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BackgroundMost rehabilitation programs use some testing to determine the readiness to return-to-sport; however, it is important to determine what the pass criteria is. One of the most common return-to-sport criteria is the limb symmetry index (LSI). ObjectiveTo investigate the differences between injured and non-injured leg in ACLR across these tests, hop, 2-D FPPA, balance, force generation, and isokinetic muscle tests, also to describe reference values for the LSI for hop and isokinetic testing. DesignDifferences study SettingAt Salford University labsParticipants29 ACLR highly athlete (6–9 post-operative), 16 males and 13 females (age27.4±2.5years; height171±3.8cm; and mass74.6±4.07kg).InterventionsFive tests on each leg:Hop tests: Two tests were applied using a tape measure: the horizontal hop for distance and crossover hop test. Knee valgus angle tests: Two tests were applied using 2D capturing: the horizontal hop for distance and squat test.Balance tests: Three tests were applied using Kistler Force Plate: straight leg, bent leg, and hop for distance balance test.Force test: One test was applied using FT 700 Power Cage: an isometric mid-thigh clean pull.Isokinetic muscle testing: Two tests were applied using Biodex System 4: quadriceps and hamstring muscle tests.Main Outcome MeasurementsHop: the maximum point reached. Knee valgus angle: FPPA of the knee valgus in maximum knee flexion position. Balance: postural sway in straight and bent leg tests, while time to stability in hop land test.Force: maximum RFD, peak force, and impulses from 0–300ms.Isokinetic muscle testing: peak torque, peak torque to body weight, and work to body weight. ResultsDifferences found between the injured and non-injured legs in hop tests and isokinetic testing.Symmetry between limbs didn’t exist in both testsAbstract 601 Table 1Data collected from ACL reconstructed participants for all the tests (N=29), and illustrates the differences between injured and non-injured limb performance Tests Injured Non-Injured MeanSDMeanSD p Value Hop Single-leg Hop for Distance (%leg length)170.5627.19188.8923.84<0.001* Crossover Hop (%leg length)657.19128.06730.62129.160.001* 2-D Squat (FPPA ˚)4.092.414.423.670.979Hop Land (FPPA ˚)6.043.815.804.840.538Straight Leg (cm2)1.240.521.240.410.598 Balance Bent Leg (cm2)1.150.461.180.420.401Hop Land (TTS) (sec)0.480.120.500.150.386Max RFD (N·sec/kg)148.5038.51154.0126.150.316 Force Ten Consecutive HopsPeak Force (N/kg)25.936.5228.055.90.029* Peak Power (W/kg)32.788.6235.577.390.058Peak Velocity (m·s-1)1.980.522.110.430.090Max RFD (N·sec/kg)108.5638.76109.3838.410.859Peak Force (N/kg)25.182.8525.512.370.354Impulse 0-100 ms (Ns/kg)1.000.090.990.120.555 Force IMTPImpulse 0-200 ms (Ns/kg)2.120.322.100.280.561Impulse 0-250 ms (Ns/kg)2.770.502.750.440.808Impulse 0-300 ms (Ns/kg)3.480.713.450.660.734Peak TQ (N·m)Concentric213.1576.30264.6592.04<0.001* Eccentric253.54101.67303.02112.43<0.001* Isokinetic QuadricepsPk TQ/BW (%)Concentric263.2063.37327.4068.51<0.001* Eccentric307.9588.87369.9497.73<0.001* Work/BW (%)Concentric204.7356.55241.7356.99<0.001* Eccentric209.4053.36263.6174.62<0.001* Peak TQ (N·m)Concentric154.7061.60174.9967.90<0.001* Eccentric158.2252.62179.9259.72<0.001* Isokinetic HamstringPk TQ/BW (%)Concentric192.6757.10216.9058.01<0.001* Eccentric196.5445.74224.6249.94<0.001* Work/BW (%)Concentric149.9348.06180.4471.750.004* Eccentric161.9460.90176.7273.210.189Peak TQ) Peak torque; (Pk TQ/BW) Peak torque to body weight; (Work/BW) Work to body weight; (SD) Standard deviation; (*) p * 0.05.Abstract 601 Table 2Illustrates the percentage of ACL reconstructed participants achieving LSI values for hop tests and isokinetic muscles testsLSI859095HopSingle-leg Hop for Distance72.763.636.4Crossover Hop81.863.639.4Peak TQConcentric51.533.315.2Eccentric57.639.421.2Pk TQ/BWConcentric42.427.315.2Eccentric57.633.324.2IsokineticQuadricepsWork/BWConcentric54.539.427.3Eccentric42.433.327.3Peak TQConcentric57.648.533.3Eccentric45.545.530.3IsokineticHamstringPk TQ/BWConcentric60.654.533.3Eccentric48.542.430.3Work/BWConcentric51.542.436.4Eccentric48.542.439.4(Peak TQ) Peak torque; (Pk TQ/BW) Peak torque to body weight;(Work/BW) Work to body weightConclusionOne leg’s performance cannot define the otherThe existing return-to-play criteria appears to be insufficient

