The Influence of Depression on Different Age and Gender Groups in Bahawalpur

In Bahawalpur,a cross-sectional study assessed depression prevalence across age and gender groups,involving 442 participants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and settings.Utilizing the PHQ9 questionnaire,84%were found to meet depression levels.The findings revealed a higher incidence in females(88%)than males(79%),with the greatest disparity among young adults,particularly young women,due to factors like academic pressure and financial stress.School children had the lowest depression rates(68%),possibly due to better immunity.Elderly individuals exhibited more severe depression,likely related to aging and domestic challenges.The study’s findings highlight a significant variation in depression severity across different demographic groups,with an overall higher incidence in women.The research underscores the necessity for targeted mental health resources and interventions tailored to the specific needs of each demographic group.It also points to the importance of addressing academic and socioeconomic stressors to mitigate depression,particularly among young women.While the study provides valuable insights,it relies on self-reported data,which may introduce bias.Therefore,future research should include clinical assessments to validate these findings and ensure a more accurate representation of depression within the community.

A Structure Preserving Numerical Method for Solution of Stochastic Epidemic Model of Smoking Dynamics

In this manuscript,we consider a stochastic smoking epidemic model from behavioural sciences.Also,we develop a structure preserving numerical method to describe the dynamics of stochastic smoking epidemic model in a human population.The structural properties of a physical system include positivity,boundedness and dynamical consistency.These properties play a vital role in non-linear dynamics.The solution for nonlinear stochastic models necessitates the conservation of these properties.Unfortunately,the aforementioned properties of the model have not been restored in the existing stochastic methods.Therefore,it is essential to construct a structure preserving numerical method for a reliable analysis of stochastic smoking model.The usual explicit stochastic numerical methods are time-dependent and violate most of the structural properties.In this work,we have developed the implicitly driven explicit method for the solution of stochastic smoking model.It is also proved that the newly developed method sustains all the aforementioned properties of the system.Finally,the convergence analysis of the newly developed method and graphical illustrations are presented.

Vibration characteristics of FGM circular cylindrical shells filled with fluid using wave propagation approach

The vibration characteristics of a functionally graded material circular cylindrical shell filled with fluid are examined with a wave propagation approach. The shell is filled with an incompressible non-viscous fluid. Axial modal dependence is approximated by exponential functions. A theoretical study of shell vibration frequencies is analyzed for simply supported-simply supported, clamped-simply supported, and clamped-clamped boundary conditions with the fluid effect. The validity and the accuracy of the present method are confirmed by comparing the present results with those available in the literature. Good agreement is observed between the two sets of results.

Numerical Analysis of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) Pandemic Model with Advection

Recently,the world is facing the terror of the novel corona-virus,termed as COVID-19.Various health institutes and researchers are continuously striving to control this pandemic.In this article,the SEIAR(susceptible,exposed,infected,symptomatically infected,asymptomatically infected and recovered)infection model of COVID-19 with a constant rate of advection is studied for the disease propagation.A simple model of the disease is extended to an advection model by accommodating the advection process and some appropriate parameters in the system.The continuous model is transposed into a discrete numerical model by discretizing the domains,finitely.To analyze the disease dynamics,a structure preserving non-standard finite difference scheme is designed.Two steady states of the continuous system are described i.e.,virus free steady state and virus existing steady state.Graphical results show that both the steady states of the numerical design coincide with the fixed points of the continuous SEIAR model.Positivity of the state variables is ensured by applying the M-matrix theory.A result for the positivity property is established.For the proposed numerical design,two different types of the stability are investigated.Nonlinear stability and linear stability for the projected scheme is examined by applying some standard results.Von Neuman stability test is applied to ensure linear stability.The reproductive number is described and its pivotal role in stability analysis is also discussed.Consistency and convergence of the numerical model is also studied.Numerical graphs are presented via computer simulations to prove the worth and efficiency of the quarantine factor is explored graphically,which is helpful in controlling the disease dynamics.In the end,the conclusion of the study is also rendered.

Structure Preserving Algorithm for Fractional Order Mathematical Model of COVID-19

In this article,a brief biological structure and some basic properties of COVID-19 are described.A classical integer order model is modified and converted into a fractional order model withξas order of the fractional derivative.Moreover,a valued structure preserving the numerical design,coined as Grunwald–Letnikov non-standard finite difference scheme,is developed for the fractional COVID-19 model.Taking into account the importance of the positivity and boundedness of the state variables,some productive results have been proved to ensure these essential features.Stability of the model at a corona free and a corona existing equilibrium points is investigated on the basis of Eigen values.The Routh–Hurwitz criterion is applied for the local stability analysis.An appropriate example with fitted and estimated set of parametric values is presented for the simulations.Graphical solutions are displayed for the chosen values ofξ(fractional order of the derivatives).The role of quarantined policy is also determined gradually to highlight its significance and relevancy in controlling infectious diseases.In the end,outcomes of the study are presented.

