Forman Christian College

The paradigm of resilience is multifaceted, encapsulating the diverse mechanisms through which individuals navigate stress, adversity, and complex life circumstances. In the digital era, effectively managing online risks requires the deliberate development of digital resilience. This study sought to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of adolescents experiencing cyberbullying and to assess their coping strategies, with a particular focus on fostering digital resilience within the context of Lahore, Pakistan. Employing a cross-sectional research design, the study collected quantitative data through structured interviews (n = 384) with adolescents enrolled in 9th and 10th grades across public and private schools in Lahore, selected using a simple random sampling method. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and both bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted for data analysis. The results revealed that over 55% of respondents reported experiencing cyberbullying victimization. Cyberbullying victimization was found to be significantly associated with school sector, religion, hurtful content and threatened online. Coping strategies are significant associated with the father government employee. Perceived digital resilience are significant associated with gender, religion, wealth index quintile, and the use of the “report abuse” button. More than 40% of adolescents reported employing coping mechanisms, while approximately 48% demonstrated a strong sense of digital resilience. These findings underscore the necessity of cultivating digital resilience in response to the dynamic nature of the digital landscape, thereby fostering a society equipped to navigate and adapt to rapid technological advancement.

The genome editing tool, known as CRISPR-Cas9, is a powerful tool that can be employed in the fight against the multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, which is known for causing severe infections. This review will explore the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in learning more about the bacterium and coming up with new ways of fighting infections. We will also look at the basic components of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, which include the Cas9 nuclease activity, specificity of the RNA, and the DNA repair machinery, which includes both homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining. We will also look at the different components of the system in the context of bacteria. This review also explores the different variants of the system, which include the catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9) for gene silencing and the use of the system for overexpressing specific genes, known as the CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) system. This can be employed in the context of altering specific genes involved in antibiotic resistance, efflux pumps, biofilm, and virulence. We also discuss how effective it is in reversing antimicrobial resistance by targeting and degrading the genes for antimicrobial resistance, eliminating the plasmids, and making the drug-resistant strains susceptible to normal antibiotics. We also discuss the new applications for epigenetic modifications, genome-wide functional screening, and the fusion of these with phage therapy and nanoparticles. Although there have been many improvements in the field, there are still challenges in finding the most effective drug delivery methods, reducing side effects, and the ability of P. aeruginosa to alter its genes. Future perspectives include combining CRISPR-Cas9 with other cutting-edge technologies to develop synergistic approaches for combating this resilient pathogen and solving the antimicrobial resistance crisis.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of green technological innovation, taxes and environmental pollution on the blue economy within OECD countries. Design/methodology/approach The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) and Bootstrap Quantile Regression methods were used to investigate the relationship between Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Natural Resources Rents, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, green taxation, green innovation and blue economy. This study uses panel data covering the period from 1990 to 2022. Findings Green taxes demonstrate a stronger positive impact on the blue economy at lower quantiles, with this effect diminishing progressively across the distribution to higher quantiles. Green innovation exhibits a consistently robust positive relationship with the blue economy throughout the distribution, remaining statistically significant across all quantiles examined. Carbon emissions display a significant negative association with the blue economy across the entire conditional distribution, with this adverse effect intensifying at higher quantiles. The findings further reveal that both GDP and natural resources rents exert positive effects on the blue economy across all quantiles, suggesting their role as consistent drivers of blue economy development regardless of the level of blue economy performance. Originality/value By combining MMQR with Bootstrap Quantile Regression, this study conducts a detailed examination of how environmental and economic determinants influence blue economy performance across varying quantiles. The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on sustainable ocean economies and provide practical guidance for policymakers seeking to promote economic development while safeguarding environmental integrity.

Quercus infectoria (Q. infectoria) is a medicinal plant renowned for its therapeutic benefits. The current study included optimization of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for obtaining bioactive compounds from QI galls, identification of its compounds via GC–MS, and isolation of pyrogallol using chromatography, as well as a molecular docking study of pyrogallol and 10 other compounds containing pyrogallol rings against HCV NS3 serine protease using Maestro 12.5. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimization with total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, and iron chelating activity (Fe-CA) as responses. Well-fitted models were suggested that were supported by validation studies. In MAE, the optimal TPC, TFC, DPPH radical scavenging activity (DRSA), ABTS radical scavenging activity (ARSA), and Fe-CA were 223.25 mg GAE/g DW, 81.28 mg RE/g DW, 79.21%, 89.75% and 46.28%, respectively and in UAE, 202.14 mg GAE/g DW, 74.06 mg RE/g DW, 69.97%, 79.38% and 41%, respectively. MAE and UAE optimal conditions were power 490 W, time 80 s, and 35 mL/g solvent-to-sample ratio (SSR) and amplitude 37%, time 360 s, and solvent-to-sample ratio 15 mL/g, respectively. Isolated pyrogallol was characterized based on spectral data. The highest docking score of −15.177 kcal/mol was shown by eugeniin, followed by casuarinin (−12.76 kcal/mol) and 1,3,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (−12.17 kcal/mol), respectively. The study has important implications for HCV and related antiviral drug discovery and optimal bioactive compounds recovery from Q. infectoria using green techniques.

