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Plant pathogens pose a significant threat to the food industry and food security accounting for 10–40% crop losses annually on a global scale. Economic losses from plant diseases are estimated at $300B for major food crops and are associated with reduced food availability and accessibility and also high food costs. Although strategies exist to reduce the impact of diseases in plants, many of these introduce harmful chemicals to our food chain. Therefore, it is important to understand and utilize plants' immune systems to control plant pathogens to enable more sustainable agriculture. Lipids are core components of cell membranes and as such are part of the first line of defense against pathogen attack. Recent developments in omics technologies have advanced our understanding of how plant membrane lipid biosynthesis, remodelling and/or signalling modulate plant responses to infection. Currently, there is limited information available in the scientific literature concerning lipid signalling targets and their biochemical and physiological consequences in response to plant pathogens. This review focusses on the functions of membrane lipid derivatives and their involvement in plant responses to pathogens as biotic stressors. We describe major plant defense systems including systemic‐acquired resistance, basal resistance, hypersensitivity and the gene‐for‐gene concept in this context. This review highlights the state‐of‐the‐art concerning how plant membrane lipids and their derivatives modulate immunity, disease resistance and plant response to infection. Major plant defence systems such as systemic‐acquired resistance, basal resistance, reactive oxygen species, hypersensitivity and the gene‐for‐gene concept are described in this context. Identification and detailed understanding of the molecular signalling occurring during pathogenesis can pave the way for better plant disease control which could be beneficial in enhancing food security and sustainable agr icultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common bean is an important legume crop having high quality protein, micronutrients, vitamins and antioxidants, which makes it a "grain of hope" for poor communities. Hence, a good number of breeding activities have been performed on the improvement of various key traits for years. However, recent advancements in molecular markers, sequencing technologies and the completion of the common bean genome sequence have opened numerous opportunities for fine mapping and gene characterization. The availability of these tools together with investigations of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and candidate genes for key traits such as morpho-agronomic, iron and zinc contents, cooking and quality traits, antioxidant activity, biotic and abiotic stresses pave the way to the development of new strategies for common bean genetic improvement. As a food source, it can contribute to the reduction of food scarcity worldwide in the coming years. Therefore, it is very important to take synergic efforts to integrate common bean genetic and genomic resources in breeding activities to ensure food security and contribute significantly to improved livelihoods in developing countries. Moreover, Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) and CRISPR-Cas9 should be used to develop climate resilience common bean varieties. Here, we provide an overview of the evolution of common bean research by highlighting the past and recent advances in genomics, transgenics, transcriptomics and proteomics and also critically discuss the future prospects for further genetic improvement and better expansion of this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal processing techniques not only prevent the nutritional losses but also improve the food quality and security. In recent years, consumers demand healthy, safe, and nutritious food. Ultrasound is one of the emerging techniques, which is being studied extensively on various food products. On the other hand, in microwave treatment heat transfer is rapid, so sensory characteristics, nutrients, vitamin content, flavor and color of food are well preserved. A study was conducted on combined effect of sonication and microwave processing on phalsa drink and stored for 120 days. The juice was filled in plastic bottles, sealed and after microwave treatment immediately chilled in ice cold water at 4 ± 1°C. It was observed that synergistic approach of sonication and microwave had shown positive impact on nutritional quality of phalsa drink as it increased (p ≤ 0.05) the total phenolic, flavonoids, reducing power and antioxidant properties of phalsa drink and reduced the microbial load with increase in sonication time from 2 to 8 min. It was concluded that combination of sonication and microwave can be employed without chemical preservatives for treatment of phalsa drink with better retention of nutritional attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi–Cr-substituted Y-type hexa-ferrites were prepared via a micro-emulsion method. Formation of the hexagonal phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The size of the crystallites of all the samples was in the range 31.58–37.67 nm and their Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy bands were observed in the range ~ 450–650 cm-1. These bands indicated successful incorporation of Bi–Cr in the Y-type hexagonal ferrites. The existence of metal-oxygen bands at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites confirmed that all the prepared samples exhibit Y-type hexagonal ferrites structures. The magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization, retentivity and coercivity revealed significant variations with the increase of Bi–Cr contents. Frequency and composition dependent variations in the dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε"), tan loss, and other parameters were observed, for example the value of ε′ decreased as the Bi–Cr content increased. These optimised results are highly desirable for the application of these nanosized hard ferrites in various microwave devices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root membrane lipids are important biomolecules determining plant's ability to adapt to different growing environmental or climatic conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the potential use of root membrane lipids as biomarkers to discriminate silage‐corn genotypes based on herbicide and insect/pest resistance genetic traits when cultivated on podzolic soils under short growing and moderately warm summer season in boreal climate. Lipids in root membranes of field grown silage‐corn genotypes were previously quantified at crop maturity by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐hydrophilic interaction chromatography‐heated electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The lipid identified and quantified in silage‐corn roots were phospholipids, glycolipids and sphingolipids. Following hierarchical cluster analysis, three groups of membrane lipids were observed to be very effective in segregating the five silage‐corn genotypes. The first group consisted of hexosylceramide (HexCer), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). The second group consisted of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA16:0) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC16:0), while the third group consisted of 37 molecular species from observed lipids (phospholipids, glycolipids, sphingolipids). Partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) based on 37 membrane lipid species, as well as principal component analysis using the variables important in projection derived from the PLS‐DA segregated the five silage‐corn genotypes into three groups according to their pesticide/herbicide resistant traits. This study is second to none using root lipidomics in discriminating different silage‐corn genotypes based on their herbicide and insect/pest resistance genetic traits for cultivation in boreal climates. The segregated genotypes possess three different genetic traits for herbicide and insect/pest resistance including VT Double Pro (VT2P), VT Triple Pro Roundup Ready (VT3P/RR) and Roundup Ready‐2 corn (RR2). These findings demonstrate that root membrane lipids could serve as appropriate chemical biosignatures to identify silage‐corn genotypes based on herbicide and insect/pest resistance genetic traits suitable for cultivation in boreal climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of mixed transition metal nitrides often leads to the formation of more than one phases in the final product. A control over molar ratio of metals (Fe:Ni) along with synthetic strategy is used to form phase pure product (Fe 3 Ni 7 N@C). The synthesized material is used as an efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Fe 3 Ni 7 N@C requires a low overpotential of 290 mV to achieve a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm−2 which holds Tafel slope of 40 mV dec−1 superior to the noble metal benchmark catalysts. The physicochemical integrity of Fe 3 Ni 7 N@C is maintained up to 12 h activity as evident from post catalytic characterization. Fe3Ni7N@C nanoparticles for oxygen evolution reaction. [Display omitted] • A control over molar ratio of metals (Fe:Ni) is used to form