University of Science and Technology Bannu

The study aimed to generate a simple and valid scheme for biosynthesis of Hypecoum pendulum L. (HP) extract-based silver nanoparticles (HP-AgNPs) and to assess their in vivo anti-hyperglycemic and in vitro antimicrobial potency. Characterization by UV spectroscopy verified the existence of HP-AgNPs at 417 nm. The functional moieties that help in the HP-AgNPs stabilization and reduction were analyzed by the FTIR technique. The face-centered cubic crystal nature of HP-AgNPs (size: 36.3 nm) was assessed using the XRD technique. Surface morphologies with predicted nanoscale size (80 nm) were confirmed by SEM examination. EDX revealed a sharp peak (3.2 keV) that confirmed Ag as a leading element (49%). Alloxan was applied to induce diabetes in female Sprague-Dawely rats (age: 1.5–2 months, body weight: 120–150 g). The 21-day treatment of diabetic rats with HP extract and HP-AgNPs resulted in a significant gain in average body weight, average organ weight, and hemoglobin level, as well as a decline in HbA1c, blood sugar, lipid, and liver profile levels in comparison to the diabetic-untreated group. HP-AgNPs showed promising antibacterial efficacy against all tested strains (Gram-positive and negative) in a positive trend with concentration. Green-synthesized HP-AgNPs also showed considerable inhibition of all tested fungal strains as compared to HP extract. The phytochemical analysis of the HP plant confirmed the phytochemicals attributed to the antimicrobial and anti-diabetic power of HP extract and HP-AgNPs. These outcomes showed that HP-AgNPs have demonstrated promising anti-diabetic and antimicrobial action than HP-extract. An illustration showing synthesis of silver nanoparticles using H. pendulum plant extract followed by characterization of HP-AgNPs (SEM, FTIR, EDX, XRD, and UV–visible spectrophotometry). The synthesized HP-AgNPs showed promising anti-diabetic, antibacterial and antifungal activities.

This study explores the relationship between the attributes of Social Media Influencers (SMIs) and consumer purchase intentions, focusing on the mediating roles of SMI authenticity and individual self-expansion, framed within the Value-Attitude-Behavior (VAB) model. Data were collected from university students who follow SMIs promoting products and services through meme marketing. A total of 210 responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling, specifically through measurement and structural analysis with Smart PLS. The findings reveal that SMI attributes, particularly attitude homophily and social attractiveness, positively influence individuals’ self-expansion, while physical attractiveness does not exhibit a significant relationship. Additionally, the results indicate that both self-expansion and perceived authenticity of SMIs mediate the relationship between attitude homophily and brand attitude. Furthermore, positive brand attitudes are shown to enhance consumer purchase intentions. This study contributes to the understanding of how SMI characteristics impact consumer behavior in the context of digital marketing.

We study the thermodynamic properties produced in symmetric p–p collisions at sNN=0.9TeV and 7TeV, based on experimental data by the ALICE collaboration at CERN. Particularly, we analyze the initial temperature Ti, effective temperature T, freeze-out temperature T0, chemical potential μ, mean transverse momentum 〈pT〉, freeze-out volume V, and transverse flow velocity βT of different hadrons such as KS0, Λ, Ξ−, and d/d¯. To effectively use the transverse momentum pT distributions of these hadrons, and to extract the thermodynamic parameters, the Single-Slope Standard Distribution with and without the chemical potential μ, the Double-Slope Standard Distribution, and the modified Standard Distribution Functions are applied separately to fit the experimental data. The Modified Standard Distribution Function provides the most accurate description of the ALICE experimental data as compared to the Single-Slope (with and without μ) and Double-Slope Standard Distribution Function. We have investigated the correlation between the extracted thermodynamic parameters and the measurements of mass and energy of particles of the collision, and we observed that the increase in sNN is positively correlated with Ti, T, T0, 〈pT〉, V, and negatively correlated with μ. The comparison of p–p collisions with heavy-ion collisions (Au–Au collisions) suggests the possibility of collective-like dynamics even in small systems, which supports the hypothesis of thermalization and partial de-confinement in high-energy p–p collisions, indicating a transition towards a quark-gluon plasma (QGP)-like medium.

