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Maize fodder yield was determined under various nitrogen and phosphorus doses under sub-humid rainfed conditions during 2009 at PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The annual rainfall at the experimental site during 2009 was 685.9 mm. The experimental soil was of loamy texture having E.C. of 0.48 dscm-1 pH 7.7, organic matter 0.65%, saturation 30%, available phosphorus 5.7 mg kg-1 and available potassium 78 mg kg-1 Maize cv. Sargodha-2002 was sown in randomized complete block design (factorial) and was fertilized with four each nitrogen @ 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha-1 and phosphorus 0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1 doses. Significant increase in green fodder and dry matter yield was observed with the increased doses of nitrogen and phosphorus. Overall, the nitrogen application @ 180 kg ha-1 increased the green fodder and dry matter yield by 12.33% and 51.50%, respectively. Similarly, with phosphorus application @ 90 kg ha-1 the 36.80% and 46.26% increase was observed in green fodder and dry matter yield, respectively. In combination of nitrogen and phosphorus @ 180:90 NP kg ha-1 there was a significant increase in green fodder and dry matter yields through their interactive effect, that were 90.19% and 159.31%, respectively. This increase may be due to increase in vegetative growth parameters like plant height, stem diameter and leaf area. It was concluded that fertilizers combination of 180:90 NP kg ha-1 was recommended for obtaining higher maize fodder yield under rainfed conditions of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize fodder yield was determined under various nitrogen and phosphorus doses under sub-humid rainfed conditions during 2009 at PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The annual rainfall at the experimental site during 2009 was 685.9 mm. The experimental soil was of loamy texture having E.C. of 0.48 dscm-1, pH 7.7, organic matter 0.65%, saturation 30%, available phosphorus 5.7 mg kg-1 and available potassium 78 mg kg-1. Maize cv. Sargodha-2002 was sown in randomized complete block design (factorial) and was fertilized with four each nitrogen @ 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha-1 and phosphorus 0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1 doses. Significant increase in green fodder and dry matter yield was observed with the increased doses of nitrogen and phosphorus. Overall, the nitrogen application @ 180 kg ha-1 increased the green fodder and dry matter yield by 12.33% and 51.50%, respectively. Similarly, with phosphorus application @ 90 kg ha-1, the 36.80% and 46.26% increase was observed in green fodder and dry matter yield, respectively. In combination of nitrogen and phosphorus @ 180:90 NP kg ha-1, there was a significant increase in green fodder and dry matter yields through their interactive effect, that were 90.19% and 159.31%, respectively. This increase may be due to increase in vegetative growth parameters like plant height, stem diameter and leaf area. It was concluded that fertilizers combination of 180:90 NP kg ha-1 was recommended for obtaining higher maize fodder yield under rainfed conditions of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Estimation of radio refractivity is critical in planning and design of radio links/systems for achieving optimal performance. The objective of this work is to estimate statistical variation of radio refractivity due to meteorological conditions dependent on the geographical region under consideration. These statistical estimations of tropospheric radio refractivity have been computed using the method recommended by International Telecommunication Union (ITU). A MATLAB software tool has been developed for this purpose. The sensitivity of radio refractivity to temperature, pressure and humidity has been evaluated for a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2009. Results have been obtained for tropospheric radio refractivity taking into consideration the location height, as well as the scale height parameters. These results have been analyzed in terms of statistical measures such as the moving averages, cumulative probability, monthly mean values, and the corresponding standard deviations. It has been observed that radio refractivity attains peak values during hot and humid months of July–August over the period of study. Moreover, a significant deviation from mean values is also observed that is required to be taken into consideration for optimal performance of radio link/systems design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Field experiments were conducted at two different locations (Barani Agriculture Research Institute Chakwal and farmer's field in Talagang) in northern rainfed Punjab, Pakistan, to assess relative efficiency of two sources of sulfur (S) in enhancing nitrogen (N) fixation and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). The treatments were four combinations