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Resistance switching characteristics of CeO 2 /Ti/CeO 2 tri-layered films sandwiched between Pt bottom electrode and two different top electrodes (Ti and TaN) with different work functions have been investigated. RRAM memory cells composed of TaN/CeO 2 /Ti/CeO 2 /Pt reveal better resistive switching performance instead of Ti/CeO 2 /Ti/CeO 2 /Pt memory stacks. As compared to the Ti/CeO 2 interface, much better ability of TaN/CeO 2 interface to store and exchange plays a key role in the RS performance improvement, including lower forming/SET voltages, large memory window (~10 2 ) and no significant data degradation during endurance test of >10 4 switching cycles. The formation of TaON thinner interfacial layer between TaN TE and CeO 2 film is found to be accountable for improved resistance switching behavior. Partial charge density of states is analyzed using density functional theory. It is found that the conductive filaments formed in CeO 2 based devices is assisted by interstitial Ti dopant. Better stability and reproducibility in cycle-to-cycle (C2C) resistance distribution and V set /V reset uniformity were achieved due to the modulation of current conduction mechanism from Ohmic in low field region to Schottky emission in high field region.

Memory devices with bilayer CeO 2−x /ZnO and ZnO/CeO 2−x heterostructures sandwiched between Ti top and Pt bottom electrodes were fabricated by RF-magnetron sputtering at room temperature. N-type semiconductor materials were used in both device heterostructures, but interestingly, change in heterostructure and electroforming polarity caused significant variations in resistive switching (RS) properties. Results have revealed that the electroforming polarity has great influence on both CeO 2−x /ZnO and ZnO/CeO 2−x heterostructure performance such as electroforming voltage, good switching cycle-to-cycle endurance (~ 10 2 ), and ON/OFF ratio. A device with CeO 2−x /ZnO heterostructure reveals good RS performance due to the formation of Schottky barrier at top and bottom interfaces. Dominant conduction mechanism of high resistance state (HRS) was Schottky emission in high field region. Nature of the temperature dependence of low resistance state and HRS confirmed that RS is caused by the formation and rupture of conductive filaments composed of oxygen vacancies.

Purpose- The purpose of the study was to assess the usefulness of digital library resources & services, and the value of multidisciplinary databases among postgraduate researchers/ students. This research study is an investigation of technology acceptance behaviours of university library users in Lahore, Pakistan. It also works on user's perception and usage of digital databases, user's level of satisfaction, user's ease of use and usefulness to use digital library databases and identifications of factors affecting accessing digital databases. This research study is based on the TAM model in the context of technology acceptance by postgraduate researchers. Design/ methodology/ approach-This is a quantitative research study based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and two basic variables i.e. perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) adopted to check the acceptance level of library users through an adapted questionnaire-survey of 243 post-graduate students of higher degree-awarding universities/institutes of Pakistan, accredited from Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. Findings- The findings of this study discovered that the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the system are significant predictors that play the primary role in accepting the particular system. The effect of moderating variables with respect to gender and age impacts the acceptance level. The findings of this research study also show that female researchers use online library databases conveniently and preferably, as compared to male researchers. Implications- The results of this research study will help out teachers, students, and institutional administration in their academic pursuits. The faculty can get a better idea of how to teach and lead researchers from the available digital information resources and services provided by the university libraries. It will also help in decision making about the selection or rejection of resources for the library's users/ students. Originality/value- This research study provides valuable/ important insights into key factors that impact and affect user's perception & intention to use and accept library technological services and digital resources from the Pakistani perspective.

Pakistani women are vulnerable to all kinds of violence due to the patriarchal setup of society. We examined the justification of wife beating by women and men of reproductive group that comprised of 15–49 years of age by doing secondary data analysis on nationally representative cross- sectional survey data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2012–13. The analysis was conducted on randomly selected 13,558 ever- married women and 3134 ever- married men representing all the four provinces of Pakistan including Gilgit Baltistan and federal capital Islamabad. The data showed that women justified wife beating more as compared to men. The findings of multivariable logistic regression depicted that women living with partners, having no access to information, lacking autonomy, and no control over income were more likely to justify wife beating while men who did not have access to information were more in favor of this acts. These findings may help in devising strategies to change the mindset regarding justification of wife beating in Pakistan.