phase pure product (Fe 0.3 Ni 0.7 N@C). • Fe 0.3 Ni 0.7 N@C is used as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). • Fe 0.3 Ni 0.7 N@C requires a low overpotential of 290 mV to achieve a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm−2. • The physicochemical integrity of Fe 0.3 Ni 0.7 N@C is maintained up to 12 h activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa is an important staple food crop for millions of impoverished rural inhabitants of the Andean region. Quinoa is considered a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of world quinoa germplasm originating from 8 countries through the iPBS-retrotransposon marker system. Molecular characterization was performed using the 11 most polymorphic primers. A total of 235 bands were recorded, of which 66.8% were polymorphic. Mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.410. Various diversity indices including mean effective number of alleles (1.269), mean Shannon's information index (0.160) and gene diversity (0.247) revealed the existence of sufficient amount of genetic diversity in studied germplasm. Bolivia-17 and Mexico-1 were found to be genetically distinct accessions and can be suggested as candidate parents for future breeding activities. Various diversity indices were also calculated among germplasm collection counries and the results clearly showed the existence of higher genetic diversity in Bolivian and Peruvian accessions. The model-based structure, neighbor-joining, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) grouped quinoa germplasm according to their collection country. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the variations (69%) in world quinoa germplasm are due to differences within populations. Findings of this study can be used for deeper understanding of the genetic relationship and in the determination of appropriate breeding and conservation strategies for quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic problems of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) with poorly understood aetiology. Patients with any of the two common entities, Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UD) have significant increased risk of gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal malignancies. Particularly, the colorectal cancer (CRC) and lymphomas are the most frequently associated cancers with IBD. Although the incidence of CRC has declined in the European countries during last 30 years yet the risk among IBD patients remains higher than the healthy people. In the present study, we have described many common factors influencing the onset and advancement of IBD and CRC including the alterations in gut microbiota, changes in the interleukin pathways and tumour necrosis factor. The other common factors are patient age, race, genetics, family history, diet composition, obesity and level of vitamins and minerals in the body. These multiple factors contribute to the higher incidence of CRC among IBD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative capacity has a decisive and crucial role in determining who is prospering in the global arena. Innovation is crucial for value creation, high productivity, economic growth, employment, and sustainable development that benefit the consumers, firms, businesses, and economy as a whole. Several institutional, political, and social conditions lead to different responses of innovation. For instance, low voice and accountability may lead to low institutional setting, cronyism, and favoritism in allocation of resources, which can harm innovation. Similarly, the terrorist attack of 9/11 caused horrific scales of destructions, which caught the countries on various fronts such as economic, political, and technological. Further, sound infrastructure and savings rates are essential to enhance innovation. Applying the ARDL approach to cointegration, this study investigates the impact of voice and accountability, terrorism, infrastructure, and savings on innovation in Pakistan. The empirical evidence shows that low voice and accountability and terrorism have adverse impacts on innovation in the short- and long-run periods. Further, findings reveal that inadequate infrastructures and low savings adversely affect the innovation in both periods. Various robust checks such as Maki cointegration, Johansen cointegration test, fully modified ordinary least square, dynamic ordinary least square, and canonical cointegration regression corroborate the results. The findings of the study would be of substantial implications for government and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented spin cluster‐based network architecture {[NiII2(pdaa)(OH)2(H2O)]n (H2pdaa=1,4‐phenylene diacetic acid)}, comprising 1D linear chains of NiII ions crosslinked via Ni4O4 cubanes, forms under hydrothermal conditions; this 3D coordination network exhibits magnetic ordering at 23.9 K as well as a second magnetic ordering process at 2.8 K likely associated with a structural phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the manufacturing of set yoghurt, after reaching 4.6 pH, post fermentation cooling is applied to stop the bacterial activity. Depending upon the required textural and flavor attributes, one phase and two phase cooling patterns are accordingly selected. In one phase cooling, temperature of the yoghurt is rapidly decreased below 10 °C using blast freezing and then it is gradually dropped to 4-5 °C. In two phase cooling, temperature of yogurt is rapidly decreased to less than 20 °C and then it is gradually decreased to 4-5 °C. These cooling phases have a significant impact on textural and flavor perspectives of yoghurt. It is necessary to study the impact of industrially adopted cooling patterns on fatty acid profile, antioxidant characteristics, lipid oxidation and sensory characteristics of cow and buffalo milk set yoghurt. Methods: This experiment was organized in a completely randomized design and every treatment was replicated five times to minimize the variation. Whole cow and buffalo milk without any standardization were converted to set yoghurt (400 g cups) using Strepotococcus thermophillus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus as starter bacteria. After reaching 4.6 pH, cow and buffalo yoghurt samples were exposed to three different cooling patterns. In first trial, samples of cow and buffalo yoghurt were cooled from 43 °C to 25 °C in 1 h and finally cooled to 4-5 °C in another hr. (T1). In second trial, samples were cooled from 43 °C to 18 °C in 1 hr. and finally cooled down to 4-5 °C in another 1 h. (T2). In third trial, samples were cooled from 43 °C to 4-5 °C in 2 h (T1). Alteration in fatty acid profile, total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, free fatty acids, peroxide value, conjugated dienes, vitamin A, E, color and flavor of cow and buffalo yoghurt samples were assessed for 20 days at the frequency of 10 days. Results: All the three cooling patterns had a non-significant effect on compositional attributes of yoghurt. Buffalo milk yogurt had higher percentage of fat, protein and total solids than yoghurt prepared from cow milk (p < 0.05). At zero day, DPPH free radical scavenging activity of T2 and T3 was significantly higher than T1. This may be due to the longer exposure of T1 at relatively higher temperature than T2 and T3. Effect of storage period up to 10 days was non-significant in T2 and T3. Reducing power of cow and buffalo milk yoghurt was also significantly affected by the cooling patterns applied. Reducing power of T2 and T3 was considerably higher than T1 (p < 0.05). At zero-day, total antioxidant capacity of cow and buffalo milk yoghurt in T3 was 42.6 and 61.4%, respectively. At zero day, total antioxidant capacity of T2 and T3 was significantly higher than T1. Effect of storage on total antioxidant capacity of T2 and T3 remained non-significant till 10 days of storage. At zero day, the impact of cooling patterns on fatty acid profile of T1, T2 and T3 was non-significant, whereas, storage period had a marked impact on fatty acid profile. After 10 days, T1 was considerably different in fatty acids from T2 and T3. After 10 days of storage of cow milk yoghurt in T1, concentration of C4:0, C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 decreased by 0.1, 0.11, 0.09, 0.07, 0.21, 0.38, 0.28, 0.27, 0.44 and 0.06%, respectively. Cow milk yoghurt in T1 after 10 days of storage, concentration of C4:0, C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 decreased by 0.07, 0.15, 0.04, 0.17, 0.20, 0.34, 0.27, 0.36 and 0.04%, respectively. After 10 days of storage in T2 and T3, loss of fatty acids was 1.2 and 3.61% from C4:0 to C10:0, respectively. Milk type had no effect on peroxide value of yoghurt. Cooling of cow and buffalo yoghurt from 43 °C to 25 °C had a pronounced effect on peroxide value. At zero day, peroxide values of cow and buffalo yoghurt in T1 were 0.32 and 0.33 (MeqO2/kg). At zero day, peroxide value of cow and buffalo yoghurt in T2 were 0.24 and 0.26 (MeqO2/kg). At zero day, peroxide value cow and buffalo yoghurt in T3 were 0.23 and 0.25 (MeqO2/kg). Cooling patterns i.e. from 43 °C to 25, 18 and 5 °C (T1, T2 and T3) had a significant effect on the amount of vitamin A and E. Concentration of vitamin A and E in T1 were significantly less than T2 and T3. Cooling patterns had a