of two levels of S (15 and 30 kg ha−1) from two sources [gypsum and ammonium sulfate (AS)] and a no-S control. Application of S significantly increased seed yield up to 12% and 14% at Chakwal and Talagang, respectively. Response (kg seed yield kg−1 S) at economic optimum dose (EOD) was greater for AS than for gypsum. Sulfur application enhanced the S uptake at both locations significantly. Sulfur harvest index and S economic yield efficiency ratio were greater at Talagang than at Chakwal. Sulfur application resulted increases in N uptake by 19% and 20% and N fixation by up to 19% and 30% at Chakwal and Talagang, respectively. Ammonium sulfate was more effective in increasing N fixation and uptake as compared to gypsum at Chakwal, whereas the difference between the two sources was nonsignificant at Talagang. Thus, it can be concluded that S should be applied to chickpea crop to enhance yield and improve soil fertility status as result of greater amount of N fixed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Repeat sequences are involved in regulation of gene expression both at the transcriptional and translational level. In the mammalian genomes, tri- and tetranucleotide repeats like ATA, AATA, GGAA and GAAA have been associated with diseases. In silico analysis of (GGAA)5 distribution across the species showed maximum number of this repeat in the mouse transcriptome compared to that in other species. Following this, we conducted minisatellite associated sequence amplification (MASA) to explore the buffalo''s transcriptome using cDNA from different tissues and an oligo based on (GGAA)5 repeats. MASA uncovered twenty six mRNA transcripts showing homology to known genes in the database. qPCR studies showed the highest expression of twelve transcripts in the spleen. A transcript, pLRC107 with its partial sequence of 203 nucleotides showed sequence variation at several positions in spleen as compared to other four tissues examined. Transcript pLRC100 was found to represent the partial coding sequence of Bos taurus HECT {(homologous to E6-associated protein (UBE3A) carboxyl-terminus domain) and RCC1 (CHC1)-like domain (RLD) 1}, mRNA. We ascertained full length coding sequence of HECT gene and localized the same on buffalo chromosome 10 employing FISH. This gene was found to be conserved across the species. Another gene LRP8 uncovered in the process showed copy number variation between buffalo males (4–9) and females (34–54). The MASA approach enabled us to identify several genes in Bubalus bubalis without screening an entire cDNA library. The highest expression of 12 mRNA transcripts in spleen suggests their likely involvement with immuno transaction. A comprehensive knowledge of the repeat tagged transcriptomes is envisaged to help in understanding their significance in genome organization and evolution forming rich basis of functional and comparative genomics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Arsenic is a known human carcinogen reported to cause chromosomal deletions and genetic anomalies in cultured cells. The vast human population inhabiting the Ganges delta in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh is exposed to critical levels of arsenic present in the groundwater. The genetic and physiological mechanism of arsenic toxicity in the human body is yet to be fully established. In addition, lack of animal models has made work on this line even more challenging. Methods: Human male blood samples were collected with their informed consent from 5 districts in West Bengal having groundwater arsenic level more than 50 μg/L. Isolation of genomic DNA and preparation of metaphase chromosomes was done using standard protocols. End point PCR was performed for established sequence tagged sites to ascertain the status of recombination events. Single nucleotide variants of candidate genes and amplicons were carried out using appropriate restriction enzymes. The copy number of DYZ1 array per haploid genome was calculated using real time PCR and its chromosomal localization was done by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). Results: We studied effects of arsenic exposure on the human Y chromosome in males from different areas of West Bengal focusing on known recombination events (P5-P1 proximal; P5-P1 distal; gr/gr; TSPY-TSPY, b1/b3 and b2/b3), single nucleotide variants (SNVs) of a few candidate Y-linked genes (DAZ, TTY4, BPY2, GOLGA2LY) and the amplicons of AZFc region. Also, possible chromosomal reorganization of DYZ1 repeat arrays was analyzed. Barring a few microdeletions, no major changes were detected in blood DNA samples. SNV analysis showed a difference in some alleles. Similarly, DYZ1 arrays signals detected by FISH were found to be affected in some males. Conclusions: Our Y chromosome analysis suggests that the same is protected from the effects of arsenic by some unknown mechanisms maintaining its structural and functional integrities. Thus, arsenic effects on the human body seem to be different compared to that