Comparison of physical activity levels among school-age adolescents in the rural and urban areas of district Swat KPK, Pakistan- An analytical cross-sectional study

Background: Obesity and overweight represent significant global public health concerns. Young adolescents are in particular increasingly experiencing obesity and overweight due to their sedentary lifestyles, excessive electronic media use, and lack of physical activity (PA). This trend is linked to the development of non-communicable diseases in later life. Moreover, data regarding the lack of PA is available in Pakistan, but a gap exists in the comparative analysis of physical activity levels between rural and urban adolescents. Rural and urban areas exhibit distinctions in both geographical settings and technological advancements, potentially influencing the PA levels of their respective inhabitants.Purpose: The study aimed to compare physical activity levels among school-age adolescents in rural and urban areas of Swat, KPK, Pakistan. In addition, the study also aimed to explore how gender, age, grade, and school type influenced the PA levels of adolescents.Method: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out with a sample size of 287 school-age adolescents (aged 10 to 14 years) selected from 08 public and private middle schools in rural and urban areas of district Swat, KPK, Pakistan. The data about physical activity was collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire adapted from the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). In addition, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for the analysis of data.Findings: The mean PA score for rural adolescents was 3.65±0.38, whereas the mean PA score for urban adolescents was 2.22±0.47. Thus, there was a mean difference of 1.43 which was significant at 0.05 level of significance (t= 28.11, P value=\u3c0.001). In addition, a significant difference between private and government school-age adolescents’ PA levels was found (t-value (3.73), df (285) p-value of (\u3c0.001). Moreover, there was no significant difference in PA levels in terms of gender and grade of adolescents. Further, a very low negative correlation was found (r = -0.1) between the age and PA scores of school-age adolescents.Conclusion: Place of residence has an impact on the PA level of adolescents because the study found a significant difference in the mean PA levels of school-age adolescents in rural and urban areas. It is recommended to conduct future research to identify the factors that contribute to disparities in PA among adolescents residing in rural and urban areas

Studies of solute-solvent interactions and miceller behaviour of complexes of copper (II) palmitate with substituted phenylthiourea and 2-amino benzothiazole in methanol-benzene mixture

In this work, synthesis of copper (II) surfactants followed by the complexation of each other with the molar ratio of 1:2 dissolving in ethanol have been reported. The purity of the resulting complexes of the general formula- CP(PTU )T , CP(BTA)T was checked by thin layer chromatography and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis. Their spectral studies are also included and data suggest that Cu (II) phenylthiourea mixed system binds through the donor ability of nitrogen to transition metal. The magnetic moment studies suggest the dimeric nature of the complexes. IR, NMR, ESR spectral details confirm that complexation has taken place successfully and dada suggest that the complexes possess elongated octahedral geometry. Density, Molar Volume, Apparent Molar Volume of these complexes was investigated in non-aqueous solvent at various concentrations by Springel Pyknometer to understand the nature, critical micelle concentration and micelle characteristics of the complexes. Overall, the CMC values were found to be decreased with increasing average molecular weight of soap complex. The solute - solute interactions were found to be greater before CMC whereas solute-solvent interactions were found greater after CMC

STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF NITROGEN DOPED ANATASE AND RUTILE TiO2 THIN FILMS

Anatase and rutile TiO2 thin films have been doped by N ion implantation. The effect of N doping on the structural changes of TiO2 thin films and its correlation to the optical and chemical properties of the films is investigated. The depth and concentration of the implanted N atoms is found not to exhibit substantial difference for anatase and rutile phases. The energy loss of the implanted N atoms correlates well to the energy gained by O and Ti atoms in the TiO2 lattice. An increased number of O vacancies are found to be generated as compared to Ti for both anatase and rutile phases. The energy loss mechanisms of the implanted N atoms together with the O vacancy generation are found to be the major driving forces for facilitating enhanced optical and chemical properties of the TiO2 thin films

Intravesical foreign body: tertiary care center experience from Pakistan.

Foreign body in bladder is relatively uncommon condition with variable presentations. Literature is limited to case reports and small series from region. Therefore, we planned this study to review our experience regarding intravesical foreign body. This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised 14 patients having intravesical foreign bodies from March 1989 to March 2013. Demographics, presentation, mode of insertion, type of foreign body and management were noted. Of the 11(78.6%) patients included in the study, 10(90.9%) patients were male and 1(9.1%) was female. The mean age was 51± 20 years. In 5(45.5%) patients, foreign bodies reached bladder by iatrogenic route followed by self-insertion in 4(36.4%) patients. Retrieved foreign bodes included piece of Foley\\u27s catheter, electric wire, ureteric stent, plastic material, double-J stent pusher, Endo gastrointestinal (GI) staples, sticks of broom and bomb shrapnel. All patients were managed successfully with endoscopic removal. However, 5(45.5%) patients required additional urological procedures. This could represent a urologic challenge. Careful history and symptoms could lead to further investigations

Antioxidant potential of different extracts and fractions of Catharanthus roseus shoots

