A quantitative analysis of the impact of parenting style on psychological well-being of youth and adolescents in Lahore, Pakistan

Family institutions play a significant role in moulding adolescents’ behaviour and psychological well-being. Parents give identity and protection to adolescents. This research has adopted a cross-sectional quantitative research design that used a survey method to collect data. This study aims to examine the connection between Baumrind’s four styles of parenting with the psychological well-being of young people; it also tries to explore how adolescents perceive the parenting styles of their mother and father based on care and overprotection that how it helps to mould and shape their development and well-being. Data are gathered from 300 participants, (150) parents aged 35-65, (150) adolescents and youth aged 15 to 22; all are studying in educational institutes and different areas of Lahore. Three structured scales, namely parental bonding instrument, parenting style questionnaire, and psychological well-being scale, are used to collect data. The convenient sampling technique is used to gather data through an online survey. After analyzing the data, the results indicate that authoritarian, uninvolved parenting styles and the age of children have a significant positive association with the psychological well-being of children. The study outcomes suggest better guidance for parents and guardians to avoid harmful behaviour affecting their youth’s psychological and mental well-being

Antidiabetic activity of Berberis brandisiana is possibly mediated through modulation of insulin signaling pathway, inflammatory cytokines and adipocytokines in high fat diet and streptozotocin-administered rats

Medicinal plants play a key role in protection of chronic non-communicable ailments like diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt (Berberidaceae) is traditionally used to treat diabetes, liver problems, wounds, arthritis, infections, swelling and tumors. It is also known to be enriched with multiple phytoconstituents including berbamine, berberine, quercetin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, benzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, m-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. The efficacy of B. brandisiana has not been established yet in diabetes. This study has been planned to assess the antidiabetic activity of B. brandisiana in high fat diet and streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced diabetes using animals. Administration of aqueous methanolic extract of B. brandisiana (AMEBB) and berbamine (Berb) for 8 weeks caused a dose dependent marked (p < 0.01) rise in serum insulin and HDL levels with a significant decline (p < 0.01) in glucose, triglycerides, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), cholesterol, LDL, LFTs and RFTs levels when compared with only HFD/STZ-administered rats. AMEBB and Berb also modulated inflammatory biomarkers (TNF-α, IL-6) and adipocytokines (leptin, adiponectin and chemerin). AMEBB (150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) and Berb (80 mg/kg and 160 mg/kg) treated rats showed a marked increase (p < 0.001) in catalase levels (Units/mg) in pancreas (42.4 ± 0.24, 47.4 ± 0.51), (38.2 ± 0.583, 48.6 ± 1.03) and liver (52 ± 1.41, 63.2 ± 0.51), (57.2 ± 0.58, 61.6 ± 1.24) and superoxide dismutase levels (Units/mg) in pancreas (34.8 ± 1.46, 38.2 ± 0.58), (33.2 ± 0.80, 40.4 ± 1.96) and liver (31.8 ± 1.52, 36.8 ± 0.96), (30 ± 0.70, 38.4 ± 0.81),respectively while a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in serum melondialdehyde levels (nmol/g) in pancreas (7.34 ± 0.17, 6.22 ± 0.22), (7.34 ± 0.20, 6.34 ± 0.11) and liver (9.08 ± 0.31,8.18 ± 0.29), (9.34 ± 0.10, 8.86 ± 0.24) compared to the data of only HFD/STZ-fed rats. Histopathological studies of pancreas, liver, kidney, heart and aorta revealed restoration of normal tissue architect in AMEBB and Berb treated rats. When mRNA expressions of candidate genes were assessed, AMEBB and Berb showed upregulation of IRS-1, SIRT1, GLUT-4 and downregulation of ADAM17. These findings suggest that AMEBB and Berb possess antidiabetic activity, possibly due to its effect on oxidative stress, glucose metabolism, inflammatory biomarkers and adipocytokines levels. Further upregulation of IRS-1, SIRT1, GLUT-4 and downregulation of ADAM17, demonstrated its potential impact on glucose homeostasis, insulin resistance and chronic inflammatory markers. Thus, this study provides support to the medicinal use of B. brandisiana and berbamine in diabetes

Evolution and analysis of securehash algorithm (sha) family

With the rapid advancement of technologies and proliferation of intelligent devices, connecting to the internet challenges have grown manifold, such as ensuring communication security and keeping user credentials secret. Data integrity and user privacy have become crucial concerns in any ecosystem of advanced and interconnected communications. Cryptographic hash functions have been extensively employed to ensure data integrity in insecure environments. Hash functions are also combined with digital signatures to offer identity verification mechanisms and non-repudiation services. The federal organization National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established the SHA to provide security and optimal performance over some time. The most well-known hashing standards are SHA-1, SHA-2, and SHA-3. This paper discusses the background of hashing, followed by elaborating on the evolution of the SHA family. The main goal is to present a comparative analysis of these hashing standards and focus on their security strength, performance and limitations against common attacks. The complete assessment was carried out using statistical analysis, performance analysis and extensive fault analysis over a defined test environment. The study outcome showcases the issues ofSHA-1 besides exploring the security benefits of all the dominant variants of SHA-2 and SHA-3. The study also concludes that SHA-3 is the best option to mitigate novice intruders while allowing better performance cost-effectivel