on the cultured cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 infection has spread at an alarming rate with many places showing multiple peaks in incidence. Present study analyzes a total of 332 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from 114 asymptomatic and 218 deceased patients from twenty-one different countries to assess the mutation profile therein in order to establish the correlation between the clinical status and the observed mutations. The mining of mutations was carried out using the GISAID CoVSurver (www.gisaid.org/epiflu-applications/covsurver-mutations-app) with the reference sequence 'hCoV-19/Wuhan/WIV04/2019' present in NCBI with Accession number NC-045512.2. The impact of the mutations on SARS-CoV-2 proteins mutation was predicted using PredictSNP1(loschmidt.chemi.muni.cz/predictsnp1) which is a meta-server integrating six predictor tools: SIFT, PhD-SNP, PolyPhen-1, PolyPhen-2, MAPP and SNAP. The iStable integrated server (predictor.nchu.edu.tw/iStable) was used to predict shifts in the protein stability due to mutations. A total of 372 variants were observed in the 332 SARS-CoV-2 sequences with several variants present in multiple patients accounting for a total of 1596 incidences. Asymptomatic and deceased specific mutants constituted 32% and 62% of the repertoire respectively indicating their partial exclusivity. However, the most prevalent mutations were those present in both. Though some parts of the genome are more variable than others but there was clear difference between incidence and prevalence. Non-structural protein 3 (NSP3) with 68 variants had a total of only 105 incidences whereas Spike protein had 346 incidences with just 66 variants. Amongst the Deleterious variants, NSP3 had the highest incidence of 25 followed by NSP2 (16), ORF3a (14) and N (14). Spike protein had just 7 Deleterious variants out of 66. Deceased patients have more Deleterious than Neutral variants as compared to the asymptomatic ones. Further, it appears that the Deleterious variants which decrease protein stability are more significant in pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2. • 332 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from 21 countries were studied. • A total of 372 variants with 1596 incidences was observed. • Deceased patients had more deleterious variants than asymptomatic ones. • Deleterious variants with decreasing protein stability are significant in pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data obtained from 5260 birth records of 1179 Hissardale sheep maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station, Jahangirabad, in the district of Khanewal during 1978-1995 were analyzed. The objective was to evaluate the performance and to estimate the heritability of Hissardale sheep in Pakistan. Mean 180-day, 270-day, and yearling weights were 23.5 ± 3.31 kg, 25.7 ± 3.49 kg, and 30.7 ± 3.83 kg, respectively. Mean greasy fleece weight was 3.6 ± 0.57 kg. Post-weaning mean daily weight gain was 45 ± 0.02 g. Mean weight at first service was 38.9 ± 4.9 kg. The number of services per conception averaged 1.23 ± 0.40. The sire model using PROC MIXED in SAS was used to estimate heritability. Heritability estimates for 180-day, 270-day, and yearling weights were 0.09 ± 0.03, 0.17 ± 0.04, and 0.15 ± 0.04, respectively. The heritability estimate of post-weaning average daily gain was low (0.06 ± 0.03). The heritability for greasy fleece weight was also very low (0.02 ± 0.02). Low estimates of heritability indicated the presence of less additive genetic variance and large environmental variance. Hence, improvement in the traits through selection may be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide affecting the human male population. Different case-control, cohort or twin studies and segregation analyses point towards the presence of prostate cancer-susceptibility genes in the population. The studies have shown linkage of prostate susceptibility genes to multiple loci on chromosome 1 and single locus each on chromosomes 4, 8, 16, 17, 19, 20 and X chromosome. However, differences right from the mode of inheritance (autosomal dominant or X-linked recessive) to the target genes exist. There have been reports supporting no or weak linkage to these loci as well. Also, region (environmental factors), age and dietary habits have implications in different aspects of the disease. The important targets for treating prostate cancer are androgens and estrogen (synthesized from androgens by the action of enzyme aromatase) owing to their involvement in development and progression of prostate cancer. Further, prostate gland needs androgens (male hormones) for its normal maintenance and functioning. Besides, radiation therapy and surgical methods have also been used. The emerging areas include identifying and preparing successful vaccines from candidate peptides and gene therapy in several forms. This review deals with the paradox of linkage analyses and the various approaches in practice for treatment