This study explores the factors affecting the reading development of middle schools' students studying in private schools. A quantitative study with the help of survey design was conducted on parents whose children were enrolled in 6th to 8th grades in private middle schools of Lahore, Pakistan. The research findings indicated that excessive use of screens such as mobile, TV, and electronic games are the major problems parents face in the promotion of reading habits among children. The other difficulties include the excessive curriculum textbooks, lack of interest by parents, high cost of reading material, lack of school-level practices, absence of school library. The study also revealed that limiting screen time, giving reading rewards, proper maintaining record of child's reading activities, book talk with peers or in the group, associating reading with pleasure, daily ask the child to read certain words, visit of libraries, book exhibitions and literary places are the result-oriented strategies which can be used to promote reading habits among the school children. Results are valuable for parents, educationists, teachers, and policymakers to minimize reading hurdles and prioritizing strategies in order to develop reading habits among their children.

Memory devices with bilayer CeO /ZnO and ZnO/CeO heterostructures sandwiched between Ti top and Pt bottom electrodes were fabricated by RF-magnetron sputtering at room temperature. N-type semiconductor materials were used in both device heterostructures, but interestingly, change in heterostructure and electroforming polarity caused significant variations in resistive switching (RS) properties. Results have revealed that the electroforming polarity has great influence on both CeO /ZnO and ZnO/CeO heterostructure performance such as electroforming voltage, good switching cycle-to-cycle endurance (~ 10 ), and ON/OFF ratio. A device with CeO /ZnO heterostructure reveals good RS performance due to the formation of Schottky barrier at top and bottom interfaces. Dominant conduction mechanism of high resistance state (HRS) was Schottky emission in high field region. Nature of the temperature dependence of low resistance state and HRS confirmed that RS is caused by the formation and rupture of conductive filaments composed of oxygen vacancies.

Aims/hypothesis In an individual-level analysis we examined the effect of atorvastatin on glycaemia progression in type 2 diabetes and whether glycaemia effects reduce the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with atorvastatin. Methods The study population comprised 2,739 people taking part in the Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS) who were randomised to receive atorvastatin 10 mg or placebo and who had post-randomisation HbA 1c data. This secondary analysis used Cox regression to estimate the effect of atorvastatin on glycaemia progression, defined as an increase in HbA 1c of ≥0.5% (5.5 mmol/mol) or intensification of diabetes therapy. Mixed models were used to estimate the effect of atorvastatin on HbA 1c as a continuous endpoint. Results Glycaemia progression occurred in 73.6% of participants allocated placebo and 78.1% of those allocated atorvastatin (HR 1.18 [95% CI 1.08, 1.29], p  < 0.001) by the end of follow-up. The HR was 1.22 (95% CI 1.19, 1.35) in men and 1.11 (95% CI 0.95, 1.29) in women ( p  = 0.098 for the sex interaction). A similar effect was seen in on-treatment analyses: HR 1.20 (95% CI 1.07, 1.35), p  = 0.001. The net mean treatment effect on HbA 1c was 0.14% (95% CI 0.08, 0.21) (1.5 mmol/mol). The effect did not increase through time. Diabetes treatment intensification alone did not differ with statin allocation. Neither baseline nor 1-year-attained HbA 1c predicted subsequent CVD, and the atorvastatin effect on CVD did not vary by HbA 1c change (interaction p value 0.229). Conclusions/interpretation The effect of atorvastatin 10 mg on glycaemia progression among those with diabetes is statistically significant but very small, is not significantly different between sexes, does not increase with duration of statin and does not have an impact on the magnitude of CVD risk reduction with atorvastatin.

This paper intends to explore the reasons of gender discrimination in different segments of Pakistani society at grass root level. This study is based on qualitative content analysis of children’s literature from which the most popular corpse of ten English fairytales purposively. Activities of different characters along with their social were selected and economic status, behavioral traits, gendered messages and thematic roles were analyzed by using coding frame for manifest and stimulus clues for latent information. This content analysis research indicates that gender difference is an integral part of the fairy tales which shows female gender inferior to male. A detailed qualitative analysis of these selected fairytales cited that gender issues start from titles and prevail throughout the fairytales. Males had proper names but girls were known with their attributive names in the titles. The study suggests a need for drastic change behaviorally, psychologically and materially (in our children’s literature and particularly in fairytales) to keep pace with the 21st century, which demands us to be more creative, active and innovative with scientific approach instead of becoming an escapist.