significant effect on texture, T1 had a thick texture with higher viscosity as compared to T2 and T3. Thickness of yoghurt was in the order of T1 > T2 > T3 with no difference in color and flavor score till 10 days of storage. Conclusion: Results of current investigation indicated that milk type and post fermentation cooling patterns had a pronounced effect on antioxidant characteristics, fatty acid profile, lipid oxidation and textural characteristics of yoghurt. Buffalo milk based yoghurt had more fat, protein, higher antioxidant capacity and vitamin content. Antioxidant and sensory characteristics of T1 were optimum till 10 days of storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer surgery under local anaesthesia (LA) can be challenging due to limitation of dose and quantity of anaesthetic agent that can be used safely. Elderly patients with breast cancer and with multiple co-morbidities are often prevented from having a standard treatment as they are considered unfit for general anaesthesia. We describe a technique of surgery under local anaesthesia without sedation that employs dilution to generate large volumes of LA and infiltration under ultrasound guidance.Methods: We present a case series by a single surgeon of breast cancer patients who underwent surgery under LA. 40 mls of 1% lignocaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline was diluted with 160 mls of normal saline to make a total of 200 mls, resulting in dilution to a concentration of 0.2% lignocaine. Radioactive isotope having been injected before patient's arrival in theatre, 1 ml of diluted anaesthetic solution is used with 2 mls of 2.5% patent blue to inject in the sub-areolar space. Local anaesthetic is infiltrated at operative site under ultrasound guidance using a long echogenic needle.Results: A total of 71 patients with breast cancer underwent surgery under the LA between September 2015 and October 2018. 64 (90%) patients had wide local excisions and 7 (10%) had mastectomies. All had axillary surgery, 65 (91.5%) had dual technique sentinel lymph node biopsy as a day case and 6 (8.5%) patients had axillary clearance. 8 patients had re excision (12.5%). All patients had '0' pain score and no postoperative analgesia was required in recovery. Local anaesthetic used did not exceed the maximum safe dose in any of the cases. One patient returned to theatre for postoperative wound bleeding. No other postoperative complication was observed.Conclusion: Ultrasound guided infiltration allows accurate placement of large volume of diluted local anaesthetic solution safely and provides effective anaesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • RNA viruses exhibit an extraordinary ability to evolve in a changing environment and to switch from animal hosts to humans. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, recognized as a respiratory disease, is an example of zoonotic transmission of the RNA virus known as SARS-CoV-2. The development and regulatory approval of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 pose multiple preventive and therapeutic challenges, especially during an ongoing pandemic. Objective • The review intended to examine the challenges and recent achievements in the development of vaccine candidates against COVID-19. Design • The research team performed a literature review, searching relevant and up to date information from the literature. The sources of data included Google Scholar, PubMed, NCBI, and Yahoo. The search terms used were COVID-19 challenges, SARS-CoV-2 prospective challenges, RNA viruses adoptability, host switching by RNA viruses, COVID-19 vaccines. Setting • The study took place at the digital libraries of contributing institutions. The data was combined, selected for further analysis and manuscript preparation at King Abdulaziz University. Results • RNA viruses with high rate of genome alterations and evolution have better chances to survive in the adverse environmental conditions by adopting the alternate host species. The recent epidemics such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are examples of zoonotic transmission of RNA viruses from animal species to the humans. However, the mechanisms involved in the switching-on to new host species need further investigations to control the zoonotic transmissions in near future. As of April 2020, 115 candidate vaccines were being evaluated; 78 of them had been found to be active, and a few of them are in Phase I trials. In the development of different types of vaccine candidates against COVID- 19, multiple international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are involved. Conclusions • Emerging and re-emerging pathogenic RNA viruses pose a serious threat to human health. Little is known about the human-host adoptive mechanism for zoonotic transmission. Deep insights into the molecular mechanism responsible for the switching of animal or bird viruses to humans could provide target molecules or events to prevent such transmissions in the near future. Fast development and approval of efficacious and safe vaccines is key to the effort to provide preventive measures against COVID-19 and future viruses. However, the development and availability of a vaccine candidate is a time-consuming process and often can’t be completed during an epidemic. Currently, several types of vaccines are under development, and most of them won’t realistically be available in time for the present COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides are applied on grapevines to combat various pests which are catastrophic for grapes and cause menace for farmers. Hence, to investigate the fate of difenconazole and cymoxanil their supervised trial was conducted on 2 grape varieties with 3 doses of each. Perlette variety is elliptical and sweet in taste with greenish color whereas black grapes are round and have blackish appearance with sweet and sour taste. Moreover, black grape has thick skin as compared to perlette. The residues (mg Kg-1) of cymoxanil dissipated from 2.44±0.11 to 0.18±0.02 at recommended dose (RD), 3.08±0.25 to 0.21±0.02 at double dose (DD) and 5.70±0.29 to 0.26±0.02 at triple dose (TD) on perlette while 2.42±0.14 to 0.078±0.007 at RD, 3.45±0.28 to 0.003±0.001 at DD and 5.71±0.28 to 0.083±0.008 at TD on black grape, correspondingly showing greater dissipation. Similar trend was witnessed from perlette where difenconazole residues (mg Kg-1) dissipated from 9.41±0.24 to 0.45±0.03 at RD, 15.98±1.42 to 0.66±0.023 at DD while 23.93±0.31 to 0.74±0.040 at TD. Nonetheless, on black grapes difenconazole disappeared more as compared to perlette from initial to final residues (mg Kg-1) i.e.9.64±0.21 to 0.26±0.015 at RD, 16.13±0.42 to 0.53±0.048 at DD but 24.15±1.57 to 0.026±0.002 at TD, respectively. Mathematical first order model having exponential decay was best fitted to forestated residues where allied parameters (half-life, end point identifier i.e. DT90) were calculated for both varieties and pesticides. Cymoxanil dissipated earlier than difenconazole and black grapes represented excellent pesticide loss than perlette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture production can be enhanced by considering all the farm operations especially the harvesting of crops is the more sensitive operation. The selection of appropriate farm machinery for harvesting not only save the harvesting time but also enhance the farm profitability. The agro-climatic and economic factors are the major hindrance on the way to adopt the harvesting machinery and latest movers in Pakistan. The objective of this work was to redesign an engine operated reaper at affordable price and performance evaluation of this reaper for harvesting three different crops (wheat, rice and brassica). Three levels of reaper ground speed (S) (1.94, 2.54 and 3.18 kmh-1) and three different levels of moisture contents (MC) for each crop were considered as factors. A (3 x 3) factorial analysis was conducted to see the impact of "MC" and "S" on percent slippage, field efficiency and shatter losses. The main effects of S and MC were significant for all the crops for each factor (p<0.05), except MC which was non-significant for shatter losses in wheat and rice (p= 0.0667) and (p=0.847), respectively. Statistical Analysis showed that selected levels of MC and S had significant effect on % slippage, field efficiency and shatter losses. The cost analysis indicated that the breakeven point of the modified reaper can be achieved after 19 days of purchase. Study demonstrated that grain losses can be minimized, and farm profitability can be maximized by selecting suitable combination of M and S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the stage of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) at the time of presentation. Methods: This cross sectional observational prospective study was carried out at Gastro Department of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Multan from August 2017 to December 2018. Patients were diagnosed on the basis of alpha fetoprotein, abdominal ultrasound, triphasic contrast enhanced computerized tomography (CECT). They were evaluated for etiology including Hepatitis B, C and non B & C. The patients were inquired about the previous treatment and when they came to know about the HCC. Staging of the tumor was done on the basis BCLC (Barcelona cancer liver clinic) and Melan's criteria. Performance status (PS) of the patient was checked by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) criteria. Severity of cirrhosis was assessed by CTP (Child Turcotte Pugh) and Model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score. The data was analyzed in IBM SPSS version 22. Results: Out of 135 patients 78% were males and 22% females. Age Mean SD was 58.81± 9.366. Frequency of hepatitis C, B, combined B, C and non-B non-C was 80%, 11%, 2.8% and 6.2% respectively. 