and management of prostate cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: c-Kit encodes for the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and belongs to type III receptor family. This includes platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) α and β and macrophage colony stimulating factor (mCSF) apart from others. Their characteristic features are the presence of five immunologlobulin like domains in the extracellular region and 70–100 residues long kinase insert domain in the cytoplasmic region. The RTKs activate several signaling pathways within the cells leading to cell proliferation, differentiation, migration or metabolic changes. The Kit ligand-stem cell factor (SCF) induces a rapid and complete receptor dimerization resulting in activation by autophosphorylation of the catalytic tyrosine kinase and generation of signal transduction leading to regulation of cell growth. Various mutations in c-kit such as insertions and deletions (without affecting reading frame) and point mutations in the inhibitory juxtamembrane (JM) domain encoded by exon 11 have been reported in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Thus, c-kit signaling is believed to play a role in tumorigenesis. Efforts are being made to control and treat these tumors by blocking kit signaling using Imatinib with varying degrees of success. This review deals with the features of c-kit, its ligand and roles in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• NSP3 had 101 variable sites while S protein (74), NSP12b (43) and ORF3a (31). • Average mutations per sample for males and females was 2.56 and 2.88 respectively. • Sequences in some geographical regions are mutating faster than others. • NSP13 had 14 Disease variants followed by S protein and ORF3a with 13 each. • Disease mutations from deceased patients was higher than asymptomatic ones. Mutational status of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from India along with their impact on proteins was ascertained through multiple tools including MEGA, Genome Detective, SIFT, PROVEAN and ws-SNPs&GO. Excluding gaps and ambiguous sequences, 493 variable sites (152 parsimony informative and 341 singleton) were observed. NSP3 had the highest incidence of 101 sites followed by S protein (74), NSP12b (43) and ORF3a (31). Average mutations per sample for males and females was 2.56 and 2.88 respectively. Non-uniform geographical distribution of mutations suggests that sequences in some regions are mutating faster than others. There were 281 mutations (198 Neutral and 83 Disease) affecting amino acid sequence. NSP13 has a maximum of 14 Disease variants followed by S protein and ORF3a with 13 each. Disease mutations in genomes from asymptomatic people was mere 11% but those from deceased patients was at 38% indicating contribution of these mutations to the pathophysiology of the SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Ali S, Khan FD, Ullah R, Shah RU, Alamri S, AlHarthi M, et al. (2020) Seed germination ecology of I Conyza stricta i Willd. and implications for management. In the Funding statement, the RSP number from the funder Researchers Supporting Project, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is listed incorrectly. [Extracted from the article]

Investigates the patterns of tyrosine phosphorylation during vascular hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Vascular smooth muscle cells; Thromboxane; Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or platelet-derived growth factor.

In the current scenario of climate change, the search for alternative energy sources is very important to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Undesired biomass (weed) from agricultural fields can be used to produce biofuels through nano catalysts enhanced gasification and process. Lignocellulosic part of weedy plants represents a potential alternative feedstock for economic production of bioethanol. Large numbers of weedy plant species are growing all over the world. However, high energy requirements and poor-quality biofuel products are the major constraints for utilization of this technology. Nanomaterials could be used as a catalyst to enhance the energy use efficiency and product quality. So, present study was conducted to produce bio-gas, bio-diesel and bio-char from mixed weed biomass of weeds like Carthamous oxyacantha, Asphodelus tenuifolius and Chenopodium album through gasification process using nano-materials as catalysts. Nickel and cobalt nano-particles were used as nano-catalysts to expedite the bio-chemical reactions for the generation of these products at lower temperatures i.e. (400 C°) in a muffle furnace. Further, these products were characterized using GC-MS analysis. It was observed that biodiesel contained 65.47% esters, which indicates its better quality than the normally produced biodiesel having 15–20% esters contents. Similarly, GC-MS analysis of biogas produced from mixed weed biomass showed 3.76% Methane, 8.32% Propane, 50.16% Ethene, 