Revamping of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) endure an asymmetrically high burden of worldwide disease and death caused by chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), i.e., asthma, emphysema, bronchiectasis, and post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD). CRDs are firmly related with indigence, infectious diseases, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and add to complex multi-disease with great impact on the lives and livelihood of those affected. The pertinence of CRDs to health and demographic wellbeing is relied upon to increment in the long time ahead, as expectations of life rise and the contending dangers of right on time youth mortality and irresistible infections level. The WHO has distinguished the counteraction and control of NCDs as an earnest improvement issue and crucial for the sustainable development goals (SDSs) by 2030. In this review, we center on CRDs in LMICs. We examine the early life roots of CRDs, challenges in their avoidance, identification and administration in LMICs, and the pathways to resolve for accomplish valid widespread wellbeing inclusion

DNA Repair Functions That Control Sensitivity to Topoisomerase-Targeting Drugs

DNA topoisomerases play critical roles in a wide range of cellular processes by altering DNA topology to facilitate replication, transcription, and chromosome segregation. Topoisomerases alter DNA topology by introducing transient DNA strand breaks that involve a covalent protein DNA intermediate. Many agents have been found to prevent the religation of DNA strand breaks induced by the enzymes, thereby converting the enzymes into DNA-damaging agents. Repair of the DNA damage induced by topoisomerases is significant in understanding drug resistance arising following treatment with topoisomerase-targeting drugs. We have used the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to identify DNA repair pathways that are important for cell survival following drug treatment. S. pombe strains carrying mutations in genes required for homologous recombination such as rad22A or rad32 (homologues of RAD52 and MRE11) are hypersensitive to drugs targeting either topoisomerase I or topoisomerase II. In contrast to results observed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. pombe strains defective in nucleotide excision repair are also hypersensitive to topoisomerase-targeting agents. The loss of DNA replication or DNA damage checkpoints also sensitizes cells to both topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II inhibitors. Finally, repair genes (such as the S. pombe rad8(+) gene) with no obvious homologs in other systems also play important roles in causing sensitivity to topoisomerase drugs. Since the pattern of sensitivity is distinct from that seen with other systems (such as the S. cerevisiae system), our results highlight the usefulness of S. pombe in understanding how cells deal with the unique DNA damage induced by topoisomerases

Modeling, simulation and forecasting of wind power plants using agent-based approach

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd National economy and growth rely heavily on electricity but rapid urbanization, expeditious industrialization and increased domestic use due to population growth are among the reasons for the severe energy crisis in developing countries. The extended demand-supply gaps, depleting reservoirs of fossil fuel, and the environmental hazards altogether ignite the need for wider adoption of renewable energy resources for electricity generation. A functional assessment of the engineering design for this transition is a prerequisite before proceeding to on-ground implementation due to its high impact on system sustainability. To this end, we propose an agent-based modeling and simulation framework for the rapid prototyping of wind power plants. The proposed approach abstracts active components of wind power plants using agents and implements their dynamic behavior through agent interactions. The proposed model helps in composing different model components, design valuation, and forecasting energy generation in a cost-effective and productive manner. The proposed model is demonstrated by conceptualizing the design of the Foundation Wind Energy plant, located at Sindh, Pakistan, and the development of its agent-based model. The obtained short-term and long-term electricity generation profiles are validated with the actual data. We further compared the forecasts with the time series analysis performed on the actual data, using five different time-series forecasting models. The proposed simulation model and time series analysis model fit well on the actual data with a root mean square deviation of approximately 9 MW. The proposed framework will assist the policymakers in estimating the extent of electrical energy produced at given conditions using the wind potential available at the corridors of any country. It will further aid in the realistic analysis of the future dynamics of electricity demand and supply, hence help in effective energy planning

Sleep Quality in relation with Perceived Stress and Physical Activity in the Students of Pakistani Medical Colleges

Background: Sleep is an essential function of our body. Many surveys have reported the prevalence of poor sleep in university students, especially in medical students.  Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of physical activity and stress on sleep quality among medical students in Pakistan. Materials & Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted on medical students of private medical colleges in Lahore. A convenient sampling technique was used and 210 students were selected. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Godin Shephard Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (GSLTPAQ), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) were used for data collection. We used SPSS version 20 to analyze data and applied statistical tests: Chi-square test and Logistic Regression.  p-value < 0.05 was taken to establish significance. Results: Among the study participants 91(43.3%) were males and 119 (57.7%) were females. There was a significant effect of stress level on sleep quality (P=0.000*). The frequency of good sleepers was seen to increase by almost three times with increasing physical activity, however, this difference remained non-significant (p=0.07). The logistic regression test showed a significant relationship between poor sleep and stress (p=0. 008**) while no significant relationship was seen between sleep quality and physical activity. Conclusion: There was a significant association between poor sleep and high-stress levels and an increase in physical activity showed an increase in the frequency of good sleep, however, this difference was non-significant. It can be inferred that this positive effect of increasing physical activity on the quality of sleep could be indirectly due to its relieving effect on stress.

BCR-ABL1 alters SDF-1α–mediated adhesive responses through the β2 integrin LFA-1 in leukemia cells

Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor, CXCR4, are essential for normal hematopoietic progenitor cell movement and adherence within the bone marrow microenvironment. In leukemia, the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein inhibits SDF-1–dependent cell trafficking within the bone marrow through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Here, we report that BCR-ABL1 in malignant cells constitutively increases expression of activation-dependent epitopes of the β2 integrin LFA-1. This is associated with the complete loss of responsiveness of LFA-1 to SDF-1–induced “inside-out” signaling involving CXCR4 and Lyn, leading to aberrant adhesive responses. These data provide a novel, LFA-1–mediated mechanism whereby BCR-ABL1 inhibits SDF-1 action in malignant progenitors