Recent publications
Communities face increasingly complex social and technological challenges , and traditional approaches to problem-solving often fall short. We can unlock innovative solutions that transcend individual limitations by tapping into the collective consciousness. The representatives of societies must understand the dynamics of social value creation to initiate social change mechanisms. The framework presented in this article combines insights to guide the process of cultivating group consciousness. It is developed on the foundations of Freudian consciousness and Jung's idea of collective unconscious and unfolds the formation of group values in respective stages of interactive, collective , and transcendent consciousness.
The current research work reports the synthesis of three 4-((3-arylthiazolo[3,4-d]isoxazol-5-yl)amino)benzene sulfonamide derivatives with a thaizaole(3,4-d)isoxazole-based fused ring heterocyclic system. The synthesized and characterized derivatives, namely, 4-(3-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)thiazolo[3,4-d]soxazole-5-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide (YM-1), 4-(3-(4-chlorophenyl)isoxazolo[3,4-d]thiazol-5-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide (YM-2), and 4-(3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)isoxazolo[3,4-d]thiazol-5-ylamino)benzenesulfonamide (YM-3) were further explored for their binding interactions with DNA and enzymes (urease and carbonic anhydrase). Cytotoxicity of these derivatives for both healthy (HEK-293) and cancerous (MG-U87) cells was determined by MTT analysis. Both experimental (UV-visible, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, and viscometry) and theoretical (molecular docking) profiles suggested that these derivatives are good DNA binders. All the derivatives interacted with DNA via mixed intercalative and groove binding interactions. However, the evaluated DNA binding parameters (Kb, ΔG, and n) were comparatively greater for YM-1. Docking data (Kb and ΔG) for binding of these derivatives with enzymes also supported that YM-1 was a comparatively better inhibitor for carbonic anhydrase. However, experimentally evaluated IC50 (1.90 ± 0.02 μM) and % inhibition (57.93%) were found to be greater for YM-2 against urease enzyme. All the derivatives show dose-dependent cytotoxicity (70–90%) against MG-U87 cancer cells. Conversely, only one concentration of YM-1 (120 μM) showed less toxicity (50.28% with IC50 of 1.154 ± 0.317 μM) than that of the positive control (52.22%) for healthy cells. Overall findings suggested sulfonamide derivative YM-1 is a better candidate for DNA binding, enzyme inhibition as well as anticancer activity.
This study presents a nuanced critical analysis of Khaled Hosseini’s acclaimed novel “The Kite Runner” (2003), delving into the major themes of hypocrisy and sacrifice, as well as guilt and redemption. Through a rigorous analytical approach, this research undertakes a comprehensive examination of the intricacies of these themes within the novel’s narrative framework. The protagonist, Amir, grapples with the repercussions of prioritizing convenience over morality, and his subsequent quest for redemption serves as a catalyst for exploring the transformative power of sacrifice, exemplified by Baba’s selfless relinquishment of wealth and status (Hosseini, 2003). This library-based research also illuminates the various tribulations and hardships endured by Afghan society, providing a rich contextual understanding of the cultural and historical backdrop against which the story unfolds (Ahmed-Ghosh, 2003). By scrutinizing the complex interplay between these themes, this study aims to contribute meaningfully to a deeper understanding of the novel’s thematic landscape and its implications for literary analysis.
This study examines the phenomenon of code-switching between Hindi (L1) and English (L2) and its impact on the development of Indian English (IE). As noted by Sridhar and Sridhar (1980), code-switching occurs when bilingual speakers alternate between their first and second languages in a single conversation or even within a single sentence. This process highlights how language adapts and changes as it crosses cultural boundaries (Kachru, 1983). The current investigation explores the role of native speech in shaping IE, with a focus on sociolinguistic aspects such as language contact, language convergence, and language identity (Pandey, 2018). To illustrate these concepts, the study draws on Chetan Bhagat's feminist novel "One Indian Girl" as a corpus. A hybrid research methodology is employed to analyze the data. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the complex dynamics of language contact and the evolution of IE as an autonomous variety.