3.12% Propyne and 34.64% Methanol. The present results clearly exhibited the improved product quality and better energy use efficiency in gasification of weed biomass for bioenergy production. Image 1 • Strategic recycling of weed biomass into useful biofuels and biochar using nano-catalysts. • Nano-catalysts can accomplish gasification of weed biomass at lower temperatures. • Biodiesel of weed biomass is of better quality and environment friendly. • The biochar produced from weed biomass can be used as soil amendment. • Biogas produced from weed biomass is a good source of hydrocarbon fuel gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon based anode materials has got significant attention in recent years due to its environmental affinity, lower cost and high capacity in lithium ion batteries. The Photo cured 3D porous Silica-carbon membrane (SiO 2 –C material) was synthesized via binary phase solid state photo-polymerization, freeze dried to obtain porous membrane and then used as template to get silica deposited membrane by chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) at 30 °C, followed by calcination. The silicon deposition has been confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution results showed the pore size of 10.2924 nm and surface area of 21.1957 m2/g with cumulative pore volume of 0.040248 cm³/g. The first discharge capacity reached to 719 mAhg−1 with 79.94% columbic efficiency regarding first cycle and discharge capacity for 100 cycles reached to 693 mAhg−1 with 99% columbic efficiency, which indicated high reaction reversibility. The silicon deposition with a porous structure improved the electronic conductivity and stabilized the material. The better electrochemical performance observed could be due to porous structure and carbon matrix of SiO 2 –C material. Image 1 • The SiO 2 –C material was photo polymerized, freeze dried at −60 °C, CVD used for silicon at 30 °C and calcined at 900 °C. • The material was ball milled, stirred, coated on Cu foil, then vacuum dried to get an average active material mass loading. • The first discharge capacity was 719 mAhg−1 with columbic efficiency 79.94% and 693 mAhg−1 with 99% throughout 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly identified Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) has steered concerns across the world due to the possession of a large number of mutations leading to high infectivity and vaccine escape potential. The Omicron variant houses 32 mutations in spike (S) protein alone. The viral infectivity is determined mainly by the ability of S protein Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) to bind to the human Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor. In this paper, the interaction of the RBDs of SARSCoV- 2 variants with hACE2 was analyzed by using protein-protein docking and compared with the novel Omicron variant. Our findings reveal that the Omicron RBD interacts strongly with hACE2 receptor via unique amino acid residues as compared to the Wuhan and many other variants. However, the interacting residues of RBD are found to be the same in Lamda (C.37) variant. This unique binding of Omicron RBD with hACE2 suggests an increased potential of infectivity and vaccine evasion potential of the new variant. The evolutionary drive of the SARS-CoV-2 may not be exclusively driven by RBD variants but surely provides for the platform for emergence of new variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is an endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. It is a diversified multi factorial disorder and diagnosis is very complicated because of its overlapping symptoms some of which are irregular menstrual cycle, acne in face, excess level of androgen (AE), insulin resistance, obesity, cardiovascular disease, mood disorder and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). PCOS may be caused by hormonal imbalance, genetic and epigenetic vulnerability, hypothalamic and ovarian troubles. PCOS is essentially hyperandrogenimia with oligo‐anovulation. This review explains the abnormal regulation of autophagy related genes and proteins in different cells at various stages which leads to the genesis of PCOS. During nutrient starvation cells face stress condition, which it tries to overcome by activating its macroautophagy mechanism and by degrading the cytoplasmic material. This provides energy to the cell facilitating its survival. Downregulation of autophagy related genes in endometria has been observed in PCOS women. PCOS can be managed by maintaining proper lifestyle and medical treatment. Healthy meals and regular exercise can prevent the excessive weight and also reduce the PCOS complications. Medicines such as metformin, clomiphene, and the oral contraceptive pill can also balance the hormonal level. The imbalance in regulation of autophagy genes has been discussed with correlation to PCOS. The different management strategies for PCOS have also been summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global