Antioxidant effectiveness of indigenous medicinal plant C. roseus shoots extracts and fractions with solvents of different polarity (n–hexane, ethylacetate, methanol, chloroform) was assessed for total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH radical scavenging activity and % inhibition of peroxidation in linoleic acid system. The C. roseus extracts and fractions contained appreciable levels of total phenolic contents 3.2 to 8.5 GAE (g/100g per dry matter) and total flavonoid contents 1.8 to 5.4 CE (g/100 of per dry matter). The C. roseus shoots extracts and fractions also exhibited good DPPH radical IC50, 28.2 to 119 µg/ml and Inhibition of Peroxidation in Linoleic Acid (38.4 to75.1%) respectively. Of the C. roseus shoots extracts and fractions tested, 100% methanolic extract exhibited the maximum antioxidant activity, the results of the present investigation demonstrated significant (p<0.05) variations in the antioxidant activity. The results of the present comprehensive analysis demonstrated that C. roseus extracts and fractions are a viable source of natural antioxidants and might be exploited for functional foods and nutraceutical applications

Probing Study on Facilities of Competitive Sports in District Jail, Lucknow (India)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate organizational structure, administrative frame-work andfacilities of Sports in District Jail of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, India. The sample of the present study wasdrawn randomly from the jail administrators, prisoners and physical educator(s) of District Jail of Lucknow.The size of the sample was 55 comprising 50 prisoners and 5 administrators. No physical educator(s) wasfound in the jail. Questionnaire taken for the study was developed by the researchers in a pilot study. Itincludes five sub-scales (a) Organizational Structure, (b) Administrative Frame-work, (c) Facilities ofSports, (d) Preference of Sports, and (e) Achievements in Sports. The percentile method was used in theanalysis of the results. The data indicates that some of the inmate information's intended to continue theirsports involvement following their release whereas some of the administrators recorded their responses to prescribe the Government of India for the proper sports facilities in their jail. Many of the inmates wouldrather watch sports events on television rather than participate in one themselves.Keywords: Organization; Facilities; Prisoners; Administrators; District Jail, Lucknow

Floristic divergence of weeds in rice fields under subtropical condition

Weed infestation pattern changes over time for continuous adaptation of similar weed control methods. So, a survey was conducted at Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University from July 2019 to June 2020 to identify the most dominant and abundant weed species as well as to indicate the probable problematic weed in boro and T. aman rice. Seven fields were randomly selected for each of the boro and T. aman rice. The surveys were performed according to quantitative survey technique by using 0.25m2 quadrate with 16 samples from each of the field following the zig-zag method. Sampling was done twice, while the rice plants were at the vegetative stage and at reproductive stage. Fifty one weed species under 23 families were recorded at experimental area of which 42 species (under 18 families) and 38 species (under 20 families) were observed in boro and T. aman, respectively. Poaceae topped the list with 10 species, while Cyperaceae ranked second with six species. The highest number of weed species (no. 42) was observed in boro rice compared to T. aman rice (no. 38). Besides, divergence in the weed composition was also high between both rice fields. Among the 11 abundant weed species, Eleocharis atropurpurea, Echinochloa crusgalli and Monochoria vaginalis were the most frequent and abundant weed species found in both boro rice and T. aman rice. Broadleaves had higher abundance value (246.26% in boro and 332.39% in T. aman) than grasses (188.76% in boro and 146.68% in T. aman) and sedges (164.98% in boro and 120.93% in T. aman). Moreover, the annuals were dominant over the perennials. Therefore, the present results having diversified weed species with different ranks and orders indicated that the weed management strategies should be taken regarding the infestation of dominant weed species of the respective crop

Fluorescence behavior of nanoconjugates of graphene quantum dots and zinc phthalocyanines

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and zinc phthalocyanines interactions in different modes (covalent and non-covalent) are reported in this study. GQDs were covalently attached to the following complexes: zinc tetraamino phthalocyanine (ZnTAPc) via amide coupling, zinc tetracarboxyphenoxy Pc (ZnTCPPc) (π–π interaction) and cationic zinc tetrapyridiloxy Pc (ZnTmPyPc) (ionic interaction). GQDs fluorescence was quenched in the presence of the ZnPc derivatives. The nanoensembles of GQDs–ZnPcs showed stimulated emissions of the ZnPcs. The suggested quenching mechanism is through Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). These novel nanoensembles hold promise for various optical and luminescence based applications

The interaction between graphene quantum dots grafted with polyethyleneimine and Au@ Ag nanoparticles

Graphene quantum dots grafted with polyethyleneimine (GQDs-PEI) and Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles blend was demonstrated to be a novel biosensing nanoprobe for the rapid and highly sensitive detection of biothiols such as cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcys) and glutathione (GSH). The fluorescence emission of GQDs-PEI was quenched efficiently upon interaction with Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles. The quenched fluorescence emission of the GQDs-PEI was restored in the presence of the biothiols. The fluorimetric sensing is based on the strong affinity between the mercapto (SH) groups of the biothiols and the Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles by which the interaction between GQDs-PEI and Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles was disrupted with a consequent modulation (‘turn-on’) of the quenched GQDs-PEI emission. Thus, a new, simple, rapid and highly sensitive fluorescence nanoprobe for detecting biothiols has been developed in this work