Fungicides are used to control phytopathogens but all these fungicides have deleterious effects. Allelopathic interactions can be harnessed as a natural way to control the pathogens but there are no reports that show the allelopathic interactions of donor plant, recipient crop, as well as the target plant pathogen and the material used for inoculum production. So, in the present study, the suitability of Carthamus oxyacantha M. Bieb. was assessed against Macrophomina phaseolina, the cause of charcoal rot in maize. Among the various treatments in pot experiment, a negative control, 3 concentrations of inoculum (1.2×10⁵, 2.4×10⁵, and 3.6×10⁵ colony forming units (CFU) mL⁻¹, 3 concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% w/w) of C. oxyacantha along with an autoclaved M. phaseolina (Mp) and C. oxyacantha alone were included to investigate their allelopathic effects on maize, not investigated earlier. Maximum suppression of the disease was observed by 1.5% (w/w) concentration of C. oxyacantha. Soil amendment with C. oxyacantha significantly suppressed the disease incidence (DI) and disease severity index (DSI) in charcoal rot of maize up to 40 and 55%, respectively over the strongest level of inoculum (Mp3). C. oxyacantha not only reduced area under disease incidence progress curve (AUDIPC) and area under disease severity progress curve (AUDSPC), but also improved the morphological, biochemical and physiological parameters of maize. The maximum increase of 48, 65, and 75% in values of shoot length (SL), shoot dry mass (SDM), and root dry mass (RDM), respectively was observed by application of the highest concentration of C. oxyacantha in the treatment Mp1+Co3, over infested control (Mp1). Photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids were increased to 58, 64, and 46%, respectively over Mp1, by the application of C. oxyacantha. Carbon assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), rate of transpiration (E), and internal carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) were significantly increased to 58, 48, 48, and 20%, respectively over infested control (Mp3), by application of C. oxyacantha concentration 1.5 (w/w). Moreover, defense enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities were boosted up to 27, 28, and 28% over Mp3, respectively. Positive allelopathy of C. oxyacantha towards maize and negative allelopathy towards M. phaseolina makes C. oxyacantha a suitable candidate for charcoal rot disease control in maize.
The goal of metal-ion battery research is to develop anode materials with high storage capacity. This study explored the potential of 2H phase CrTe2, composed of two hexagonally stacked layers, as an optimal anode material for Li/K-ion batteries using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Preliminary analyses revealed that the material possesses thermodynamic, structural, and mechanical stability. A key finding was the significantly negative adsorption energy, which enhances battery stability by preventing clustering and stabilizing Li/K adsorption on the material's surface. The adsorption energy values for Li/K were calculated to be −3.7 eV and −4.63 eV, respectively. These results suggest stable lithiation and potassiation processes, with maximum storage capacities of 1395 mA h g⁻¹ for Li and 1134 mA h g⁻¹ for K. Additionally, the calculated open-circuit voltages (OCVs) for CrTe2 were 0.13 V for K-ions and 0.20 V for Li-ions. We calculated the adsorption energy, structural and electronic properties, theoretical capacity, diffusion energy, and thermal stability. The electrical conductivity of the material increased, and its metallic properties were maintained with increasing metal-ion concentration. This study highlights the potential of CrTe2 as a novel anode material for Li-/K-ion batteries.
Over the past decade, deep learning has become the leading approach for various computer vision tasks and decision support systems. However, the opaque nature of deep learning models raises significant concerns about their fairness, reliability, and the underlying inferences they make. Many existing methods attempt to approximate the relationship between low-level input features and outcomes. However, humans tend to understand and reason based on high-level concepts rather than low-level input features. To bridge this gap, several concept-based interpretable methods have been developed. Most of these methods compute the importance of each discovered concept for a specific class. However, they often fail to provide local explanations. Additionally, these approaches typically rely on labeled concepts or learn directly from datasets, leading to the extraction of irrelevant concepts. They also tend to overlook the potential of these concepts to interpret model predictions effectively. This research proposes a two-stream model called the Cross-Attentional Fast/Slow Thinking Network (CA-SoftNet) to address these issues. The model is inspired by dual-process theory and integrates two key components: a shallow convolutional neural network (sCNN) as System-I for rapid, implicit pattern recognition and a cross-attentional concept memory network as System-II for transparent, controllable, and logical reasoning. Our evaluation across diverse datasets demonstrates the model’s competitive accuracy, achieving 85.6%, 83.7%, 93.6%, and 90.3% on CUB 200-2011, Stanford Cars, ISIC 2016, and ISIC 2017, respectively. This performance outperforms existing interpretable models and is comparable to non-interpretable counterparts. Furthermore, our novel concept extraction method facilitates identifying and selecting salient concepts. These concepts are then used to generate concept-based local explanations that align with human thinking. Additionally, the model’s ability to share similar concepts across distinct classes, such as in fine-grained classification, enhances its scalability for large datasets. This feature also induces human-like cognition and reasoning within the proposed framework.