climate change scenario intensified various environmental factors, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Drought is one of the most severe environmental stresses affecting plant productivity. Plants in the Mediterranean climate zone are exposed to heat and drought in summer, and these conditions have a significant effect on plant growth and development. However, in this case, the entry of CO2 into mesophyll cells is prevented and therefore the rate of photosynthesis decreases which ultimately causes a reduction in plant growth. In order to acclimate to stressful environmental conditions, plants exhibit several structural modifications to cope with these harmful conditions. This review highlights some aspects of anatomical adaptive changes in plants under drought stresssuch as a reduction in leaf size and angle, stomatal position, epidermal thickness and deposition of the cuticle to prevent the loss of water from the leaf surface. Furthermore, it elaborates the role of buliform cells in leaf rolling, structural adaptation in the mesophyll cells, and the presence of trichomes. Mesophyll cells and bulliform cells provide easier rolling of leaves in case of intense drought. In arid conditions, the economical use of water by plants is possible by closing the stomata and reducing transpiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ebola outbreak in 2014 caused many infections and deaths. Some literature works have proposed some models to study Ebola virus, such as SIR, SIS, SEIR, etc. It is proved that the fractional order model can describe epidemic dynamics better than the integer order model. In this paper, we propose a fractional order Ebola system and analyze the nonnegative solution, the basic reproduction number R 0 , and the stabilities of equilibrium points for the system firstly. In many studies, the numerical solutions of some models cannot fit very well with the real data. Thus, to show the dynamics of the Ebola epidemic, the Gorenflo–Mainardi–Moretti–Paradisi scheme (GMMP) is taken to get the numerical solution of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system and the modified grid approximation method (MGAM) is used to acquire the parameters of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system. We consider that the GMMP method may lead to absurd numerical solutions, so its stability and convergence are given. Then, the new fractional orders, parameters, and the root-mean-square relative error g (U ∗) = 0.4146 are obtained. With the new fractional orders and parameters, the numerical solution of the SEIR fractional order Ebola system is closer to the real data than those models in other literature works. Meanwhile, we find that most of the fractional order Ebola systems have the same order. Hence, the fractional order Ebola system with different orders using the Caputo derivatives is also studied. We also adopt the MGAM algorithm to obtain the new orders, parameters, and the root-mean-square relative error which is g (U ∗) = 0.2744 . With the new parameters and orders, the fractional order Ebola systems with different orders fit very well with the real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in 98 genomes across four genera of the family Polyomaviridae was performed. The genome size ranged from 3962 (BM87) to 7369 bp (BM85) but maximum genomes were in the range of 5–5.5 kb. The GC% had an average of 42% and ranged between 34.69 (BM95) and 52.35 (BM81). A total of 3036 SSRs and 223 cSSRs were extracted using IMEx with incident frequency from 18 to 56 and 0 to 7, respectively. The most prevalent mono-nucleotide repeat motif was "T" (48.95%) followed by "A" (33.48%). "AT/TA" was the most prevalent dinucleotide motif closely followed by "CT/TC". The distribution was expectedly more in the coding region with 77.6% SSRs of which nearly half were in Large T Antigen (LTA) gene. Notably, most viruses with humans, apes and related species as host exhibited exclusivity of mono-nucleotide repeats in AT region, a proposed predictive marker for determination of humans as host in the virus in course of its evolution. Each genome has a unique SSR signature which is pivotal for viral evolution particularly in terms of host divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the first and second-order rogue wave solutions are obtained which are localized in both space and time that appear from nowhere and disappear without a trace. The coupled NLSEs with time-dependent coefficients are considered that describe the effects of ultrashort optical pulse propagation in nonlinear optics and quantum physics. The similarity transformation is used to investigate these rational-like (rogue wave) solutions. Moreover, the 3D graphical representations and contour plots have depicted with different parameters of gravity field and external magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant‐derived natural products are of great interest due to their diversity in modern drug discovery. Sarcococca saligna has