Bacha Khan University

Abstract Nickel oxide (NiO) and Titanium doped NiO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared via co-precipitation method. The successful doping of Ti to the NiO and undope NiO NPs were confirmed by powerful characterization techniques such as SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD and UV-visible spectroscopy. SEM indicated that NiO NPs has irregularly spherical shaped particles while Ti doped NiO NPs has pore interceded texture and more agglomerated. EDX shows the better composition of both NPs. The XRD analysis demonstrates the crystalline structure of NiO and Ti doped NiO NPs and having size of 52.34 and 55.11 nm. FTIR peaks confirmed better preparation of both NPs in the range from 100–500 cm − 1 . The optical band gap of NiO is 3.6 eV while Ti doped NiO has 3.3 eV. After 75 minutes of irradiation time, photocatalytic degradation studies under UV irradiation showed 96 and 84% Eosin yellow (EY) dye degradation by Ti doped NiO and undope NiO NPs, respectively. Further parameters were also performed for photodegradation of EY dye like effect of catalyst dosage, pH, concentration of dye and activity of recycled catalysts. Additionally, the kinetic study demonstrates that EY dye degradation study was significantly obey Pseudo-first order kinetics as compared to Pseudo-second order kinetics. Furthermore antibacterial activity of NiO and Ti doped NiO NPs were also identified.

Older adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) face high risks of recurrent ischemia, mortality, and bleeding complications from antiplatelet therapy. The safety and efficacy of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in this vulnerable population remain uncertain due to their underrepresentation in clinical trials. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2025 for randomized controlled trials and cohort studies comparing ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in ACS patients aged ≥70 years. Outcomes included myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, major bleeding, all-cause death, cardiovascular (CV) death, and the composite of CV death/MI/stroke. Hazard ratios (HRs) or risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was assessed via I2 statistics. Five studies (2 randomized controlled trials and 3 cohort studies) with 22,806 participants were included. Ticagrelor significantly reduced the risk of MI (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.75-0.95, P = 0.004) and the composite endpoint of CV death, MI, or stroke (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74-0.98, P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between ticagrelor and clopidogrel in stroke incidence, major bleeding, or all-cause mortality. Heterogeneity was substantial for certain outcomes, particularly bleeding and mortality. In patients aged ≥70 years with ACS, ticagrelor was associated with reduced MI and composite ischemic events compared with clopidogrel, while no statistically significant differences in bleeding events or mortality were observed. However, substantial heterogeneity and reliance on observational data for some outcomes warrant cautious clinical interpretation.

ABSTRACT Background Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) infection poses significant risks during pregnancy, yet data on seroprevalence and genotype diversity in Ethiopia are scarce. Objective This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence, associated risk factors, and genotype distribution of T. gondii among pregnant women in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 554 pregnant women attending antenatal care in public hospitals between January 2022 and April 2024. Systematic random sampling was used. ELISA detected T. gondii ‐specific IgG and IgM antibodies, and PCR‐RFLP targeting B1 and SAG2 loci were used for genotyping. Results Overall seroprevalence was 54.3%, with 6.1% testing IgG‐positive only, 9.4% IgM‐positive only, and 38.8% positive for both. Cat ownership (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.4–3.5) and dog ownership (AOR = 4.9; 95% CI: 2.9–8.1) were significantly associated with infection. Among 28 IgM‐positive samples, Type II strains predominated (50%), followed by Types I and III (25% each). Conclusion These findings support targeted screening and pet‐handling education to reduce the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis. Further molecular surveillance is recommended to inform public health strategies.

ABSTRACT Activated carbon (AC) based supercapacitors (SCs) are known to suffer from low capacitance and poor rate capability due to their electrical double‐layer capacitance (EDLC) behavior. Herein, a nickel‐coated AC (Ni/AC) composite is reported to overcome the limitation of conventional EDLC properties of the AC materials. The composite with 30 min of Ni‐coating time (Ni/AC 30 ) demonstrates the best performance and exhibits a much higher specific capacitance (597 F g −1 ) than AC (85.7 F g −1 ) at 1 A g −1 current density in a three‐electrode cell configuration. Even at a higher current density of 20 A g −1 , the Ni/AC 30 still exhibits a capacitance as high as 342 F g −1 compared to only 34 F g −1 by AC, suggesting its excellent rate capability. Furthermore, the Ni/AC 30 electrode achieves an energy density of 10.1 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 173.9 W kg −1 , much higher than 1.4 Wh kg −1 at 174 W kg −1 by AC. In addition, the Ni/AC 30 electrode can smoothly be cycled over 10,000 charge/discharge cycles at 10 A g −1 . The Ni/AC 30 also exhibits extraordinary performance in a symmetric SC device and delivers an impressive specific capacitance of 228 F g −1 , suggesting its strong potential for practical applications.

