Search

The Punjab has been deeply connected to the history of the Sub-continent. The people of Punjab belong to different religions i.e Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism, and possess various beliefs; thus have been playing a significant role in the continuity of its social and cultural development. The history of Sikhism originates from their spiritual leader "Bābā Gurū Nānak". Their famous holy books 'Gurū Granth has been written in Punjabi language. During the Sikh rule, the Punjab consisted of twelve (12) Misals in other words, twelve people ruled there. The reign of Maha Raja Ranjīt Singh witnessed an organized rule; thus it is called the golden period of the Punjab history. This manuscript „Tārīkh-e-Punjāb', is a unique and unmatched manuscript in Persian language, about the history of the Punjab during the reign of Maha Raja Ranjīt Singh. This manuscript reflects the political, geographical, military, economical, religious and social aspects of the Punjab in the 19th century. The images of various customs, dresses and ornaments have also been provided. Although, it was written in Persian language, in 19th century; yet it is a bit different from the modern Persian language of Iran. Since, it includes the words from other languages of the Punjab, including Sanskrit, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu; its text is difficult and complicated. Inspite of the use of a number of allegories and idioms, there are many textual mistakes. These have been corrected and editing. Its detail comes in the Preface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of breast carcinoma among females above 30 years of age presenting with palpable breast lumps in south Punjab. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Department of Surgery, Ward No.4, Nishtar Medical University/Hospital, Multan. Period: 1st July, 2021 to 31st December 2021. Material & Methods: One hundred and thirty six patients with palpable breast lumps were included in the study. History, clinical examination, mammography, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and Tru cut biopsy was done in all the patients. Finally the report of Tru cut biopsy was used to find out the frequency of breast carcinoma in all these patients. Results: Carcinoma was present in 43 (31.6%) patients and benign diseases were present in 93 (68.4%) patients. Conclusion: Carcinoma was present in higher frequency (31.6%) among patients above 30 years of age who presented with palpable breast lumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As), a class-A human carcinogen, is ubiquitously present in the earth's crust and soil and may enter the air, water, and surface environments through different natural and anthropogenic sources. In this experiment, soil, irrigation water, and rice grains were sampled from conventional rice-growing areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 15 cm surface soil of rice growing fields, and rice grains were collected from the same field at crop maturity. Irrigation water samples were collected from the source used to irrigate the respective rice fields. Coordinates of sampling locations were noted using a global positioning system, and a locations map was made using ArcGIS. Soil samples were digested in a microwave digester using aqua regia, and plant samples were block digested using nitric acid. Arsenic concentration was determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer coupled with an auto-sampler and integrated samples introduction system. The mean concentration of As in rice grains, soil, and water samples was found within the safe limit set by WHO except for a sample from Narowal (148.54 µg l−1) that exceeded the irrigation water standard limit, i.e., 100 µg l−1 for irrigation water. Principal component analysis was performed to reduce the multidimensional space of variables and samples. Through the calculations of estimated daily intake, it has been revealed that the As levels measured in this study would only contribute a small amount (less than 5%) of the total recommended daily intake allowance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting toward stress-resistant planting material has become a pre-requisite for fruit tree culture under arid to the semiarid environment. No information currently exists on the physiological basis of water stress tolerance in Ziziphus jujuba at the saplings stage, an important fruit tree of semiarid regions of Central Punjab. Therefore, an experiment was conducted under controlled conditions where plants were subjected to three watering regimes: control irrigation, a medium, and a high-water deficit treatment. During the experiment, growth, biomass production and allocation in different plant organs (leaves, stem, and root) were measured. The physiological response of Z. jujuba under water deficit was determined through a gas exchange system and CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency were evidenced. Biomass production/allocation in leaves and stem decreased significantly with an increase in soil water deficit. Root biomass production remained unchanged (p = 0.907), but allocation increased significantly under high soil water deficit (p < 0.001). Net CO2 assimilation rate (A) remained similar at 6.54 ± 0.32 μmol m−2 s−1 but, stomatal conductance (gs) decreased significantly from 94.0 to 69.2 mmol m−2 s−1 under high water deficit treatment. Water use efficiency (ratio between Net CO2 assimilation rate and transpiration rate) also increased significantly (p = 0.012) under high water deficit treatment. Ziziphus jujuba showed a medium degree of plasticity under water deficit conditions, which was mainly driven by a sustained CO2 assimilation rate and more biomass allocation for root development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is the 2nd most deficient nutrient among plants (<10 mg P kg-1 soil) in >90% soil of Pakistan. The crop requirement is achieved by fertilization however effectiveness of the current P (Phosphorus) containing fertilizers applied as broadcast is less (20%). Application of phosphoric acid (PA) and potassium humate (PH) not only increases the nutrients availability to plant but also improves soil characteristics. A pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the behavior of PA and PH in saline-sodic soil for nutrient availability in maize. Twenty-seven plastic pots were used in this experiment. PA was applied according to recommended dose of Punjab Agriculture Department (NPK 200-150-200 kg ha-1), while the PH was applied according to the Agrolix fertilizer private limited recommendation (50 and 100 kg ha-1). The plant growth parameters (length and dry weight of root and shoot), ionic interaction (N, P, K, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn in root, shoot and grain) and grain weight were recorded. The results showed 241% and 315% more shoot and root dry weight as compared to control with combined application of PA and PH. The length of shoot and root were improved to 181% and 232% as compared to control. The grain yield was positively correlated with shoot dry weight (r2 = 0.6618). Application of PA decreased the soil electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) about 91% and 96% respectively after one cropping season. Grain yield had highly significant (r2= 0.829) negative correlation with soil ECe (Electrical conductivity) whereas it was also negatively correlated with soil SAR (r2=0.5942). Results further explained the significant positive correlation between phosphorus and iron concentration in grain (r2 = 0.7454). However, phosphorus concentration was not correlated with grain zinc concentration (r2 = 0.1798). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]