One of the markers of the socioeconomic inequalities faced by prisoners is their experience of poorer health outcomes, including higher dental caries experience, when compared to the general population. Whilst, as a whole, prisoners are disparate there are also vulnerable sub-populations, including women, young offenders, and the elderly. There is scope to inform future health improvement programmes by characterizing how caries experience and related risk factors vary between prisoner groups. The aims of this thesis were to (1) review the literature reporting caries amongst prisoners, and (2) assess the disease burden and associated risk indicators in a population of Scottish prisoners. Three data elements are reported: (i) a structured review with electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Cinahl Plus, SCOPUS, PsychARTICLES, and ASSIA; (ii) selfreport data from a cross-sectional survey including measures for socio-demographics, medical and substance use history, dental anxiety (MDAS), mood (CES-D), and oral health-related attitudes and behaviours; and (iii) visual examination caries data which was evaluated using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) and converted to the decayed, missing filled (DMF) index. The oral health survey was completed in a non-probabilistic stratified sample of 298 prisoners, held in three Scottish prison establishments, representative of females, long-stay adult males, and male young offenders. From the 31 literature articles included, there were indications dental caries experience may have been historically underestimated since early stage incipient caries lesions were not routinely captured. The evidence predominantly centered on known risk factors for other health conditions in this population e.g. socioeconomic status, patterns of health service utilization and substance use. There is little empirical evidence for how risk factors for caries vary between prisoner groups. In the Scottish prisons surveyed, overall prevalence of total obvious decay experience (D1MFT) was 97% and for caries into dentine (D3MFT) was 96% with high proportions across all three populations. Mean scores were 12.89, 13.87, and 8.10 for D1MFT, and 12.02, 13.28, and 6.20 for D3MFT, among females, long-stay adult males, and male young offenders respectively. Age-adjusted multiple regression analysis determined intravenous drug use was a significant (p < 0.05) risk indicator for both D1MFT and D3MFT scores among females and adult males, whereas other risk indicators varied between the two populations. Number of cigarettes smoked per day and dental attitudes also significantly explained both dental scores among females. For adult males, living in a non-stable living accommodation significantly explained higher D1MFT scores, and for D3MFT scores those who brushed their teeth with fluoride toothpaste at home had significantly lower scores whereas those who had attended the prison dentist had significantly higher scores. Additional risk factors for adult males included: sugar consumption at home, length of homelessness, and prison dental attendance for D1MFT; and length of homelessness and health condition(s) with shared common risk factors for D3MFT. The findings for male young offenders indicate prison dental attendance, and dental anxiety may explain caries outcomes however, combined with marital status, these explained less than 10% of the variance in dental scores. This thesis has shown dental caries experience in Scottish prisoners is highly prevalent and future programmes should be prioritised for prisoners known to have a history of substance misuse or at risk of developing such dependencies. This work has also highlighted the participants had experienced non-stable accommodations just prior to prison, and had experience of care and instability in their social relationships, suggesting the ‘causes of the causes’ of health inequalities are existent for the Scottish prisons population. Therefore, there is a need to address both upstream issues, such as policies and strategies to reverse social and economic factors which cause health inequities, together with global downstream programmes for the wider prisons population. These downstream health improvement programmes should adopt a common risk factor approach and incorporate smoking cessation and peer group interventions to address dental-health related attitudes among females, whereas for males greater emphasis on securing community-housing is needed alongside interactive and tailored oral health educational programmes.

This paper intends to explore the reasons of gender discrimination indifferent segments of Pakistani society at grass root level. This study isbased on qualitative content analysis of children’s literature from whichthe most popular corpse of ten English fairytales purposively. Activitiesof different characters along with their social were selected andeconomic status, behavioral traits, gendered messages and thematic roleswere analyzed by using coding frame for manifest and stimulus clues forlatent information. This content analysis research indicates that genderdifference is an integral part of the fairy tales which shows female genderinferior to male. A detailed qualitative analysis of these selectedfairytales cited that gender issues start from titles and prevail throughoutthe fairytales. Males had proper names but girls were known with theirattributive names in the titles. The study suggests a need for drasticchange behaviorally, psychologically and materially (in our children’sliterature and particularly in fairytales) to keep pace with the 21st century,which demands us to be more creative, active and innovative withscientific approach instead of becoming an escapist.