The theory of inequalities is greatly influenced by interval-valued concepts, and this contribution is explored from several perspectives and domains. The aim of this note is to develop several mathematical inequalities such as Hermite–Hadamard, Fejér, and the product version based on center radius CR-order relations. Furthermore, we develop several nontrivial examples and remarks to support the main findings.
This study examines the issue of food insecurity in Pakistan, a nation whose economy is mostly dependent on agriculture. However, it still badly affects upto 42.54% of households and 45.89% of the population. We have established the extent and severity of food insecurity at the regional levels and analyzed food distribution among individuals. It is based on multiple dimensions which display the origin of food insecurity in Pakistan. We used the data from the Household Integrated Economic Survey 2018–19 (HIES). Food insecurity is quantified using three approaches: gross calories, modifying calories for loss, and removing gifts and assistance. The Foster-Greer-Thorbecke index was used to measure the state and depth of food insecurity. The binary logistic model technique was used to investigate the determinants of food insecurity. The studies revealed that the condition is more prevalent in urban areas. The level of food insecurity is highest in the Sindh region, whereas it is lowest in Punjab. The proportion of food-insecure households is influenced by household size, number of earners, and food deficit. Furthermore, all characteristics such as region, head gender, head education, the proportion of graduates, rooms, house occupancy status, dependence ratio, inequality, and mean calories consumed significantly impacted food insecurity.
Cereal brans are rich source of nutrients including phytochemical and minerals, but these have limited applications as potential food ingredients. As food ingredient, they affect physical and sensory properties especially in baked products. These quality defects can easily be resolved by applying different modification treatments on brans. The described study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different modification methods such as sizing, heating, and enzymatic (cellulase and xylanase) treatments on cereal brans (wheat, millet, and oat) followed by preparation of composite flour (20% each modified bran + 80% straight grade flour) for intended bakery applications. Bran-supplemented flour samples were subjected to different compositional, phytochemical, and antioxidant analysis along with minerals profiling to evaluate different characterization parameters. It was concluded that cellulase-treated brans exhibited the highest values for phytochemicals (TPC, TFC, and TAC) and antioxidants (DPPH and FRAP) in case of all composite flour samples prepared from selected brans (wheat, millet, and oat). Similarly, flour samples having 1-mm-sized brans exhibited the lowest antinutritional contents including phytic acids and tannins. Finally, prepared composite flour samples along with control (100% Straight Grade Flour) were subjected to product (bread) preparation and compared with control to evaluate effect of brans addition on sensory profile of prepared product. The results exhibited that breads prepared with enzyme-treated bran-supplemented flour exhibited comparatively better nutritional profile and product’s sensory score. Obtained data was statistically analyzed, and it was concluded that different modification methods improve brans’ nutritional and sensory characters making them acceptable for food applications.