Induced Production of Exoglucanase, and <i>β</i>-Glucosidase from Fungal Co-Culture of T. <i>viride</i>and G. <i>lucidum</i>

In the present study, a co-culture technique was adopted with an aim to investigate a hyper production of exoglucanase, and β-glucosidase using cheap and easily available agro-industrial residue corn stover as growth supporting substrate. Various physio-chemical and nutritional variables were optimized using classical and completely randomized designs for induced production of exoglucanase, and β-glucosidase from the co-culture of Trichoderma viride and Ganoderma lucidum in solid state fermentation (SSF). Analysis profile showed that when the conditions of the SSF medium containing 15 g corn stover substrate (50% w/w moisture) inoculated with 6 mL of inoculum were optimal, the maximum productions of exoglucanase (485 ± 6.5 U/mL) and β-glucosidase (255 ± 3.3 U/mL) were recorded after 5 days of incubation at pH 6 and 35°C.

Tailoring microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites reinforced with novel Al/CuFe multi-layered core-shell particles

Aluminum matrix composites(AMCs), reinforced with novel pre-synthesized Al/Cu Fe multi-layered coreshell particles, were fabricated by different consolidation techniques to investigate their effect on microstructure and mechanical properties. To synthesize multi-layered Al/Cu Fe core-shell particles, Cu and Fe layers were deposited on Al powder particles by galvanic replacement and electroless plating method, respectively. The core-shell powder and sintered compacts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDX), pycnometer, microhardness and compression tests. The results revealed that a higher extent of interfacial reactions, due to the transformation of the deposited layer into intermetallic phases in spark plasma sintered composite, resulted in high relative density(99.26%), microhardness(165 HV0.3) and strength(572 MPa). Further, the presence of un-transformed Cu in the shell structure of hot-pressed composite resulted in the highest fracture strain(20.4%). The obtained results provide stronger implications for tailoring the microstructure of AMCs through selecting appropriate sintering paths to control mechanical properties.

OILCROP-SUN Model Relevance for Evaluation of Nitrogen Management of Sunflower Hybrids in Sargodha, Punjab

The experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of crop system (DSSAT) OILCROP-SUN model simulating growth & development and achene yield of sunflower hybrids in response to nitrogen under irrigated conditions in semi arid environment, Sargodha, Punjab. The model was evaluated with observed data collected in trials which were conducted during spring season in 2010 and 2011 in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Split plot design was used in layout of experiment with three replications. The hybrids (Hysun-33 & S-278) and N levels (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg.ha-1) were allotted in main and sub plots, respectively. The OILCROP-SUN model showed that the model was able to simulate growth and yield of sunflower with an average of 10.44 error% between observed and simulated achene yield (AY). The results of simulation analysis indicated that nitrogen rate of 150 kg.N.ha-1 (N3) produced the highest yield as compared to other treatments. Furthermore, the economic analysis through mean Gini Dominance also showed the dominance of this treatment compared to other treatment combinations. Thus management strategy consisting?of treatment 150 kg.N.ha-1 was the best for high yield of sunflower hybrids.

Frequency of Bcr-Abl Fusion Oncogene Splice Variants Associated with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

BCR-ABL fusion oncogene originates from the reciprocal translocation of chromosome 9 and 22 t(9;22) (q34;q11). It translates a chimeric protein, p210, characterized by constitutive activation of its tyrosine kinase, which triggers leukemogenic pathways resulting in onset of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In CML, the classic fusion is b2a2 or b3a2 fusing exon 13 (b2) or exon 14 (b3) of BCR to exon 2 (a2) of ABL. The type of bcr/abl transcripts may be associated with different prognosis and hence useful in therapeutic plan. This study was conducted to calculate the frequency of these splice variants as the frequencies of different fusion oncogenes associated with leukaemia can vary in different geographical regions due to interplay of genetic variation in different ethnic populations, diverse environmental factors and living style. A very sensitive nested RT-PCR was established to detect BCR-ABL splice variants in CML. Sensitivity of RT-PCR assay was of the order of 10–6. Thirty CML patients were subjected to BCR-ABL analysis. Out of 30 Pakistani patients, 19 (64%) expressed b3a2 while 11 (36%) expressed b2a2 transcript. This shows that BCR-ABL splice variants differ in their frequencies which may have an effect on biology and implications for prognosis and management of BCR-ABL positive Leukemias.

