multiwell plate-based screening method in combination with chlorophyll fluorescence imaging to characterize the effect of externally produced O-1(2) on the photosynthetic activity of isolated thylakoid membranes and intact Chlorella sorokiniana cells. The results show that the external O-1(2) produced by the photosensitization reactions of Rose Bengal damages Photosystem II both in isolated thylakoid membranes and in intact cells in a concentration dependent manner indicating that O-1(2) plays a significant role in photodamage of Photosystem II

PAKistan Study of prEmature coronary atHerosclerosis in young AdulTs (PAK-SEHAT): A prospective longitudinal study protocol investigating the prevalence, severity and determinants of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the young adult Pakistani population

Introduction: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality and health expenditures worldwide. Despite having higher ASCVD in the Pakistani population, data on subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in young Pakistanis remain scarce. The PAKistan Study of prEmature coronary atHerosclerosis in young AdulTs (PAK-SEHAT) aims to assess the prevalence, severity and determinants of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis among Pakistani men (35-60 years) and women (35-65 years) free of clinically symptomatic ASCVD and will assess 5-year rates of ASCVD events.Methods and analysis: PAK-SEHAT is an ongoing prospective cohort study with 2000 participants from all provinces of Pakistan who will be interviewed at the baseline along with phlebotomy, measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Phlebotomy will be repeated at 2.5 years, whereas CIMT and CCTA will be repeated at 5 years. We will report the frequency of maximal coronary stenosis ≥50% and ≥70%, number of coronary vessels with plaque and the number of coronary segments affected per participant on CCTA. We will use Cox proportional hazards regression models to evaluate the association between baseline characteristics and incident ASCVD events during follow-up. These associations will be presented as HRs with 95% CIs.Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol was approved by the Tabba Heart Institute Institutional Review Board (THI/IRB/FQ/22-09-2021/016). All study procedures are consistent with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Findings of the study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.Trial registration number: NCT05156736

Investigation of the anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of wheat bread supplemented with onion peel extract and onion powder in diabetic rats

Aim Onion is one of the commonly cultivated and consumed vegetables rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. Various nutraceuticals are found in the outer fleshy layers and dry peel of onion which usually is treated as a common biowaste. Diabetes mellitus is a leading non communicable disease causing hyperglycemia and increased production of free radicals that potentially disrupts antioxidant enzymatic activity. Considering global consumption of wheat, the present study was designed to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of wheat bread supplemented with onion peel extract (OPE) or onion powder (OP) on diabetic rats. Methods In this study, ethanolic extract of onion peel and onion bulb were prepared separately. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups (n = 7). Different regimens of supplemented wheat bread (OPE (1% and 3%) and OP (5% and 7%)) were given to diabetic rats for eight weeks, plain bread was used as the control. Blood glucose level, body weight and activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GSH and MDA in the liver and kidney tissues were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version (25) and Dunnett's multiple comparison test. Results Bread supplemented with 1% and 3% onion peel extract and 7% onion powder significantly reduced blood glucose levels and MDA in the treated rats compared with the control group diabetic rats. Body weight of diabetic rats was reduced for control group, while onion supplemented diet improved the body weight of treated rats. Onion supplementation also brought significant improvement in antioxidant enzyme activities among the treated diabetic rats. Conclusion These findings suggested that onion supplementation is effective in lowering blood glucose and could potentially aid in protecting organs from oxidative stress.Peer reviewe