been used for the treatment of different diseases. The present study was aimed at isolating phytochemical constituents including Alkaloid‐C (a), Dictyophlebine (b), Sarcovagine‐D (c) and Saracodine (d) Holaphylline (e) from Sarcococca saligna to investigate the anticancer effect of these compounds. These compounds were evaluated for inhibition of aromatase enzyme of breast cancer in assistance by molecular docking simulations to understand molecular interaction between the enzyme and ligands. The IC50 values of compound 1 and 5 were found 138.27 ± 0.01 µl and 12.91 ± 0.01 µl, respectively, and both were found active due to their bulky structures in comparison to the active site of aromatase enzyme. The standard drug exemestane showed potent activity in comparison with the test compounds, having IC50 values of 0.052 ± 0.01 µl. Both compounds showed favorable electrostatic interactions with the active site of aromatase enzyme but the shape and steric bulk of the compounds was the limiting factor in their inhibitory effects. New lead compounds could be generated after extensive modifications guided by computational and experimental tools as a possible anticancer agents by targeting aromatase enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an attempt to extract and analyse the microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from the genomes of eight species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. The average size of genomes included in the study was 205 kb while the GC% was 33% for all but one. A total of 10,584 SSRs and 854 cSSRs were observed. POX2 with the largest genome of 224.499 kb had maximum of 1493 SSRs and 121 cSSRs (compound SSR) while POX7 with the smallest genome of 185.578 kb had minimum incident SSRs and cSSRs at 1181 and 96, respectively. There was significant correlation between genome size and SSR incidence. Di-nucleotide repeats were the most prevalent (57.47%) followed by mono- at 33% and tri- at 8.6%. Mono-nucleotide SSRs were predominantly T (51%) and A (48.4%). A majority of 80.32% SSRs were in the coding region. The three most similar genomes as per heat map POX1, POX7 and POX5 (93% similarity) are adjacent to one another in the phylogenetic tree. Ankyrin/Ankyrin like protein and Kelch protein which are associated with host determination and divergence have the highest SSR density in almost all studied viruses. Thus, SSRs are involved in genome evolution and host determination of viruses. • Microsatellite from the 8 genomes of the genus Orthopoxvirus were analyzed. • Average genome size was 205 kb while the GC% was 33% for all but one. • A total of 10,584 SSRs and 854 cSSRs were observed. • Di-nucleotide repeats were the most prevalent (57.47%) followed by mono- (33%). • Three most similar genomes were POX1, POX7 and POX5 (93%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrow brown leaf spot disease of rice caused by fungus Cercospora oryzae Miyake emerged as potential threat to rice crop in previous few years worldwide and can cause more than 40% yield loss. The disease symptoms were noted on various commercially important rice varieties in the rice growing districts of Punjab province of Pakistan. Hence, the studies were planned to assess the effects of Propiconazole fungicide application timings and different rice varieties on the severity of narrow brown leaf spot (NBLS) disease of rice to develop an accurate management strategy for the disease. The Propiconazole fungicide was tested at three various growth phases (early booting, late booting, and soft dough) of four rice varieties against the percent severity of the NBLS disease The experiments were designed under strip-plot (crisscross) design with four replications at research area of Plant Pathology Department, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Analysis of variance has demonstrated that the main and interactive effects of fungicide applications and rice varieties were found significant. The main effects of years were found non-significant but their interactions with fungicide application timings and rice varieties were significant. Fungicide applications at soft dough and late booting phases of rice variety B-515 were found least effective to reduce the disease severity, respectively. Fungicide application at early booting of rice variety PK-1121 was found most effective by reducing the maximum percent diseases severity (47.25%) compared to control. It is concluded that, to minimize hazardous effects of chemicals on the environment by practicing multiple sprays at inappropriate growth phases of rice crop, fungicides must be applied during the early and late booting phases of rice varieties on mildly resistance, susceptible and highly susceptible rice varieties to reduce NBLS disease severity and to enhance the rice production and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted to check the effects of biochar and different priming agents on whitefly transmitted tomato leaf curl virus. Biochar was applied to potting mixture