This study employs a 2D computational investigation of biomagnetic hybrid nanofluid flow in a bifurcated stenotic artery under the influence of inflammation and a magnetic field. The base fluid, blood, is enhanced with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and graphene nanoparticles to examine its flow and heat transfer behavior. The finite element method is used to solve the non-dimensional governing equations for continuity, momentum, and energy. Key parameters stenosis amplitude (30–80%), Hartmann number (0–50), and Reynolds number (100–1000) are examined to assess their influence on velocity, pressure, and thermal characteristics. The results demonstrate that the Nusselt number increases substantially with higher Reynolds and Hartmann values, indicating improved convective heat transport. The average Nusselt number at in Re =300 and ${a}_{m} = 0.5$ was increased 25.41 times higher than in $Re = 100$ and ${a}_{m} = 0.4$. Furthermore, higher stenosis amplitudes (up to 80%) produce stronger vortex forms and enhanced heat transmission. The magnetic field has a noticeable effect, with the Lorentz force restricting fluid velocity near the walls, hence increasing heat transfer rates. These findings offer essential insights for optimizing heat transport in biological applications, notably in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The use of hybrid nanofluids in these applications shows promise for lowering blood viscosity and improving flow characteristics, both of which are critical in medical and biomedical engineering applications.

The intersection of health communication and digital media is a growing research area. Yet, there remains a significant gap in understanding how digital health information influences behavior, particularly concerning genetic disorders in culturally tight societies. This study addresses the urgent need for improved public access to accurate health information, focusing on pre-marital genetic screening (hereafter PMGS) in Pakistan, where coverage of these issues remains limited. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, this research investigates how health journalistic practices on digital platforms can shape preventive health behaviors. In Study 1, a content analysis of 96 vodcasts on genetic diseases from official news organization YouTube channels was conducted. The analysis revealed that the most frequently used frames were consequences and attribution of responsibility. A quasi-experiment was conducted with 420 respondents from Pakistan to explore the impact of these framing practices. The experiments examined how exposure to the dominant health frames identified in Study 1 affected preventive behaviors and attitudes toward PMGS. Results showed that frames highlighting perceived severity and response cost significantly influenced respondents’ intentions to engage in preventive health behaviors, including pre-marital screening. It also provides new evidence on the persuasive potential of health vodcasts in reducing stigma and raising awareness about genetic disorders.

Lodging is the bending, collapse of stems or the uprooting of plants typically triggered by external forces like rain, irrigation, wind or dense canopy structures. It is a common physiological disorder affecting a variety of cereal and oil crops, such as maize, rice, wheat and rapeseed. Lodging reduces photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient transport and hampers mechanical harvesting resulting in substantial yield and economic loss. Therefore, enhancing lodging resistance has become a key strategy for improving yield and sustainable agriculture in rapeseed. This review analyzes the factors causing lodging in rapeseed, including root and stem lodging, and discussed key traits such as stem diameter, plant height, and internode length influencing resistance. The biochemical and physiological basis of lodging resistance is also explored, with a focus on lignin composition in stem cell walls. Furthermore the genetic basis is discussed, including quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes associated with stem strength. The review also considers how mapping these QTLs and identifying candidate genes can be applied to improve lodging resistance in rapeseed. In conclusion, this review underscores the critical role of lodging resistance in Brassica napus (B. napus) and provides a detailed mechanism of its physiological and mechanical basis. Lodging is a multifactorial challenge influenced by plant traits and mechanical stress, but it can be mitigated through integrated genetic and agronomic approaches. Graphical abstract shows the factors and benefits influencing crop lodging, Highlighting key elements like genetic factors and agronomic practices. It showcases benefits such as improved crop yield and enhanced grain quality, crucial for effective lodging management.