96(73.8%) never got the treatment before for Hepatitis. 81(62.3%) came to know first time on this index admission. Maximum numbers of patients were in BCLC stage B i.e. 82(55.2%) with ECOG grade of one i.e.57 (39.3%), at the time of presentation. Mean MELD and CTP score were 12.24, 7.34 (class B) respectively. Conclusion: HCV was the most common in HCC, never treated before, presented for the first time in advance stage of the disease where very limited treatment options left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ω-3 fatty acids perform several therapeutic functions in the body, however, their applications are limited due to the inferior oxidative stability. To improve the oxidative stability and release properties of Ω-3 fatty acids, microencapsulation is performed. Butter is a good source of fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidant systems however, it is not a good source of Ω-3 fatty acids. Supplementation of butter with microcapsules of vegetable oils rich in Ω-3 fatty acids is not reported in literature. Methods: Microcapsules of chia oil (MCO) were prepared using chitosan as encapsulating material by spray drying at lower temperature. Unsalted butter prepared from cultured cream using Lactococcus lactis ssp. Lactis at 21 °C for 16 Hrs. Cream was churned at 12 °C and microcapsules of chia oil were added to the butter during the working stage at four different concentrations i.e. 2, 4, 6 and 8% (T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). Butter without supplementation of MCO were kept as control. Butter samples were stored for 90 days at -10 °C. Butter composition, antioxidant capacity, fatty acid profile, induction period, free fatty acids, peroxide value and sensory evaluation were performed at 0, 45 and 90 days of storage. Results: Addition of MCO in butter did not have any effect on standards of identity of butter. Microencapsulation had no effect on fatty acid profile of microcapsules of chia oil. Concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 0.49, 4.29, 8.41, 13.21 and 17.44%, respectively. Concentration of ALA in fresh and 90 days stored butter samples were 17.44 and 17.11%, respectively. After 90 days of storage, loss of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were 0.07%, 0.05 and 0.03%, respectively. At 0, 45 and 90 days of storage, 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyle (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity of free chia oil was 39.81, 71.22 and 62.18%, respectively. However, microcapsules of chia oil had superior antioxidant activity. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of microcapsules at 0, 45 and 90 days of storage was 36.51, 36.43 and 35.96%, respectively (p > 0.05). Total antioxidant capacity of microcapsules at 0, 45 and 90 days of storage was 70.53, 69.88 and 68.52%, respectively (p > 0.05). It was recorded that induction period of free chia oil and microcapsules was only 2.86 h and 8.55 h. Among the butter samples, control revealed the lowest induction period. While, induction period of experimental samples was not different from each other. Peroxide value and free fatty acids of the butter samples at the end of storage period (90 days) was less than the European Union standards limit (10MeqO2/kg and 0.2%). Sensory characteristics of experimental samples were similar to the control. MCO can be added in butter to improve its functional value. Conclusion: Concentration of Ω-3 fatty acids in butter up to 8% can be increased through microcapsules of chia oil with reasonable oxidative stability and no effect on sensory characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research project was undertaken to study salinity stress changes in the nutritional quality of wheat genotypes. Four wheat genotypes SARC-1, SARC-5, SARC-7, and SARC-8 were grown under nonsaline and saline (7.5 dS/m and 15 dS/m) treatments. Salinity was created artificially by the addition of NaCl in soil before filling in pots. Recommended fertilizers N (120 kg/ha), P (100 kg/ha) and K (60 kg/ha) were used in the form of Urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and sulphate of potash (SOP) in both saline and non-saline treatments. The grains of wheat genotypes were evaluated for nutritional quality i.e. chemical composition, mineral contents, wet and dry gluten, gliadin and glutenin, and SDS-sedimentation value. The results showed that growth parameters (biological yield, number of grains, thousand grain weight, grain yield and grain length) were affected significantly by salinity stress. Protein contents were increased with salinity, whereas other parameters (moisture, ash, fat, fiber, glutenin, and SDS-Sedimentation value) were decreased by increasing salinity stress. Similarly, Na content increased while K, Ca, P, Fe, Mg and Zn decreased significantly by increasing salinity stress. Salinity stress affect positively on protein contents in grain of all wheat genotypes. SARC-7 and SARC-5 performed better than SARC-1 and SARC-8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is a necessary evil required for restorative activities and healing but is also involved in the onset of diseases. Inflammatory markers such as Interleukin 6 (IL-6), ACE, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) are reported to be vital in the onset of various diseases including coronary artery disease (CAD), obesity, and diabetes. These inflammatory markers are reported from the various populations and are also involved in the pathophysiology of many other diseases. Yet there is no explanation that how these genes controlling specific inflammatory pathways are responsible for all of these diseases. Therefore, pathways enrichment method is exploited to identify the role of inflammatory genes in the onset of CAD, obesity, and diabetes. The results are verified and analyzed using protein-protein interaction network and disease-gene network analysis. It is concluded that CAD, obesity, and diabetes are linked with each other through AGE/RAGE and HIF-1 Signaling Pathway. It is also found that TNF-α is the common inflammatory gene which is involved for CAD, obesity, and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study reports metabolites profiling, antioxidant, and antidiabetic effects of Cuscuta reflexa grown on Casearia tomentosa. The UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS method was used to characterize phytochemicals in most potent extract. Thirteen bioactive compounds/metabolites including (2S)-3-(β-D-galactopyranosyloxy)-2-(hexanoyloxy)propyl nonanoate, 4-O-β-D-glucosyl-4-coumaric acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, 7-(α-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyheptanoic acid, 13Shydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, astragaloside derivative, salicylic acid, oleanolic acid, citric acid, pinellic acid, quinic acid, caffeic acid derivative and caffeic acid-3-glucoside were detected in 80% hydroethanolic (HE) extract. Among different extracts (aqueous, 20-80% HE and pure ethanolic), 80% HE extract showed maximum TPC (186.19 ± 2.15 mg GAE/g DE) and TFC (106.50 ± 1.68 mg RE/g DE). A strong correlation was observed between TPC, TFC, DPPH radical scavenging (IC50 = 60.64 ± 1.74 μg/mL) and TAP activity (235.96 ± 1.33 mg AAE/g DE) of 80% HE extract among others. The same extract also depicted highest α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition with IC50 of 71.84 ± 1.06 and 57.25 ± 1.40 μg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking was performed to explore possible role of identified phytochemicals. Binding affinity data as well as interaction patterns have revealed possible interaction of the identified bioactives against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Moreover, intra-molecular charge transfer, energies of the FMOs, HOMO-LUMO-Egaps, MEP and IP were also explained. The present findings suggested that, C. reflexa is a promising natural antioxidant and antidiabetic agent, thus supporting the use of this plant for designing related functional foods and nutra-pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, male sterility (MS) is a specific breeding target trait. With the advancements in agriculture, utilization of heterosis breeding in hybrid production through MS lines has become the main breeding tool of various cross‐pollinated and even self‐pollinated crops. Soybean is an essential source of oil and protein; however, the low yield is a major factor limiting its development. Soybean MS mainly comprises cytoplasmic‐nuclear MS and nuclear/genic MS (NMS/GMS), which can effectively utilize heterosis to improve soybean yield. This review outlines the recent research progress on the development of new genetically MS lines, exploring the underlying molecular mechanism of MS, identification and cloning of MS and