Generalized Inverted Kumaraswamy Distribution: Properties and Application

The techniques to find appropriate new models for data sets are very popular nowadays among the researchers of this area where existed models in the literature are not suitable. In this paper, a new distribution, generalized inverted Kumaraswamy (GIKum) distribution is introduced. The main aims of this research are to develop a general form of inverted Kumaraswamy (IKum) distribution which is flexible than the IKum distribution and all of its related and sub models. Some properties of GIKum distribution such as measures of central tendency and dispersion, models of stress-strength, limiting distributions, characterization of GIKum distribution and related probability distributions through some specific transformations are derived. The mathematical expressions of reliability function (r.f) and the hazard rate function (hrf) of the GIKum distribution are found and presented through their graphs. The parameters estimation through the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method is used and the results are applied to the data set of prices of wooden toys of 31 children.

枸杞功效成分衍生物AA-3βG的合成及其反应分子机理

鉴于枸杞在分子层面高附加值产品研发严重滞后之局面,本文通过深度分析反应分子机理,以一种廉价易得的维生素C作为起始原料,经4步反应有效地合成枸杞功效物质AA-2βG的衍生物3-O-β-D-葡萄糖基copyranosyl-L-抗坏血酸(AA-3βG),为枸杞功效物质基础研究和高端产品研发提供了技术支撑。

腐植酸产品特性及其对真菌和植物生长的影响

天然腐植酸主要来自风化煤和褐煤等，其产品主要有Pak腐植酸盐、腐植酸盐肥料、PakHumax、Hum-kara和Humide等，它们在使用之前必须了解其功效。本研究比较了4种腐植酸肥料的理化性质、光学特性以及对小麦（栽培品种Sehr）、绿豆（绿豆-54）、玉米（C-12）和田菁种子萌发和生长的影响，同时研究了它们对4种真菌的影响。4种腐植酸肥料的含水量为52%～71.11%，溶解度为30.2%～98.2%，密度为1.67～4.17g/mL，2%腐植酸肥料水溶液pH值为5.39～10.11，EC值为3.140～1.143mS/cm。4种腐植酸肥料的碳含量为22.95%～36.56%、氮含量为0.658%～1.183%，相应的C/N比为30.91～44.16。将4种腐植酸肥料用0.1mol/LNaOH溶液溶解，分离获得腐植酸和黄腐酸，按含碳量计算，含碳量40.3%～77.5%的为腐植酸，含碳量22.5%～59.7%的为黄腐酸。对腐植酸在400nm、500nm、600nm和700nm下的光学性质进行了研究，并对465nm和665nm条件下的吸光度进行测量，计算其比值E4/E6（即消光系数）。结果表明，E4/E6比值变化在3.64～5.48之间，且光密度随着波长的增加而降低，与腐殖质的碳含量具有显著相关性。供试的4株真菌中，根据菌落直径观察，Tricho-dermaharzianum，T.hamatum和Alternariaalternate3种真菌在0.025%腐植酸培养基上生长最好。4种腐植酸肥料对小麦、玉米、绿豆种子萌发都有抑制作用，但对田菁种子萌发具有促进作用；对小麦和玉米的根具有促进生长的作用，同时可以提高小麦和玉米芽的干物质含量，而对绿豆和田菁没有影响。研究发现，巴基斯坦市场上销售的腐植酸肥料差异很大，为保障使用者的利益，对这些肥料进行质量监测十分必要。

Metal-free, carbon-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions

Developing metal-free, carbon-based catalysts to replace platinum-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions （ORRs） is an emerging area of research. In recent years, different carbon structures including carbon doped with IIIA-VIIA heteroatoms （C-M site-based, where M represents the doped heteroatom） and polynitrogen （PN） compounds encapsulated in carbon nanotubes （CNTs） （N N site-based） have been synthesized. Compared to metallic catalysts, these materials are highly active, stable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. This review discusses the development of these materials, their ORR performances and the mechanisms for how the incorpora- tion of heteroatoms enhances the ORR activity. Strategies for tailoring the structures of the carbon substrates to improve ORR performance are also discussed. Future studies in this area will need to include optimizing synthetic strategies to control the type, amount and distribution of the incorporated heteroatoms, as well as better understanding the ORR mechanisms in these catalysts.