Abiotic stress is a major constraint limiting plant growth, productivity, and agricultural sustainability worldwide. Biochar, a carbon‐rich material produced through biomass pyrolysis, has been proposed as an effective soil amendment to enhance plant resilience under stress conditions; however, limited information is available regarding its role in leguminous crops exposed to combined abiotic stresses. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of salt stress and water stress on pea ( Pisum sativum L.) growth, phenology, leaf gas‐exchange attributes, grain yield, and water use efficiency (WUE). Salt and water stress significantly disrupted pea phenology, particularly delaying flowering, and adversely affected leaf gas‐exchange parameters. Salt stress reduced transpiration rate, intercellular carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration, stomatal conductance, and net photosynthetic rate by 27%, 11%, 27%, and 21%, respectively. In contrast, biochar incorporation significantly increased pea grain yield by 3–15%. Water stress and biochar application enhanced yield‐based water use efficiency (WUE‐yield) by 28% and 16%, respectively, whereas salt stress reduced WUE‐yield by 24%. These findings demonstrate that salt and water stress substantially limit pea productivity, while biochar application can partially mitigate their negative impacts. Evaluating the interactive effects of multiple abiotic stressors is essential for developing sustainable crop management strategies.

Financial management has become a necessary element of school leadership especially within the system of education in the public sector that is dealing with limited resources. The paper examines the connection between TERA of primary school heads and school performance in Tehsil Gumbat, District Khairpur, Pakistan. Quantitative correlational research design was adopted whereby a stratified random sample of 60 government primary school heads was used to derive hypothetical data. Financial literacy was measured using financial knowledge, financial attitude, and financial practices and school effectiveness using six organizational dimensions. The results show that the overall financial literacy and the school effectiveness have a statistically significant positive correlation (r = .58, p &lt;.001). The results of the multiple regression demonstrate that the financial practices are really strong predictors of school effectiveness (β =.49, p &lt;.001), and the financial knowledge and attitude are weak predictors. The findings underline the importance of applied financial competencies which are necessary to increase institutional effectiveness. The research adds to the scarcity of empirical studies on financial literacy in educational leadership in the context of the developing countries and provides the policy-related implications of the capacity-building programs.

Abstract Heavy metal contamination in soil impairs plant growth and disrupts cellular functions. Brassica rapa L. exhibits phytoremediation potential owing to its strong metal tolerance and accumulation capacity. This study evaluated the effects of boron (B) and zinc (Zn), applied alone or together at 10–25 mg kg −1 , on growth, biochemical traits, and heavy-metal stress tolerance in B. rapa L. The result established B + Zn &gt; B &gt; Zn. Co-application of B and Zn at 15–20 mg kg −1 significantly enhanced growth and tolerance to metal-induced stress compared with individual treatments ( p &lt; 0.05). At 20 mg kg −1 B + Zn, key biochemical markers, including chlorophyll, sugar, phenolic, carotenoid, protein, and proline levels, were significantly higher compared with individual treatments. Elemental analysis and PCA showed that the optimal 15–20 mg kg −1 B + Zn dose promoted the uptake of essential elements such as Fe and Mn. Simultaneously, reduced toxic metals accumulation (Cd and Pb). Conversely, the 25 mg kg −1 treatment clustered with elevated toxic metals, with Cd showing the highest accumulation, followed by Cr and Pb. The weak linear correlation ( R 2 &lt; 0.1 ) observed across parameters indicates that these physiological benefits arise from complex, non-linear regulation. These findings underscore the critical role of precise micronutrient synergy in enhancing heavy-metal tolerance mechanisms in crops, and they are vital for optimizing phytoremediation and ensuring food safety in metal-contaminated agroecosystems.