fertility restoration genes, and the application of MS lines. We further discussed and prospected the future developmental scenario direction of the soybean MS, based on the previous studies of other crops sterility system. Moreover, this review also provides comprehensive information for better application of MS to soybean breeding programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of dried fig was compared by treating blanched figs with potassium metabisulfite, NaCl, ascorbic acid (AA) at various concentrations (2, 3, 4%) and sucrose solution (30, 40, 50%). In comparison of results for functional attributes, T5 (blanching +4% AA dipped for 10 min) stood prominent in retaining higher ascorbic acid, phenolics and antioxidant activity followed by T4 (blanching +3% AA dipped for 10 min) and T3 (blanching +2% AA dipped for 10 min). However, higher fibers and total sugars were found in T8 (blanching +50% sucrose dipped for 30 min) and T7 (blanching +40% sucrose dipped for 30 min). Eventually, sensory evaluation of the stored samples demonstrated best scores for the osmotically dehydrated fig with 30 and 40% sucrose prior to cabinet drying. Overall, the results of present investigation have significant contribution to the food industry. Of note the shelf life and stability of fig could be enhanced upon bringing the result of this finding in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature is replete with information describing the composition of the root lipidome in several plant species grown under various environmental conditions. However, it is unknown to what extent the root membrane lipidome vary between silage‐corn genotypes, and how such variation could influence agronomic performances during field cultivation in cool climate. To address this issue, the root membrane lipidome and agronomic performance were assessed for five silage‐corn genotypes (Fusion‐RR, Yukon‐R, A4177G3‐RIB, DKC23‐17RIB, DKC26‐28RIB) cultivated under cool climatic conditions. Leaf area, plant height and biomass production were used as agronomic performance indicators. Varieties DKC26‐28RIB and Yukon‐R expressed significantly higher leaf area, plant height and biomass production compared to the other genotypes. A strong positive Spearman rank‐order correlation (P = 0.001) was observed between biomass production and root phosphatidic acid (PA). The high correlation observed between PA and agronomic performance indicates PA could potentially be used as biomarker to assist in the selection of silage‐corn genotypes with superior agronomic performance ideally suited for field cultivations in cool climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between female representation on corporate boards and intellectual capital (IC) efficiency – while prior studies focus on the relationship between gender diversity and firms' financial performance. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on data from top 500 UK listed firms for 2007–2016 (3,279 firm-years), this study employs an adjusted-value-added intellectual coefficient as a measure of IC efficiency. Further, the two-step system-generalised method of moments has been applied to account for endogeneity issues. Findings: The results reveal a significant positive relationship between female representation on boards and IC efficiency, including human capital, structural/innovation capital and financial capital efficiency. These results are robust to alternative proxies for the independent variable and difference-in-difference estimation. Practical implications: The results posit that female representation on boards is associated with IC efficiency, which is vital for firms' value creation and competitive advantage in the knowledge-economy era. The study also endorses current legislation to increase female representation on corporate boards. Originality/value: This is among the limited studies to explore the role of female representation on boards in IC efficiency – while most prior studies relate IC efficiency to financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) fruit is a best source of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive components. Ingestion of high sugary drinks leads to numerous ailments such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, and tooth decay. This study intended at formulation of intermediate moisture food with various combinations of sugar and glycerol and same levels of potassium metabisulphite, potassium sorbate, calcium chloride, and citric acid. It was observed a gradual decrease in TSS (56.53–53.28), vitamin C level in all treatments with the passage of time. The declining trend in ascorbic acid (25.49–21.63 mg/100 g) content of muskmelon chunks was increased as a function of storage. Sensory results showed that there was declining trend in the scores obtained for color parameter, that is, L* from 60.23 to 55.98. The overall results showed that combination of different additives contributed best values (T3) for flavor (7.70), taste (8.15), vitamin C (25.60 mg/100 g), and pH (5.16) as compared to other treatments. Conclusively, developed chunks of treatment 3 are physicochemical and organoleptically considered best, as it is helpful to sustain life stability of muskmelon and enhance its marketability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a new amendment in Laplace variational iteration method for the solution of fourth-order parabolic partial differential equations with variable coefficients is revealed i.e. modified Laplace variational iteration method (ML-VIM). The proposed modification is made by coupling of two methods: one of them is variational iteration method (VIM) and the other one is Laplace transformation (LT). Our modification has an important beauty that one has no need to compute Lagrange multiplier via integration nor by taking convolution theorem and has a simple way to use in the implementation of our proposed scheme. Moreover, homotopy perturbation method (HPM) with He's polynomials is employed for the computation of nonlinear terms. The main improvement of our proposed scheme is the reduction of the problem to a simple one, which also embraces for solving a nonlinear term. Some illustrated examples are interpreted which unveil the robustness and accuracy of the newly developed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study suggests a new approach for solving telegraph equation, commonly called damped wave equation, arising in electromagnetic waves and propagation of electrical signals. In this paper, He–Laplace method, formulated by He's variational iteration method and Laplace transformation, is used to find the exact solution or a closed approximate solution of differential equations. The most distinct aspect of this method is that there is no need to calculate integration for next iterations in recurrence relations and convolution theorem is kept away to calculate the Lagrange multipliers in Laplace transformation. Moreover, He's polynomials via homotopy perturbation method is introduced to bring down the computational work in nonlinear terms as Laplace transform has some limitation to nonlinear terms. The results obtained by proposed method indicate that this approach is easy to implement and converges rapidly to exact solution. Several problems are illustrated to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on an analytical approach for nonlinear vibration of nonlinear evaluation equations which arises in shallow water waves. This approach is, coupled with variational iteration method and Laplace transformation, known as He–Laplace method. In order to show the capability of the proposed method, He's polynomials are employed to handle nonlinear terms in illustrated problems due to specific limit of Laplace transformation. Significant results and their graphical representations demonstrated that He–Laplace method is most suitable for nonlinear problems, and it is enormously active for nonlinear vibrations and nonlinear waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The event-driven model of computation provides a good platform for capturing complex real-time applications with low latency requirements since this model is free of problems like deadlocks, livelocks and performance bottlenecks such as locking overheads. Furthermore, there is great potential for extracting parallelism from an event-driven model on a chip multiprocessor (CMP). But, the execution and scheduling of this model on a CMP faces two primary problems that need to be addressed: (a) allocation of asynchronous event handlers (AEHs) on a minimal number of processing elements of a CMP such that the time guarantees are met and (b) scheduling the AEHs taking into consideration the shared resource access contentions. We propose a two-stage Integer Linear Programming approach for static allocation and scheduling of AEHs executing on a time-analyzable multiprocessor architecture with shared resources. The first stage allocates AEHs on a minimal number of processing elements in a CMP with weighted time-division multiplex access (TDMA) to the shared memory while meeting the timing requirements. The second stage then tunes the TDMA schedule such that the worst case reaction time of AEHs can be further shortened. This approach shows 43.75% better utilization of resources compared to traditional fair TDMA scheduling on CMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Development of non‐noble metal photocatalysts for hydrogen (H2) generation from renewables is important towards cost effective technology. Titania nanorods with different phase compositions and surface areas were fabricated by calcination of hydrogen titanate (H2Ti3O7) precursors obtained by treating P25 (TiO2) hydrothermally in 10 M NaOH and followed by HCl washing. Subsequently the copper and nickel hydroxides were co‐deposited over TiO2 nanorods and used to generate H2 from alcohol‐water mixtures under UV light. Among the synthesized materials, the optimized photocatalyst 0.8Cu(OH)2‐0.2Ni(OH)2/TNR130‐400 showed very high H2 production rates that are 26.6 mmol h−1g−1 in 20 vol.