Impact of on-range choice feeding with black soldier fly larvae(Hermetia illucens)on flock performance,egg quality,and range use of free-range laying hens

Semi-intensive free-range farm systems are common in Australia, and these systems frequently practise on-range feeding. The objective of this study was to investigate the benefit of on-range choice feeding on flock performance, egg quality, and range use of free-range laying hens using black soldier fly larvae(Hermetia illucens, BSF). A total of 160 mature ISA brown laying hens, previously determined to range daily, were allocated to a control group(control) or a treatment group(BSF) with various replicates depending on the parameter investigated. All hens were fed ad libitum indoors with a wheat-soy based diet formulated according to breed requirements. Black soldier fly hens were offered dried BSF larvae ad libitum on the range. Body weight, feed intake, BSF intake, egg production, feed conversion ratio, internal and external egg quality parameters, and individual range use using radio-frequency identification(RFID)technology was evaluated. Black soldier fly hens consumed on average 15 ± 1.7 g BSF larvae/hen per day.There were no differences between BSF and control hens for any of the performance parameters obtained(P > 0.05). Egg weight, shell weight, and shell thickness of eggs from BSF hens were significantly lower(P = 0.003, P = 0.001, and P = 0.004, respectively) than those of eggs from control hens. Egg yolk colour was significantly paler in eggs from BSF hens(P < 0.001). No significant ranging differences between the BSF and control hens were observed(P > 0.05) except for BSF hens showing longer total maximum time for a single visit to the range(P = 0.011). In conclusion, the average intake of BSF larvae indicated a good level of acceptance. Feed formulation should be adjusted for the intake of the choice fed source. The impact of choice-feeding on range use was minor.

Effect of oral administration of vitamin C on human aqueous humor ascorbate concentration

AIM:To study oral administration of vitamin C on human aqueous humour ascorbate concentration.METHODS:High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)coupled with electrochemical detector(BCD)was used.The effect of oral administration of various doses of ascorbic acid,0(control),1.0,1.5,2.0,3.0,and 5.0 g,on its concentration in aqueous humour,obtained from volunteer cataract patients was studied.RESULTS:The concentration of ascorbic acid in aqueous humour of control group without administration of vitamin-C tablet or drug containing ascorbic acid was(254±119)mg·L^(-1).This study revealed that the administration of 2.0 g of.ascorbic acid saturate the aqueous humour and further increase in the dose(3.0 g and 5.0 g)did not increase its concentration in aqueous humour,although its concentration was increased in plasma.CONCLUSION:Oral administration of 2.0 g of Vc is sufficient to saturate the aqueous humour where it may be helpful in controlling the intra-ocular pressure.

Feed particle selection and nutrient intake altered by pecking stone consumption and beak length in free-range laying hens

The present study investigated the effects of pecking stones on feeding behaviour of hens from 16 to 46 weeks of age. Eighteen flocks of Hy-Line Brown hens were housed in 2 commercial free-range housing systems. Farm A housed 10 flocks of beak trimmed(infrared beak treatment) hens in fixed sheds. Farm B housed 8 flocks of hens with intact beaks in mobile sheds. On each farm, flocks were equally assigned to control groups(no access to pecking stones) and treatment groups(access to pecking stones). Data were evaluated every 10 weeks. At each time point, 10 hens per flock were housed in individual pens, and each hen was provided with 250 g of mash diet and ad libitum water for 24 h. After 24 h, feed samples were collected and used to determine 24-h feed intake. Nutrient and particle selection was measured by subtracting nutrients and particles present in the leftover feed from the vaules obtained in the offered feed and expressed the change(A). In addition, pecking stone consumption was recorded for each flock.Data were analysed separately for each farm using fixed effects of pecking stone availability and hen age.Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients and linear regression models were constructed to evaluate the relationship of beak length and pecking stone usage, discrete mean particle size(dMEAN) consumption(△ dMEAN), and △ nutrient intake. Hens with access to pecking stones consumed significantly lower quantities of large feed particles(>2.8 mm) on farm A(P = 0.029) and selected significantly more fine particles, on farm B(P = 0.013). Overall, positive relationships(P = 0.001) between beak length and pecking stone consumption, A dMEAN, and A phosphorus consumption were observed. In conclusion,pecking stone consumption resulted in reduced selection and consumption of feed particles in hens housed on both farms. Further research is warranted to investigate the effect of pecking stones on sensory innervation of the beak.