Drought is a key limiting factor for growth of plant and crop production. In an effort to produce drought tolerant tobacco, an expression cassette comprising the Arabidopsis DREB1A cDNA under the Figwort Mosaic Virus (FMV) and Rice SalT promoters were transformed into tobacco via Agrobacterium mediated transformation. FMV is a strong and constitutive promoter and SalT is a stress inducible promoter that can be used for enhancing expression of AtDREB1A gene in tobacco. PCR was used to confirm the putative transgenic T0 plants and copy number was determined by Southern blot hybridization. RT-PCR confirmed the gene expression in transgenic tobacco lines. The selected transgenes with one copy number were subjected to osmotic stress. Seed germination results showed that transgenic seeds were able to germinate on 300 mM mannitol while control seeds were unable to germinate. Transgenic plants exhibited higher drought tolerance and produced more seeds than control plants when water was withheld for 10 days. Various physiological tests revealed higher drought stress tolerance in transgenic plants than their wild type counterparts. The current study showed that overexpression of AtDREB1A gene under FMV and SalT promoters increases drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco and offers applications in developing drought tolerant crops.

The increasing demand for sustainable construction materials has driven research into alternative aggregates to reduce reliance on natural resources. This study comprehensively evaluates the mechanical and durability properties of concrete incorporating steel slag as a partial replacement for fine aggregates at replacement levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. An extensive experimental program was conducted to evaluate compressive, tensile, flexural, and shear strengths, as well as acid resistance and microstructural stability using XRD. The results show that a 50% slag replacement achieved optimal mechanical performance, with the highest compressive and flexural strengths, improved tensile capacity, and superior shear resistance. Specifically, the 50% slag mix demonstrated a 7.9% increase in flexural strength (from 1090.7 psi to 1164.3 psi), maintaining over 82% of the compressive strength of the control at 28 days. The 25% and 75% mixes also demonstrated balanced strength and ductility characteristics. XRD analysis showed that slag-blended concretes retained key hydration products such as Calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and Quartz after exposure to sulfuric acid, indicating improved chemical resistance. A newly proposed durability index, integrating both mass loss and strength retention, was used to quantify durability performance, with the 50% mix exhibiting a durability index DI2p of 84.3%, significantly higher than the control’s 73.8%, confirming that slag incorporation improves both mechanical and chemical resilience. These findings underscore the potential of steel slag, particularly at 25–50% replacement levels, as a sustainable and high-performance alternative to natural sand in concrete production, contributing to eco-friendly construction practices and enabling the development of more durable concrete for aggressive environments and critical infrastructure applications.

Population growth, climate change, and overuse of chemicals are straining agriculture and reducing global crop yields. Light is a vital source for photosynthesis in which plants convert light energy into chemical energy. Light-emitting Diodes (LEDs) are a type of lighting technology recognized for their energy-efficient features and ability to emit steady photons over an extended period. Here we discuss, the phosphor-converted LEDs that have emerged as a promising lighting solutions for indoor agriculture due to their spectral tunability and energy efficiency. In this review, we explore at the use of pc-LEDs in indoor crop production, investigating the impacts on plant growth and development. It also explains how phosphor conversion works, why specific light wavelengths matter for photosynthesis and plant structure, and how tailoring LED light spectra can support plants at different stages of growth. This review also explores the economic and environmental benefits of implementing phosphor-converted LEDs in indoor farming, emphasizing their potential to revolutionize sustainable food production systems. We hope this mini-review will provide a useful mechanistic framework for future analysis and open new avenues in agricultural research. Graphical abstract The Graphical Abstract explores the optimization of plant growth, potentially by comparing LED light intensities for indoor farming, and analyzing genes linked to desired traits. The figure is designed with Biorender.