% ethanol‐water mixture and 35.1 mmol h−1g−1 in 5 vol.% glycerol‐water mixtures. The amount of this H2 production is even higher than obtained from noble metal supported TiO2 photocatalysts. This exceptional photocatalytic H2 production is attributed to the high synergism among nanords mophology of support and in situ formation of Cu and Ni exclusively in metallic states during photoreactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Pakistan, the death rate for post-menopausal women with breast cancer is significant due to late detection and delayed referral to proper facilities. There are a few reports on Pakistan's epidemiology and breast cancer risk factors. There are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors associated with the development of breast carcinoma; of which body mass index (BMI), central obesity, and lipid profile are considered as major risk markers. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study. A total of 384 women constituted the present study sample. Purposive sampling was used to collect 192 confirmed new breast cancer cases throughout the study. By using basic random sampling, an equal number of controls were chosen. Studied parameters included age, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride, serum high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. The inclusion criteria of this study were post-menopausal women (45–65 years) in Pakistan. The confirmation of breast carcinoma was done through histopathology. Breast cancer occurrence was taken as a dependent variable, whereas BMI, central obesity, and lipid profile were taken as independent variables. Results: Studied risk factors (cholesterol, BMI, and central obesity) significantly correlated with breast cancer. Cholesterol has a significantly high positive correlation (0.646) with breast cancer. BMI has a positive significant correlation (0.491) with breast cancer, and central obesity has a low but positive significant correlation (0.266) with breast cancer. Moreover, the binary logistic regression model also showed a significant association between biochemical factors and breast cancer occurrence. Regression analysis depicted a linear relationship between a dependent variable (breast cancer occurrence) and independent variables (central obesity, cholesterol, BMI). Conclusion: Postmenopausal overweight (central obesity), increased BMI and high cholesterol levels are major risk factors for breast cancer. Moreover, high total cholesterol proved to be the most significant risk marker for the occurrence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focal point of this paper is to ascertain the precise value of edge irregularity strength of various finite, simple, undirected and captivating graphs, including the splitting graph, shadow graph, jewel graph, jellyfish graph and m copies of 4-pan graph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe environmental sulfur contents due to the consumption of fuels in automobiles and industries resulted in serious health hazards and pollution because of it, desulfurization of diesel become inevitable. Targeting the profound desulfurization of diesel, we performed experiments to deeply desulphurized the thio-compounds by catalytic-oxidative desulfurization technique. We synthesized new metalloporphyrin (C 52 H 36 N 4 O 8 Sn)4MeO-SnPor which after conversion into (C 64 H 64 N 8 O 16 Sn)4Tris-SnTP leading towards the synthesis of covalent organic framework [(N(C 4 H 9) 4 ] 12 [HNC(CH 2 O) 3 ] 4 [(CO) 4 C 44 H 24 N 4 Sn] [NiMo 6 O 18 ] 4 (SnTP@NiAdCOF). SnTP@NiAd COF showed the outstanding catalytic property for deep desulfurization of thio-compounds above than 96% of thiobenzoic acid (TB) and 99% of 2-aminothiophenol (2-ATP) sulfur contents were oxides after 100 min of reaction using H 2 O 2 as an oxidant at room temperature with constant stirring. During desulfurization percentage desulfurization efficiency was checked for different time intervals by TLC and further confirmed by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatograms indicated that the peak area and peak height of thio-compounds decrease gradually with the passage of reaction time which confirmed the removal of thio-compounds from the reaction mixture. Sulfur contents removed up to 5 ppmw showed excellent catalytic characteristics of synthesized SnTP@NiAdCOF. The exceptional catalytic efficiency of prepared catalyst SnTP@NiAdCOF was because of the existence of active oxidizing centers of χ-NiAd and metalloporphyrin that are Mo O and [(Por)SnII], respectively. The potential mechanism appeared to be the formation of Mo(O 2) and [(Por)SnII–OOH] from Mo O and [(Por)SnII], respectively that act as active oxidizing centers and efficiently converted the thio-group into oxides and sulfones. Effective removal of sulfur grants the desulfurization of fuels by using SnTP@NiAdCOF catalyst to lessen the energy expenditure and also to enhance the production of environmentally-safe fuels. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Au nanoparticles of size ranging 2–6 nm were deposited over hexagonal CdS using three conventional metal deposition methods namely; deposition precipitation (DP), incipient wet impregnation (WI), photo-deposition (PD) and a recently reported KI method by our group [1]. The later involves reduction of Au 3+ ions with iodide ions. XRD results confirmed the formation of CdS hexagonal phase from as prepared cubic phase at 600 °C under the N 2 atmosphere. Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), ICP-OES and photoreactions were conducted to study the effect of Au particle size, Au loading and Au plasmonic properties on H 2 production activity. It was found that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is directly linked to Au particle size. Among all four methods, 3 wt.% Au deposited over hexagonal CdS by KI method with mean Au particle size of 4 nm showed highest performance for hydrogen production from water electrolyte mixture under visible light irradiation (>420 nm and a flux of 35 mW/cm 2 ). XPS results of Au/CdS prepared by KI method showed that Au is exclusively present in zero oxidation state before and after photocatalytic H 2 production testes indicating the stable nature of Au/CdS catalyst. The H 2 production activity of Au/CdS catalysts prepared by different metal deposition methods and H 2 production mechanism in a water-electrolyte is discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Cu(OH)2-Ni(OH)2/P25 photocatalysts was prepared by co-deposition-precipitation (total metal loading ≈1 wt %) and their performance was evaluated for H2 production. Among this series, the 0.8 Cu(OH)2-0.2 Ni(OH)2/P25 photocatalyst demonstrated very high H2 production rates in 20 vol % ethanol/water and 5 vol % glycerol/water mixtures (10 and 22 mmol h−1 g−1, respectively). Detailed analyses based on reaction kinetics, photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and charge carrier scavenging suggest that both working catalysts are composed of Cu and Ni metals in their active phases. Cu0 is produced directly by the transfer of electrons from the conduction band of TiO2 to surface Cu(OH)2 nanoclusters, whereas Ni0 is formed indirectly through a process of gradual dissolution of Ni(OH)2 to yield aqueous Ni2+ owing to the acidic environment of the medium, followed by Ni2+ reduction by electrons from the TiO2 conduction band. The high rates of H2 production that match those obtained with noble metals can be explained owing to a considerably less negative Δ Go of Cu oxide formation when compared with that of Ni oxide formation and higher work function of Ni than that of Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remodulation of forage soybean root membrane lipids in response to cultivation on acid soils (podzol) in boreal climates. • Forage soybean produced less biomass at neutral pH compared to acidic pH. • Soybean plants produced similar forage quality at different pH in podzolic soils. • Four major lipid species; PC, PE, PA and AGIcSiE were observed in soybean roots. • Forage soybean roots remodeled membrane lipid profile under different pH in podzolic soils. • Soybean roots tend to bring membrane lipid profile close to neutral pH when grown in acidic soils. Boreal soils tend to be podzols characterized by acidic pH, which can further limit forage crop growth and production. It is unclear, how forage soybeans adopt to produce forage with high nutritional quality when cultivated on podzols in boreal climate. To answer this question, we cultivated forage soybeans on agricultural podzols at 3 farm sites with varied soil pH (6.8, 6.0 or 5.1), and assessed the root membrane lipidome remodeling response to such climatic conditions. Contrary to our expectations, significantly lower biomass was observed at pH 6.8 compared to 6.0 and 5.1. However, surprisingly the plants produced similar forage quality at 6.8 and 5.1 pH. Three major lipid classes including phospholipids, glycolipids and phytosterols were observed in roots irrespective of soil pH. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidic acid (PA), and acylated glucosyl betasitosterol ester (AGlcSiE) accounted for 95% of the root lipidome, and expressed significant changes in response to cultivation across the three soil pH levels. These lipids were also observed to have strong correlations with forage production, and forage quality. Therefore, soybean genotypes with higher abilities to remodel PC, PE, PA, and AGlcSiE could be better suited for producing higher quality forage in acid podzolic soils characteristics of boreal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linum usitatsimum L. (flax) is a perennial herb with magnitude of medicinal and commercial applications. In the present study, we investigated the effects of salicylic acid (SA) on biosynthesis of lignans (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and lariciresinol diglucoside (LDG)) and neolignans (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol glucoside (DCG) and guaiacylglycerol‐β‐coniferyl alcohol ether glucoside (GGCG)) in cell cultures of flax. Moderate concentration of SA (50 μM) enhanced biomass accumulation (10.98 g/L dry weight (DW)), total phenolic content (37.81 mg/g DW), and antioxidant potential (87.23%) to two‐fold than their respective controls after 72 h of exposure. However, higher levels of total flavonoid content (5.32 mg/g DW) were noted after 48 h of exposure to 50 μM of SA. HPLC analyses revealed that 50 μM SA, significantly enhanced biosynthesis of SDG (7.95 mg/g DW), LDG (7.52 mg/g DW), DCG (54.90 mg/g DW), and GGCG (16.78 mg/g DW), which was almost 2.7, 1.8, 3.88, and 3.98 fold higher than their respective controls after 72 h of exposure time, respectively. These results indicated that moderate concentrations of SA had significant effects on biosynthesis and productivity of lignans and neolignans in cell culture of L. usitatissimum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southeast Asian species Mus (Mus) cookii Ryley 1914 has been previously reported from southern China, Nepal, northeastern and peninsular India, Myanmar, north and central Thailand and Vietnam. A cytochrome b (Cytb) gene analysis revealed the presence of M. cookii which significantly expands the known western range of this species. However, it is unclear whether the M. cookii population in the Pothwar region represents a historical or recent westward range expansion or, on the contrary, a relictual source population that further experienced an historic eastward range expansion into Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk and dairy products are integral part of human nutrition and they are considered as the carriers of higher biological value proteins, calcium, essential fatty acids, amino acids, fat, water soluble vitamins and several bioactive compounds that are highly significant for several biochemical and physiological functions. In recent years, foods containing natural antioxidants are becoming popular all over the world as antioxidants can neutralize and scavenge the free radicals and their harmful effects, which are continuously produced in the biological body. Uncontrolled free radicals activity can lead to oxidative stresses, which have been implicated in breakdown of vital biochemical compounds such as lipids, protein, DNA which may lead to diabetes, accelerated ageing, carcinogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidant capacity of milk and milk products is mainly due to sulfur containing amino acids, such as cysteine, phosphate, vitamins A, E, carotenoids, zinc, selenium, enzyme systems, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, milk oligosaccharides and peptides that are produced during fermentation and cheese ripening. Antioxidant activity of milk and dairy products can be enhanced by phytochemicals supplementation while fermented dairy products have been reported contained higher antioxidant capacity as compared to the non-fermented dairy products. Literature review has shown that milk and dairy products have antioxidant capacity, however, information regarding the antioxidant capacity of milk and dairy products has not been previously compiled. This review briefly describes the nutritional and antioxidant capacity of milk and dairy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Histamine (HA) is an important biochemical for human health and food quality. It is produced due to the decarboxylation of histidine. High level of HA was reported in a large number of fish tissues in Scombridae family. The presence of a low concentration of histamine is the indicator of the freshness of fish. Therefore, this study aims to develop a simple novel method for the quantification of histamine by revers-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC-UV) followed by conventional UV detector at the wavelength of 205 nm. The extraction of the fish sample was optimized without derivatization, 2-5 dihydroxybenzoic acid (2-5 DHBA) and acetonitrile (ACN) was used in the mobile phase for the first time. Here we thoroughly investigate key experimental conditions such as UV absorbing probe, pH and mobile phase. We found that concentration of 6 mmol/L of 2,5-DHBA in the mobile phase, pH 2.65 and 50:50% ratios of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and acetonitrile were the suitable conditions for determination of histamine in the fish sample. By applying our new method, we determine the HA concentration within 5 min. This novel method was validated by using different parameters like linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), repeatability, matric effect, specificity, trueness, ruggedness, accuracy, precision, and specificity. The LOD and LOQ were 1 and 3 mg/kg respectively, and the correlation coefficient was >0.9995. We applied this method to the fish sample. Which were obtained from a local market here in Shanghai. Recovery was determined after spiking the fish sample; good recovery was observed with average recovery >82%. Thus, the proposed method provides a better reference for the successful analysis of fish safety, quality and trade. Highlights • In this new method we determine the histamine in a fish with a new method. • In our prescribed method no derivatization is required which save the time of analysis. • We are able to determine the histamine within 5 mints with a LOD ≥ 1 ppm. • Which meets the limits described by FDA and EU [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this present study was to explore antioxidant and bioactive profile of ginger and turmeric. For the purpose, turmeric and ginger (Haldi and Adric) were procured from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab-Pakistan. The study was comprised of different phases. Both of the spices were characterized for their chemical composition and mineral profile. Bioactive compound was extracted by using solvent followed by quantification through the high-pressure liquid chromatography. Furthermore, antioxidant potential including total phenolics content, free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power test (FRAP assay) was analyzed. Results revealed that the antioxidant profile including free radical scavenging activity (47.67 ± 0.19 mg/100 g) and DPPH (80.16 ± 0.23%) of turmeric ginger powder extract was much higher than turmeric and ginger powder extract. Similarly, total phenolics content (103.39 ± 0.58 mg of GAE/g) and flavonoids (4.27 ± 0.05 mg CE/100 g) were much higher in turmeric ginger powder as compared to turmeric powder and ginger powder, respectively. Conclusively, turmeric ginger powder showed higher antioxidant potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of agrochemicals on crops is important for plants protection. Multiple factors influence the application of agrochemicals on plants such as climatic conditions, crop characteristics and spraying system design. There is a need for reliable methods to investigate these properties more precisely with low cost and in reasonable time. In the present study, the velocity distribution of an extended flat fan nozzle is investigated to determine the weak jet areas, which have high risks of droplet drift. Two methods are used and compared: the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method used as an experimental approach versus a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with volume of fluid (VOF) integrating k-epsilon model as a simulation approach. The nozzle was operated at eight different pressures on a custom-made nozzle operating prototype while ANSYS 16 Fluent software was employed for the simulation approach. The obtained findings showed three significant results. First, the spray sheet (jet) has maximum velocity in its center. Second, the particles present in the central region of spray sheet have maximum kinetic energy and this region has the ability to hit the right target on the plant surface, while liquid particles present in the surroundings of this central