Traditional polymer processing techniques results in thermal degradation of the desired mechanical properties of a component. Incremental sheet forming (ISF), an innovative flexible cold forming process, can avoid this issue. However, this type of cold processing suffers from serious drawback of spring back due to elastic recovery. Therefore, process control is mandatory to achieve the desired part accuracy. This requires employment of a conducive set of process parameters, thereby turning this into an optimization problem. Using statistical techniques, though beneficial, does not result in an acceptable mean squared error (MSE). In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning methods for error prediction and parameter optimization. Particularly, we propose to use the combination of genetic algorithm and artificial neural network hybrid model for optimized set of parameters that result in a greedy minimized shape error. Experiments on Polypropylene sheet show that the proposed approach results in better optimization compared to statistical technique in minimizing the MSE. Graphical abstract

Pakistan is often discussed at domestic and international forums in the context of its treatment of the religious minorities and more particularly the alleged forced religious conversions to Islam. This paper is in continuation of a recent report by the author that discussed the narrative of systematic and organized forced religious conversions in Pakistan to show that it is not supported by any data or verifiable evidence. The paper presents preliminary results of the fieldwork that collected data from the province of Sindh in Pakistan. The data gathered comprises audio-visual interviews from a cross-section of the society, official documents, and data of converts. While the study could not find cases of forced conversion, it notes that the force is used against the neo-converts through various means. It identifies 13 push and pull factors that contribute to religious conversions in the context of the area of this study. It also looks into the widespread perception of only women being converted, or the age of converted individuals generally being below 18 years.

The Communist Party of China's 19th National Congress underlined the necessity of speeding the development of a manufacturing powerhouse and advanced manufacturing sector by supporting the deep integration of the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and the real economy. This study employed principal component analysis to extract the prominent risk factors from questionnaire data in order to manage the risks connected with the Internet strategic transformation of manufacturing firms. To confirm the major risk factors, a structural equation modeling was created using Amos-24 software. The findings revealed that risk factors of Internet strategic transformation in manufacturing businesses are mostly expressed in equipment flexibility risks, organizational versatility risks, smart technology risks, Internet technology risks, flexible management risks, and financing management risks. The paper offers useful theoretical and practical insights into the risks of China's manufacturing businesses' Internet strategic transformation. The findings can assist manufacturing firms in better identifying and managing these risks, supporting their smooth transition to the Internet economy.

This paper evaluates the definition of ‘forced conversion’ as presented in various reports—mostly published by different non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—about Pakistan and its projection through social as well as print media outlets. Taking insights from the writings of Lewis R. Rambo, Nathaniel Roberts and Katy Sian, the paper compares the narrative in Pakistan with the studies undertaken in the West on conversion and its politics. It analyzes the political perspectives and their sources used to conceive the meaning of proclaimed forced conversion based on the age and maturity of alleged victims and perceived vulnerability. By presenting social media activism as the case study, this paper interrogates the narrative that relies on ambiguous definitions explicated in legislative bills on ‘forced conversion’ and the NGO reports. It argues that the narrative reflected in proposed bills, reports, and social media reinforces the role of patriarchy and caste as the social forces. The paper concludes that this narrative is politically motivated and does not take into account multiple push and pull factors that lead to religious conversion while defining the term.

Peripheral nerve injury is a complex condition with a variety of signs and symptoms such as numbness, tingling, jabbing, throbbing, burning or sharp pain. Peripheral nerves are fragile in nature and can easily get damaged due to acute compression or trauma which may lead to the sensory and motor functions deficits and even lifelong disability. After lesion, the neuronal cell body becomes disconnected from the axon's distal portion to the injury site leading to the axonal degeneration and dismantlement of neuromuscular junctions of targeted muscles. In spite of extensive research on this aspect, complete functional recovery still remains a challenge to be resolved. This review highlights detailed pathophysiological events after an injury to a peripheral nerve and the associated factors that can either hinder or promote the regenerative machinery. In addition, it throws light on the available therapeutic strategies including supporting therapies, surgical and non-surgical interventions to ameliorate the axonal regeneration, neuronal survival, and reinnervation of peripheral targets. Despite the availability of various treatment options, we are still lacking the optimal treatments for a perfect and complete functional regain. The need for the present age is to discover or design such potent compounds that would be able to execute the complete functional retrieval. In this regard, plant-derived compounds are getting more attention and several recent reports validate their remedial effects. A plethora of plants and plant-derived phytochemicals have been suggested with curative effects against a number of diseases in general and neuronal injury in particular. They can be a ray of hope for the suffering individuals.

Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common cause of cancer death in Pakistan. In 2019, Pakistan saw the highest global BCa-associated death rate. But do Pakistani women know about the various aspects of BCa? And how prevalent are BCa screening methods amongst Pakistani females? These questions formed the basis for our study. We conducted this review in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. On September 1, 2023, we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and performed a citation search to search for eligible studies published in 2010 or after, using the following terms: \"breast cancer\" and \"Pakistan\". Observational studies that evaluated BCa awareness and/or practice amongst Pakistani females who were not associated with medicine were eligible. We used the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool to assess the risk of bias. We conducted a proportion meta-analysis to calculate pooled prevalences for variables. Responses from 9766 Pakistani women across 18 included studies showed alarmingly low levels of BCa knowledge: risk factors, 42.7% (95% CI: 34.1%-51.4%); symptoms, 41.8% (95% CI: 26.2%-57.5%); diagnostic modalities, 36.3% (95% CI: 23.1%-49.4%); treatments, 46.6% (95% CI: 13.5%-79.8%). Prevalence of breast self-examination (BSE) and ever having undergone a clinical breast exam (CBE) was 28.7% (95% CI: 17.9%-39.6%) and 15.3% (95 CI: 11.2%-19.4%), respectively. BCa knowledge was significantly associated with better educational status, age, and socioeconomic status. On average, only two in five Pakistani women are aware of one or more risk factors, symptoms, or diagnostic modalities. Approximately one in two women know about possible BCa treatment. Less than one in three women practice regular BSE, and less than one in five women have ever undergone a CBE.

The successful realization of Industry 4.0 depends much on how coherently the cyber and physical realms are conjoined in cyber-physical systems. In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, research efforts have mostly been channeled toward the cyber domain, whereas the physical domain has received significantly lesser consideration. A physical domain generally comprises material shaping equipment, work material, tools, working medium, sensors, automation technology, and connectivity mechanisms. The article provides a comprehensive review of the published literature to establish the states of readiness of the two most important manufacturing technologies: subtractive and additive and their sustainable merger from the perspective of Industry 4.0. Rich potentials in the four characteristics at the process level: speed, sustainability, agility, and customer centricity and three at the system level: connectivity, data collection, and automation are required for a manufacturing system (physical domain) to be Industry 4.0 compatible. The review establishes that the subtractive manufacturing domain is nearly compatible regarding speed and agility but needs improvements in respect of sustainability and customer centricity. Additive manufacturing, on the other hand, appears strong on agility and customer-centricity fronts but needs amelioration regarding production speed and sustainability. In respect of the system level characteristics, both technologies seem to be compatible regarding automation, whereas significant improvements are required in connectivity and data sensing and collection. For the sake of raising compatibility levels of the manufacturing systems, subtractive-additive amalgamation is scrutinized. The amalgamation, especially in a done-in-one configuration, has, reportedly, succeeded to retain the favorable traits of the two manufacturing technologies, thus, bringing the merger much closer to the Industry 4.0 requirements. Proper process planning and optimal work distribution between the subtractive and additive modes are critical for operating an amalgamated system at high levels of the key characteristics.

Disadvantages associated with chemical coagulants and goal of sustainable development have shifted the focus to natural plant-based coagulants. Raw and defatted soybean ( Glycine max L. ) seed powder, as innovative and eco-friendly coagulant, was appraised in detail for turbid water treatment and compared with alum in this study. Design of experiments was conducted by employing response surface method which lacks in past studies pertaining to plant-based coagulants. Experiments were conducted with lab prepared turbid water with initial turbidity of 200 NTU and wide range of pH (2–10) and dose (20–100 mg/L). Results revealed that raw and defatted soybean gave residual turbidities of 4 and 3 NTU at optimum conditions which were comparable to alum. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified that pH was more significant parameter as compared with dose for soybean and alum, while interaction of pH and dose was most significant in case of defatted soybean. Characterization of the coagulants and flocs, by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM), revealed that postulated mechanism of coagulation for plant-based coagulants is adsorption and charge neutralization . Cost of treating 1000 m 3 of water by raw and defatted soybean is lower (US$12 and US$3.9 respectively) compared with alum (US$31.2).