Sarcasm detection is a critical and challenging task in sentiment analysis, particularly for low‐resource languages like Urdu, where limited annotated data, linguistic complexity, and subtle contextual cues hinder accurate classification. Traditional machine learning methods often fail to capture the nuanced and often contradictory nature of sarcastic expression. To address these challenges, this paper presents a comprehensive and computationally efficient framework for Urdu sarcasm detection. We first mitigate severe class imbalance through strategic down‐sampling and back‐translation‐based data augmentation. We then conduct extensive benchmarking of traditional deep learning architectures against fine‐tuned pre‐trained language models, including multilingual, monolingual, and Twitter‐specific variants. Building on these insights, we propose DeepSarc, a novel hybrid model that integrates the contextual embeddings from XLM‐T, the multi‐scale feature extraction capabilities of dilated convolutional neural networks (DCNNs), and the sequential dependency modeling of bidirectional long short‐term memory (BiLSTM) networks. While slightly more computationally intensive than simpler alternatives, DeepSarc achieves a state‐of‐the‐art F1‐score, significantly outperforming existing approaches. Our results establish a new benchmark for sarcasm detection in low‐resource languages and provide a scalable, high‐performance framework adaptable to diverse linguistic contexts.

Recent advancements have suggested that neural radiance fields (NeRFs) show great potential in 3D style transfer. However, most existing NeRF-based style transfer methods still face considerable challenges in generating stylized images that simultaneously preserve clear scene textures and maintain strong cross-view consistency. To address these limitations, in this paper, we propose a novel transformer-guided approach for 3D scene style transfer. Specifically, we first design a transformer-based style transfer network to capture long-range dependencies and generate 2D stylized images with initial consistency, which serve as supervision for the 3D stylized generation. To enable fine-grained control over style, we propose a latent style vector as a conditional feature and design a style network that projects this style information into the 3D space. We further develop a merge network that integrates style features with scene geometry to render 3D stylized images that are both visually coherent and stylistically consistent. In addition, we propose a texture consistency loss to preserve scene structure and enhance texture fidelity across views. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach outperforms many state-of-the-art methods in terms of visual perception, image quality and multi-view consistency. Our code and more results are available at: https://github.com/PaiDii/TGTC-Style.git.

This study reports a sustainable and eco-friendly approach for the green synthesis and optimization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) utilizing the Zaleya pentandra stem extract (ZSE). Critical reaction parameters including temperature (25 °C), pH (9.0), extract volume (200 µL), and incubation duration (24 h) were systematically optimized to enhance green-synthesized AgNPs yield. Successful synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopy, exhibiting a distinct surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 426 nm. The FT-IR spectroscopy revealed phytochemical functional groups acting as bioreductants and capping agents. Morphological and structural characterizations using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and XRD confirmed the formation of predominantly spherical nanoparticles, while EDX spectroscopy validated silver as pure element with minor contributions from plant-derived elements likely associated with phytochemical capping or sample preparation. The green-synthesized AgNPs displayed potent antibacterial efficacy, with inhibition zones of 30.9 mm (Staphylococcus aureus), 27.6 mm (Klebsiella pneumoniae), and 25.0 mm (Escherichia coli). In antifungal assays, the green-synthesized AgNPs achieved > 97% mycelial growth inhibition against a spectrum of phytopathogenic fungi. Antioxidant potential assessed via DPPH radical scavenging assay yielded a significant IC₅₀ value of 199.07 µg/mL for the green-synthesized AgNPs. Notably, the green-synthesized AgNPs exhibited strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀: 67.059 µg/mL), surpassing the efficacy of the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀: 77.42 µg/mL).These multifunctional silver nanoparticles, synthesized via an optimized process and a green route using Z. pentandra stem extract demonstrated significant promise for applications in antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic therapeutics, underscoring their potential role in next-generation nanomedicine.

The current study broadly explores the structural, electronic, optical, mechanical, thermodynamic, thermoelectric, and photocatalytic water-splitting performance of halide double perovskites K₂RbGaX₆ (X = Cl, Br), using density functional theory (DFT). The structural and dynamic stability is confirmed through tolerance factor, formation energy, and phonon dispersion analysis with no negative (imaginary) frequency vibrations. Moreover, ab initio molecular dynamic simulation confirms the thermal stability at 300 K with no structural deformations. Electronic properties are investigated using different exchange-correlation potentials to get the accurate band gaps of the considered materials, indicating that both the studied materials exhibit direct band gap semiconducting nature, spanning from 2.15 eV to 3.33 eV, respectively. Optical properties reveal that both the studied materials are ultraviolet absorbers with a significant redshift in the absorption edge due to variation in their band gaps. Thermoelectric properties analysis reveals that both the studied materials have a high Seebeck coefficient of 0.00152 V/K and 0.00128 V/K, a high-power factor, low thermal conductivity, and favorable figure of merit (ZT) having the values of 0.74 and 0.53 for K2RbGaX6 (X = Cl, Br), respectively. Additionally, the photocatalytic water-splitting behavior of both the studied materials reveals their significance in hydrogen production through photocatalysis. The overall investigations suggest that both the studied materials have multifunctional potential in optoelectronics and photocatalysis, encouraging a noteworthy step onward in the design of next-generation materials for renewable energy technologies. These findings open new avenues for the experimental synthesis and application of these compounds in integrated energy conversion systems. Graphical Abstract