Graphical Abstract
Amidst depleting water resources, rising crop water needs, changing climates, and soil fertility decline from inorganic modifications of soil, the need for sustainable agricultural solutions has been more pressing. The experimental work aimed to inspect the potential of organically activated biochar in improving soil physicochemical and nutrient status as well as improving biochemical and physiological processes, and optimizing yield-related attributes under optimal and deficit irrigation conditions. Biochar enhances soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability, while improving plant nutrient uptake and drought resilience. The field experiment with maize crop was conducted in Hardaas Pur (32°38.37’N, 74°9.00’E), Gujrat, Pakistan. The experiment involved the use of DK-9108, DK-6321, and Sarhaab maize hybrid seeds, with five moisture levels of evapotranspiration (100% ETC, 80% ETC, 70% ETC, 60% ETC, and 50% ETC) maintained throughout the crop seasons. Furthermore, activated biochar was applied at three levels: 0 tons/ha (no biochar), 5 tons per hectare, and 10 tons per hectare. The study’s findings revealed significant improvements in soil organic matter, bulk density, nutrient profile and total porosity with biochar supplementation in soil. Maize plants grown under lower levels of ETC in biochar supplemented soil had enhanced membrane stability index (1.6 times higher) increased protein content (1.4 times higher), reduced malondialdehyde levels (0.7 times lower), improved antioxidant enzyme activity (1.3 times more SOD and POD activity, and 1.2 times more CAT activity), improved relative growth (1.05 times more) and enhanced yield parameters (26% more grain and stover yield, 16% more 1000-seed weight, 29% more total seed weight, 33% more apparent water productivity) than control. Additionally, among the two biochar application levels tested, the 5 tons/ha dose demonstrated superior efficiency compared to the 10 tons/ha biochar dose.
The growing demand for sustainable energy solution illustrates the requirement for advanced materials in catalysis and energy storage devices. The pure cerium and bismuth-doped cerium oxide engineered nanomaterials proposed a significant direction to improved capacitive performance and catalytic efficacy, minimizing basic hurdles in energy storage systems. The present study explored the synthesis of pure Ce2O3 and Bi2O3@Ce2O3 nanomaterials via modified precipitation method. The ammonia water was employed as a strong precipitant. Various characterization techniques were employed for the determination of morphogical and spectral properties. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed the uniformed size distribution of materials, Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) confirmed the elemental composition and corresponded only Bi, O and Ce peak. XRD and FTIR were also performed for the determination of crystal structure and functional group bonding respectively. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis encapsulated that the Bi2O3@Ce2O3 exhibited higher specific surface area of about 91.4 m²/g and larger pore size distribution than pure nanomaterial. The prepared nanomaterials were investigated for dual excellence. The doped Bi2O3@Ce2O3 nanomaterial exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity of methylene blue dye about 89% at 200 min. Conversely, the materials were also tested for electrochemical performance. Moreover, bismuth-doped cerium oxide also encapsulated excellent capacitance performance about 915 F/g. Interestingly, the prepared material was also tested for cyclic stability. After 2000 cycles, the Bi2O3@Ce2O3 material shown an impressive stability rate of approximately 85%, demonstrating its suitability for dual applications in catalysis and energy storage systems.
Graphical Abstract
To discover promising therapeutic agents, novel diaryl pyrimidine linked acyl thiourea derivatives (6a–j) were designed and synthesized via straightforward and multistep synthesis. The structure of these derivatives (6a–j) was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques. The in vitro biological screening of these compounds was carried out to assess their bacterial, α-amylase, and proteinase K inhibition potential. The results manifested that the developed molecules (6a–j) possessed a remarkable inhibition potential against targeted α-amylase and proteinase K enzymes. The compounds 6j and 6g were found to be the most potent α-amylase inhibitors with IC50 values of 1.478 ± 0.051 and 1.509 ± 0.039 μM, respectively. Meanwhile, the compounds 6a, 6f, and 6e having IC50 values of 1.790 ± 0.079, 1.794 ± 0.080, and 1.795 ± 0.080 μM, respectively, showed high proteinase K inhibitory activity. A moderate antibacterial activity is also displayed by these compounds (6a–j). The different substitution on the framework of pyrimidine linked acyl thiourea pharmacophore, provided the valuable basis for structure–activity relationship studies. Additionally, to identify the binding affinities of our desired compounds, molecular docking study was used. ADME analysis was also conducted to explore the physicochemical properties. Hence, these studies shed light on the significance of pyrimidine-based acyl thiourea to attain potent efficacy in drug discovery.
Institution pages aggregate content on ResearchGate related to an institution. The members listed on this page have self-identified as being affiliated with this institution. Publications listed on this page were identified by our algorithms as relating to this institution. This page was not created or approved by the institution. If you represent an institution and have questions about these pages or wish to report inaccurate content, you can contact us here.
Information