area have less velocity with minimum kinetic energy and have maximum chances to be off-target during spraying. These particles can move away from the targeted surfaces easily even with very low wind velocity. Third, the study also showed that PIV and CFD simulation methods were in agreement and both showed reliable ways to measure the jet velocity and plot the velocity distribution under the sprayer nozzle. The applications of these findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ocimum basilicum is a medicinal plant with multiple health benefits including cardiovascular, cancer and diabetics. In the present study, the influences of light emitting diodes (LEDs) were investigated on the accumulation of biologically active ingredients in callus cultures of Ocimum basilicum. Among the various tested treatments optimum levels of Total phenolic content (TPC) was noted in callus culture grown under blue lights as compared to control, while maximum accumulation of Total flavonoid content (TFC) was noted in callus culture grown under red light as compared to control. HPLC analyses showed that highest concentrations of Rosmarinic acid (96.0 mg/g DW) and Eugenol (0.273 mg/g DW) were accumulated in blue light which was 2.46 and 2.25 times greater than control (39.0 mg/g DW, 0.171 mg/g DW), respectively. Chicoric acid (81.40 mg/g DW) optimum accumulation was noted in callus grown under the continuous white light, which was almost 4.52 times greater than control. Anthocyanins content were also analyzed, the highest amount of Peonidin (0.127 mg/g DW) and cyanidin (0.1216 mg/g DW) were found in callus culture grown under red light. These findings suggest that application of LED's is a promising strategy for enhancing production of biologically active ingredients in callus cultures Ocimum basilicum. Highlights • Ocimum basilicum calli were grown under different spectres of LED- lights. • Blue and red light enhanced phenolic and flavonoids respectively. • Rosmarinic acid and eugenol were enhanced by blue light. • Cichoric acid was enhanced by continuous white light. • Anthocyanins were enhanced by red light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the efficacy of trimodality therapy in patients with muscle invasive carcinoma of the bladder with deranged renal profile. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Oncology Department, Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi over 14 months, from Sep 2015 to Nov 2016. Patients and Methods: Forty patients (n=40) having histopathologically confirmed (urothelial) urinary bladder cancer, clinical stage II or III, aged 18 to 80 years, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤2 and having deranged renal functions were included in this study. After maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT), they received 4 courses of chemotherapy with mitomycin and 5 fluorouracil, followed by concurrent chemoradiation using same chemotherapy received 50 Grays in 20 fractions. Response was assessed using RECIST criteria. Results: Efficacy; defined in terms of complete and partial response, was observed in 85% (n=34) of patients. Treatment efficacy was better in males as compared to females (90.6% vs. 62.55: p<0.05). Patients with better ECOG-PS (0-1) and early stage (2) responded well to treatment while response was almost same in different age groups, (p>0.05 in all cases). Thirty-seven patients were able to complete the full study protocol, 2 had severe mucositis and hand-foot syndrome while one patient died after septicaemia. Conclusion: Trimodality treatment with TURBT, chemotherapy and chemo-radiation is a feasible option for bladder preservation in muscle invasive bladder cancer patients with compromised renal functions if we use 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inherent susceptibility of low-dimensional materials to thermal fluctuations has long been expected to pose a major challenge to achieve intrinsic long-range ferromagnetic order in two-dimensional materials. The recent explosion of interest in atomically thin materials and their assembly into van der Waals heterostructures has renewed interest in two-dimensional ferromagnetism, which is interesting from a fundamental scientific point of view and also offers a missing ingredient necessary for the realization of spintronic functionality in van der Waals heterostructures. Recently, several atomically thin materials have been shown to be robust ferromagnets. Such ferromagnetism is thought to be enabled by magnetocrystalline anisotropy which suppresses thermal fluctuations. In this article, we review recent progress in two-dimensional ferromagnetism in detail and predict new possible two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials. We also discuss the prospects for applications of atomically thin ferromagnets in novel dissipationless electronics, spintronics, and other conventional magnetic technologies. Particularly, atomically thin ferromagnets are promising to realize time reversal symmetry breaking in two-dimensional topological systems, providing a platform for electronic devices based on the quantum anomalous Hall effect showing dissipationless transport. Our proposed directions will assist the scientific community to explore novel two-dimensional ferromagnetic families which can spawn new technologies and further improve the fundamental understanding of this fascinating area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology is a new star in the science horizon with many valuable applications and promises to offer. It includes the synthesis and utilization of nanostructure materials ranging from 1 to 100 nm. Mostly these materials are generally (or "could be") produced via the laborious and hazard-prone physical and chemical methods but the green synthesis approaches easier, safe and scalable have been recently developed. Among other metal oxides nanoparticles, Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have been mostly exploited for their photocatalytic, antimicrobial and antiparasitic applications. A diverse set of biological entities are used to reduce the precursor metal salt into respective nanoparticles. The secondary metabolites present in organisms such as plants or microbes are involved in the bio-reduction and capping processes. This article will provide an overview of the green synthesis of TiO2 NPs from different biological extracts such as plants, microbes and biological products as well as their potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The manufacturing of bimetallic durable and efficient electrocatalyst with the support of N-doped porous carbon for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is extremely important for their long-term operation and wide applications. N-doped porous nanostructured carbon material with excellent permanent porosity and high surface area is produced through pyrolysis of Zn-MOF in inert atmosphere that further utilized as a support for the preparation of three bimetallic composites Pt-Ni@PCN920, Pt-Cu@PCN920 and Pt-Er@PCN920. It is found that Pt-Ni@PCN920 with less than 10% Pt showed the same over potential (- 42 mV) for HER as that of commercial 20%Pt/C at a current density 10 mAcm−2 in basic solution. The performance of Pt-Ni@PCN920 in terms of stability and efficiency is good and comparable with commercial 20%Pt/C for HER and with RuO 2 for OER. The best of three has been analyzed for long term stability and durability which is stable up to nine hours with little variation of current. The active sites developed by N-doping in nanostructured carbon material along with alloying effect of second metal with Pt produced good results for HER and OER with less than 10% Pt. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Zn-MOF was synthesized and sacrificed to get nanostructured N-doped carbon. • Bimetallic nanoparticles were supported on N-doped carbon material. • Pt-Ni@PCN920 showed good HER and OER activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnesium complex using N-phthaloyl-β-alanine (NPA) as ligand was synthesized and its crystal structure was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), fluorescence spectroscopy and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) were performed for magnesium N-phthaloyl-β-alaninate (MgNPA). The coordination geometry around Mg (II) has found to be distorted octahedral and the coordination mode of NPA in MgNPA is monodentate i.e. η 1 μ 1 . The significant enhancement was observed in the emission intensity of MgNPA complex as compared to the ligand NPA during solid state photoluminescence spectroscopy. The computational investigations of the complex were carried out at B3LYP/6-31 + G (d,p) level in gas phase to support our experimental results. The small energy gap between frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) manifested that MgNPA is a very reactive, chemically soft and optically active complex. The terahertz time domain spectroscopy of the complex and ligand was performed in order to characterize as well as to find out refractive index and absorption coefficient in 0.2–3.2 THz frequency range. Both the complex and ligand shows the characteristic absorption peaks in this frequency range. The decrease in refractive index is observed by the complexation of NPA with Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]