Efficient thermal energy storage is crucial for sustainable technologies, including solar energy harvesting, electronic device cooling, and battery thermal management. This study investigates the thermal and entropy behavior within a magnetohydrodynamic natural convection environment filled with nano-encapsulated phase change materials (NEPCMs) in a wavy porous triangular enclosure containing a centrally embedded cold cylinder. The main objective is to optimize heat transfer performance and energy storage capabilities through geometric and thermophysical enhancements, while also minimizing irreversibility. The finite element method (FEM) is employed for numerical simulation, while an artificial neural network (ANN), trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, provides high-accuracy predictive modeling. Results reveal that increasing Rayleigh number, wall undulations, and NEPCM volume fraction significantly enhance the Nusselt number, indicating improved convective heat transfer. Entropy generation analysis shows that optimal Stefan number and fusion temperature minimize irreversibility. The ANN model achieves near-perfect agreement with FEM data [regression (R) = 0.999 99; mean square error ≈ 0.0014], offering a reliable predictive framework. This integrated computational intelligent approach presents a novel pathway for designing high-efficiency latent heat thermal energy storage systems. The findings hold promise for advanced applications in smart renewable energy systems, electronic cooling devices, and battery management technologies.

The development of efficient and sustainable photocatalysts is vital for the effective remediation of persistent organic and pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater systems. In this study, we report the synergistic impacts of lanthanum and copper (La/Cu) co-doping, along with the incorporation of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), in enhancing the physicochemical properties of pristine BiFeO₃ (BFO) perovskite. Pure BFO and La/Cu co-doped Bi₁₋ₓLaₓFe₁₋yCuyO₃ (BLFCO) perovskites were synthesised via a simple hydrothermal method, while the BLFCO/g-C₃N₄ hybrid nanocomposite was fabricated using an ultrasonication-assisted approach. Structural characterisation through XRD, Raman, and FTIR analyses confirmed the successful incorporation of La/Cu metallic cations and the incorporation of the g-C₃N₄ matrix within the perovskite framework. Morphological investigations revealed that the g-C₃N₄ matrix interacted effectively with and stabilised the co-doped BLFCO, resulting in the formation of larger spherical and elongated aggregates. This interaction promoted the development of a well-defined porous structure, broadened particle size distribution, and increased the exposed surface area, with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 40 nm. Moreover, the BLFCO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite exhibited a significantly enhanced BET surface area (111.21 m²/g), increased electrical conductivity, and improved optical absorption with reduced band gap energy (1.97 eV). These enhancements were accredited to the combined effects of La/Cu co-doping and g-C₃N₄ incorporation, collectively contributing to superior charge transport and light-harvesting capabilities. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesised materials was assessed by the degradation of crystal violet (CV) dye and moxifloxacin (MOF) antibiotic under visible-light irradiation. Compared with pristine BFO and La/Cu co-doped BLFCO, the BLFCO/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction nanocomposite exhibited significantly higher degradation efficiencies, achieving 96.88% and 98.26% removal of CV and MOF with 0.01654 and 0.01687 min⁻¹ of rate constants, respectively, within 60 minutes. This exceptional photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the combined improvements in surface area, electrical conductivity, porosity, optical absorption, and the construction of an effective Z-scheme heterojunction, which together facilitated active charge carrier’s separation. In addition, the heterojunction photocatalyst revealed outstanding stability and reusability, with only a 2.8% decline in degradation efficiency after 5 multiple cycles. These findings underscore its potential as a durable and efficient photocatalyst for the remediation of hazardous organic pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater systems.

