The Frequency of Dyslipidemia in Young Overweight and Obese Students (Age 10-16 Years) in Schools of Swat, Pakistan

Obesity is a multifaceted disease caused by hormonal imbalance. There is a significant increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity across the globe. The study was conducted to estimate the frequency of Pediatric dyslipidemia. The Prevalence of obesity was determined by serum lipid concentrations of students in Private Schools of Swat. The cross-sectional analytical study enrolled 1374 Students, both boys (870) and girls (504). Detailed history of the students were recorded through a survey, which included student’s sociodemographic and clinical variables. BMI of students were calculated by the formula BMI=weight/height (kg/m2). The analysis of the data was done through SPSS Version 22. The students enrolled in this study were grouped on gender basis i.e, male (68) and female (31). The Prevalance of dyslipidemia was measured to be 42.4%. Significant association was found between the rate of dyslipidemia and BMI (59.5% in obese and 40.5% in overweight). No significant gender differences were found in serum lipid levels. The rate of dyslipidemia was measured to be a slightly increased in boys as compared to girls but not statistically significant

Courses beyond borders: A case study of MOOC platform Coursera

Purpose: The study assesses the participation of different institutions in online learning environment of Coursera. Collaborative efforts, involvement of instructors and the mode of course instruction were also looked at. Design/Methodology: Data were harvested from the official website of Coursera. Through its various features, information pertaining to courses being offered, subject categorization, institutions and instructors involved was collected, tabulated and analyzed. Findings: As of February 2016, 138 institutions from 28 countries offered 1765 coursers through Coursera with the aid of 1903 instructors. Institutions were mainly from high economic zone countries. Nearly 59 percent courses were from USA based institutions and at institutional level University of Pennsylvania (USA) offered a maximum of 84 courses. Collaboration at institutional level was observed in 32 courses with instructors from different institutions, within & outside the same country. 25 percent courses were related to Business and 33 percent courses provided flexibility (on-demand) to people to learn and enrich their skills at their own pace. Implications: Further research needs to be done to evaluate the efficacy of such platforms and explore best practices to reframe the position of traditional universities. Originality/Value: The study is first of its kind to assess online learning environment with respect to participation of institutions to offer various courses and involvement of instructors from all over the globe to make such a courseware a success

Cerebellar Tubercular Abscess

Tubercular brain abscess is an uncommon lesion and tubercular cerebellar abscess is rarely reported. Almost all case reports of tuberculous abscess are described in HIVinfected or immunocompromised patients. We report a case of presented with an immunocompetent patient who was diagnosed with probable tuberculous brain abscess of the cerebellum. She complained of headache, neck pain and unsteadiness of gait since two months and associated diplopia on clinical examination. She did not have any history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Diagnosis was made by CT scan/MRI of brain. She responded well to anti tuberculous treatment and her symptoms resolved without any surgical intervention

NEED OF 7S IN SERVICE OPERATION ENVIRONMENT AS COMPARED TO 5S AND 6S

Manufacturing companies distinguish themselves by their operational efficiency and the quality of their products. The 5S and 6S methodologies are commonly used in service operations to enhance efficiency and productivity. Although there are some similarities between these approaches and the 7S technique, there are also notable differences. The 7S technique can be applied in service operations to improve efficiency and productivity by focusing on the spirit element. This study analyzes the significance of the spirit element in the 7S technique and assesses the effectiveness of 5S, 6S, and 7S in service operations. Furthermore, it aims to identify the necessity of the 7S approach in organizations where 5S and 6S are already being used efficiently. The research employs a quantitative methodology and the results indicate that 60% to 79% of the respondents believe that spirit is a crucial aspect of the 7S technique and has positive outcomes. Encouraging a positive spirit can enhance teamwork, motivate and engage employees, and instill a sense of ownership among them. The 7S technique emphasizes an organization's shared values and culture, which can create a positive work environment, encourage employee engagement, improve communication, to lead to better performance

Influence of personality traits on open access mode of publishing

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of personality traits on perception and acceptance of open access (OA) mode of publishing by the author community of University of Kashmir, India. The study is an attempt to highlight the relationship between personality traits of authors and OA mode of publishing. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the responses of 48 faculty members affiliated with different Departments of Science Discipline of University of Kashmir. Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience) were tapped through ten-item personality inventory, and information regarding OA was gauged through six self-devised statements. Findings – Pearson correlation test confirms statistically significant relation between personality traits and different dimensions of OA mode of publishing. Personality traits are found to have an influence on author’s perception of OA mode of publishing. However, the study could not ascertain any relation between the notions of an author about the quality of OA content with any of the personality traits. Emotionally stable authors are found to explicitly submit their work in OA journals without any anxiety or negativity. Agreeable and conscientious authors also prefer to keep their work open to make it helpful to the broader audience and get maximum recognition from peers and citations to their work respectively. However, some authors (agreeable) hesitate in submitting their work in open platforms due to the fear of getting their works easily copie

Exploring the potential of FDA approved anti-diabetic drugs for repurposing against COVID-19: a core combination of multiple computational strategies and integrated artificial intelligence