The Shia Hazara community in Pakistan has long faced persistent violence, discrimination and harassment in various forms. Although the frequency of such incidents has decreased in recent years, they continue to experience threats, albeit with lower intensity. Using a mixed-method approach, this article incorporates both survey questionnaires and elite interviews to explore the Hazaras’ experiences with violence and discrimination. The descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis with visualisations of survey responses and interviews reveal four overarching themes: the nature and frequency of violence, its impact on daily life, factors contributing to exclusion and marginalisation, and community-led conflict management and trauma coping mechanisms. The article underscores that beyond ethnic and religious factors, there are additional local and international drivers of violence against Shia Hazaras, which have not received sufficient scholarly attention. The article recommends that the adoption of inclusive policies by the government will help to mitigate ongoing violence and exclusion.

Prostate cancer [PCa] is the second most prevalent malignancy diagnosed in men worldwide, constituting a considerable public health challenge due to the inadequacies of existing diagnostic methods focused on prostate-specific antigen [PSA] testing, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], and invasive biopsy. The recent paradigm shift towards viewing solid tumors as complex ecosystems has revealed the intratumoral microbiota, a community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi residing within the tumor microenvironment [TME] as a crucial regulator of carcinogenesis. The origin, spatial dynamics, and mechanistic functions of the prostate intratumoral microbiota are summarized in this thorough review. We present "The Prostate Microbial Triad," a novel conceptual framework that describes the co-evolutionary interaction of microbes, resident immune cells, and malignant epithelium. We explore particular mechanisms such as microbial reprogramming of tumor immunology and metabolism, the proposed "Microbial–Androgen Crosstalk Model" specific to PCa, and microbe-induced genomic instability. In order to create reliable liquid biopsies, we suggest a translational pipeline that connects tumor-resident microbes to urine signals through the "Microbial-Extracellular Vesicle [EV] Pathway," and we support multi-omics integration [metagenomics, metabolomics, and spatial transcriptomics] driven by machine learning. Decoding and utilizing the prostate intratumoral microbiome, according to this review, is a frontier with unmatched potential to transform PCa diagnostics by enabling accurate, non-invasive detection and risk stratification.

In this paper we documented the emotional impact of Covid-19 on Pakistani college/university students as they transitioned (rather quickly) from physical (face-to-face) to online classes; we investigate how academic/structural factors contributed to positive/negative emotional reactions among these students and show how the presence of these factors made the transition easier for some students and not so much for others. We use mixed-methods research, including an online survey instrument supplemented with focus group discussions. Pakistan has a stratified education system divided along lines of income /class. Unfortunately, online learning exacerbated existing inequalities and laid bare the stark digital divide. Our research confirms that students across all income brackets want similar things: synchronous lessons and an uninterrupted internet connection to listen to these lectures without voice distortion -- a supportive environment/infrastructure at home, and at the university (Student Affairs, IT support) reduces stress and allows students to focus on the lecture; they expect to be examined objectively and fairly, based on merit. Uneven access to these academic and structural determinants, however, added stress, anxiety, and frustration. Moreover, keeping everything else constant, being female is associated with greater anxiety and frustration: This is especially true for high-income girls; however, low-income female students reported hope in the face of adversity.

This study examines the significant economic crisis that Pakistan is currently facing and has been building for several years. One of the main reasons for this crisis is its external debt which has increased significantly, and it has failed to meet its debt obligations. In 2019, the government to address the crisis took several measures including seeking financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF program, which was intended to stabilize the country, pushed it into further debt crisis. This study critically evaluates the main reasons for the failure of this program in stabilizing the economy which include the conditions attached to the program. The government implemented these conditions, leading to austerity measures that hurt the most vulnerable segments of society. Based on primary data like elite interviews, this study finds the social and economic implications for these conditions on the people of the country. This study also used secondary sources for the data collection and both qualitative and quantitative methods. The tentative outcome of this study is that as such these agreements of loans are not an effective tool for development, fixing it will divert Pakistan from more meaningful approaches that it can use to promote the development in the country. These approaches include improving governance, implementing an effective economic strategy, utilizing the country’s natural resources for profitable ventures, attracting foreign direct investment, developing capital markets, promoting microfinance, reducing taxes, increasing remittances, and taking advantage of trade opportunities with emerging economies like China and India.

The urgent need for effective and novel solutions to address the rising global epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a priority for researchers. This chronic ailment, with its alarming prevalence and life-threatening complications (neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy), necessitates novel therapeutic strategies. Herein we have synthesized a novel series of N-substituted indole-based thiosemicarbazone derivatives 5(a-y) and explored their potential as α-glucosidase inhibitors. All the compounds displayed excellent inhibitory potential with IC50 values in the range 5.38–59.20 µM, vastly outperforming the reference inhibitor acarbose (IC50 = 871.40 ± 1.24 µM). Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were also conducted, which revealed strong binding interactions with the active site of the enzyme. Compound 5u emerged as the most effective α-glucosidase inhibitor, making it a strong lead for the development of novel antidiabetic therapeutics. To strengthen the SAR rationale and to gain mechanistic insights into the enhanced α-glucosidase inhibition, quantum chemical descriptors of the eight most active thiosemicarbazones (5a, 5 h, 5 m, 5n, 5s, 5t, 5u, 5w) were computed using DFT, highlighting their reactivity and stability from a theoretical perspective.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-24251-w.