There is a dearth of studies on local women’s financial well-being in the mainstream financial literature. Therefore, understanding women’s financial socialization and its relationship with their financial well-being is more vital than ever. Women’s financial well-being can foster independence, develop access to basic resources, and help overcome gender inequalities. The current study aims to understand how financial socialization, financial autonomy, and financial capability affect the financial well-being of female employees and determine the mediating impact of financial capability between financial socialization, financial literacy, financial autonomy, and financial well-being of female employees in women’s universities. The study is a prior one that explores individual financial well-being in a unique local context and offers fresh insights for future research and practice in developing economies. Particularly, the study underscores how female financial socialization and financial skills interact to achieve financial well-being in Pakistan. Using convenience sampling, the data were obtained through self-administered questionnaires from 437 respondents, and the PLS-SEM technique was employed to assess the research hypotheses. Our findings validate that financial socialization, autonomy, and capability significantly influence the financial well-being of women employees. This study enriches academic knowledge and contributes to women’s financial well-being by promoting their financial socialization and literacy. The study concludes that enhanced financial capability leads to better financial management, which finally contributes to social and financial stability.

Aiming to enhance halide double perovskites technological applications, this research examines optoelectronic, structural, and mechanical properties of Rb2MgSnY6 (Y = I, Br, Cl) compounds via the first-principles method, evaluating their suitability for prospective applications. The optimised structural parameters and cell volumes expand proportionally with the size of the halogen atoms, and the computed tolerance factors, along with positive phonon frequencies in band structures, confirm both structural and dynamical stability. Electronic band structure analysis reveals that all examined compounds exhibit semiconducting characteristics, with a bandgap of 1.39, 1.95, and 2.45 eV, respectively, for Rb2MgSnI6, Rb2MgSnBr6, and Rb2MgSnCl6. Mechanical analysis confirmed stability criteria and also demonstrated anisotropic and ductile behaviour. A range of optical parameters is analysed, such as dielectric function, absorption rate, optical response, and index of refraction for Rb2MgSnY6 (Y = I, Br, Cl) across the energy range of 0–40 eV. The results of the optical analysis reveal that these materials exhibit high optical conductivity, low reflectivity, and strong absorption ability. Overall, the structural, thermodynamic, and mechanical robustness emphasises the superb prospects of these compounds for deployment in solar cells, photodetectors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and various additional optoelectronic appliances.

The compound [(Bi0.5Na0.5)0.94Ba0.06]1-xLixTiO3 (BNBT-Li) 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04), was prepared using a solid-state reaction method. In the X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, a tetragonal structure was observed for the compositions x = 0 and steadily modified to a cubic structure with further doping of Li contents. Rietveld analyses of samples displayed a tetragonal P4mm phase for pure and a cubic Pm 3 m phase for Li-doped BNBT ceramics. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images revealed a uniform and smooth grain structure throughout the compositions, and the grain size was reduced with the Li contents. Elements such as oxygen (O), sodium (Na), carbon (C), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), bismuth (Bi), and barium (Ba) present in the compound were confirmed by Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) was enhanced from 260 °C (x = 0) to 275 °C (x = 0.04), and the peaks at Tm became broader and shifted to the higher temperature side upon increasing frequency and Li. The diffusivity (γ) values, ranging from 1 < γ < 2, indicate a deviation from the Curie–Weiss Law. Li additions enhanced the diffuse phase transition and relaxor-like ferroelectric nature. The low-temperature conductivity showed a moderate temperature dependence, and the AC conductivity was higher for x = 0 and decreased for further ratios. In the Cole–Cole plot, a single semicircle appeared, and the arc's depression was increased with temperature, suggesting the main contributions from grain boundaries and the bulk grain. These properties suggest that the BNBT-Li compound has potential applications in modern piezoelectric actuators and dielectric capacitors.