The latest variant of coronavirus is omicron. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated variation ‘B.1.1.529’ named omicron as a variant of concern (VOC) on 26 November 2021. By September 2020, it will have infected over 16 million patients and killed over 600,000 people over the world. This very infectious viral illness still poses a danger to world health; it has also become the greatest problem the world is facing and become the main area of research. The development of vaccines is insufficient to stop their spread and serious effects. Despite several reputable pharmaceutical firms claiming to have developed a cure for COVID-19. For that purpose, the field-based 3D-QSAR model has been used to analyze a series of anti-diabetic drugs to repurpose them against COVID-19. The LOO verified partial least square (PLS) model generates satisfactory q2 (0.4) and r2 (0.5) values. By using this model 10 compounds were screened out of 55 FDA approved anti-diabetic drugs (built-up library). Additionally, these substances were examined using molecular docking screening and ADMET. Finally, the drugs L8, and L23 were discovered to be the lead drugs. Density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311G* technique was used to examine structural geometries, electronic characteristics, and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP). This work will greatly assist in the detection and development of leads for early drug development to control COVID-19. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma</p

Physiochemical, Biochemical, Minerals Content Analysis, and Antioxidant Potential of National and International Honeys in Pakistan

16 honey samples from Pakistan and two other countries were investigated for their physiochemical, biochemical, minerals, and antioxidant potential. Antioxidant activities of all honey samples were performed by using percentage inhibition of DPPH free radical, AEAC, and FRAP. 5-HMF and mineral contents were determined by HPLC and AAS, respectively. The obtained values of respective parameters, namely, pH, EC, TDS, total acidity, moisture, ash, color intensity, sugars, proline, and protein were in compliance with codex standard and recommendation of council directive by European Union. The total phenolics contents in acacia honey from Germany and jujube honey from Pakistan are similar to monofloral honey from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, respectively. The mineral contents in tested honey samples are comparable with honey from Brazil and Romania. Dark color honeys contained higher phenolic contents than light color ones and attributed to higher oxidation potential and have strong positive correlation with DPPH and FRAP

Plant-Derived Smoke Ameliorates Salt Stress in Wheat by Enhancing Expressions of Stress-Responsive Genes and Antioxidant Enzymatic Activity

Abiotic stresses are the biggest threat to the increasing population worldwide. Salt stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses, affecting 20% of the crop production around the world. Plant-derived smoke (PDS) has been reported as a biologically active plant product in stimulating seed germination, seedling growth and physiological characteristics of crops under abiotic stress conditions. Nevertheless, studies showing how PDS alleviates salt stress are largely unknown. Here, we report the molecular mechanism of how PDS could alleviate salt stress in wheat. Initially, PDS at 2000 ppm enhanced seed germination, root/shoot length and seedling fresh weight. However, PDS at 1000 and 500 ppm did not show any significant effect. Salt stress at 150 and 200 mM significantly reduced seed germination rate, root/shoot length and fresh weight of the wheat seedlings. Interestingly, PDS supplementation at 2000 ppm concentration was sufficient to restore seed germination under salt stress condition. Moreover, PDS improved root/shoot length and seedling biomass under 150 and 200 mM salt stress, suggesting that PDS is a potent plant product, capable of abiotic stress alleviation in crops. In comparison to the control, PDS-treated seedlings displayed increased activity of major antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase under salt stress, resulting in reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidase, showing that PDS can possibly help in salt stress amelioration by regulating redox homeostasis. Importantly, salt stress altered the expression of germination marker genes, such as TaSAM, TaPHY, TaBGU (germination positive effectors), TaLEA and TaGARS34 (germination negative effectors), suggesting the potential role of PDS in the germination pathway under salt stress. Further, PDS modulated the transcript levels of several salt stress stress-responsive genes, including TaSOS4, TaBADH and TaHKT2. In conclusion, this study provides a molecular and physiological basis for elucidating the mechanism of how PDS functions in stress induction in wheat, as well as demonstrates the importance of PDS in agricultural practices, laying the groundwork for future research into the role of PDS in the amelioration of abiotic stresses in various plants

Plant-Derived Smoke Ameliorates Salt Stress in Wheat by Enhancing Expressions of Stress-Responsive Genes and Antioxidant Enzymatic Activity

Abiotic stresses are the biggest threat to the increasing population worldwide. Salt stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses, affecting 20% of the crop production around the world. Plant-derived smoke (PDS) has been reported as a biologically active plant product in stimulating seed germination, seedling growth and physiological characteristics of crops under abiotic stress conditions. Nevertheless, studies showing how PDS alleviates salt stress are largely unknown. Here, we report the molecular mechanism of how PDS could alleviate salt stress in wheat. Initially, PDS at 2000 ppm enhanced seed germination, root/shoot length and seedling fresh weight. However, PDS at 1000 and 500 ppm did not show any significant effect. Salt stress at 150 and 200 mM significantly reduced seed germination rate, root/shoot length and fresh weight of the wheat seedlings. Interestingly, PDS supplementation at 2000 ppm concentration was sufficient to restore seed germination under salt stress condition. Moreover, PDS improved root/shoot length and seedling biomass under 150 and 200 mM salt stress, suggesting that PDS is a potent plant product, capable of abiotic stress alleviation in crops. In comparison to the control, PDS-treated seedlings displayed increased activity of major antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase under salt stress, resulting in reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidase, showing that PDS can possibly help in salt stress amelioration by regulating redox homeostasis. Importantly, salt stress altered the expression of germination marker genes, such as TaSAM, TaPHY, TaBGU (germination positive effectors), TaLEA and TaGARS34 (germination negative effectors), suggesting the potential role of PDS in the germination pathway under salt stress. Further, PDS modulated the transcript levels of several salt stress stress-responsive genes, including TaSOS4, TaBADH and TaHKT2. In conclusion, this study provides a molecular and physiological basis for elucidating the mechanism of how PDS functions in stress induction in wheat, as well as demonstrates the importance of PDS in agricultural practices, laying the groundwork for future research into the role of PDS in the amelioration of abiotic stresses in various plants