at 1%, 2% and 3% concentration. In order to check the effects of priming, tomato seedlings were primed with NaCl, glycerine and distilled water at three concentrations. After biochar application 22.43% disease severity was recorded that was significantly lower than control (40.12%). In graft inoculated plants, disease severity was in 15.32% while in control 50.23% disease severity was recorded. From primed seedling NaCl and glycerine shows good results then distilled water. In case of biochar, disease reduction was more at higher concentration (3%) than other two concentrations. Priming gave better results in case of whitefly inoculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of depression in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out from January 2020 to March 2021 on a total sample size of n=100 patients (age 49.84 ± 0.91 years) using a simple random sampling technique, visiting the medical department of the federal government polyclinic hospital, in Islamabad. Patients presenting with macrocytic anaemia secondary to vitamin B12 deficiency were included while the patients with previously diagnosed depression were excluded from the study. Serum vitamin B12 levels were measured through the ELISA technique. Patient Healthcare Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was designed and presented to patients with vitamin B12 deficiency for depression assessment. Patients with PHQ-9 score ≤5 were rated as having no depression and the patients with score ≥5 were rated as having depression. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism and the correlation coefficient was measured through non-linear fit and linear regression curves while ordinary ANOVA (non-parametric) was applied for study variables. Results: The average level of vitamin B12 in the serum and PHQ-9 score were recorded as 158 ± 4.94 (pg/uL) and 5.85 ± 0.30, respectively. Vitamin B12 levels and PHQ-9 score depicted an inverse correlation, however, no association was found between gender and PHQ-9 score. Conclusion: Data depicted that the patients presenting low levels of vitamin B12 in their serum have shown corresponding high PHQ-9 scores which is an indicator of depression. However, depression prevails in all age groups without any discrimination of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation tillage systems are advocated worldwide for sustainable crop production; however, their favorable effects on soil properties are subject to the length of their use. The following study aimed at using the CENTURY agroecosystem model to simulate long-term changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) production. Tillage systems include conventional tillage (CT, control), minimum tillage, chisel plow (CP) and zero tillage with (R+) and without residues (R−) in fallow-wheat system. The model validation with 2-year field experiment showed that the simulated results were strongly correlated with observed results for total organic carbon (r2 = 0.94), active soil carbon (r2 = 0.91), slow soil carbon (r2 = 0.84) and passive soil carbon (r2 = 0.85). Similarly, model simulations for biomass and grain yields were, respectively, 81% and 76% correlated with observed results. The long-term simulations predicted that SOC stock and its fractions will gradually build up, crop biomass and grain yield will enhance with crop residue retention, especially under chisel plough in comparison of existing CT system. The study concludes that CP and retention of crop residues have potential to improve SOC contents and ultimately crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a quest to use Raman spectroscopy as an optical diagnostic tool, we recorded Raman spectra of 32 dengue virus (DENV)-infected and 28 healthy sera samples in the near-infrared spectral range (540 to 1700 cm−1) using laser at 785 nm as the excitation source. We observed clear differences in the Raman spectra of DENV-infected sera as compared with those of healthy individuals. Here, as a result of our study, we report 12 unique Raman bands associated with DENV-infected sera that are not reported earlier. After applying analysis of variance and t-test ( p < 0.05) on these 12 bands, six Raman bands at 630 ( N-acetylglucosamine), 883 (in-plane bending (ring) of deoxyribose), 1218 (amide III- β conformation from C6H5-C stretching vibrations of tryptophan and phenylalanine), 1273 (amide-III), 1623 (tryptophan) and 1672 cm−1 (ceramide) were found only in the DENV-infected sera. The remaining six Raman bands at 716 (lipids), 780 (Uracil-based ring breathing mode), 828 (ring breathing tyrosine), 840 ( α-anomers), 1101 (ν(C-N) of lipids and DNA) and 1150 cm−1(glycogen/carotenoids) were only found in healthy sera. Two types of classification models, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis, were employed to develop principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis model that has provided diagnostic accuracy 96.50%, sensitivity 93.44%, and specificity 100%. This indicates that these 12 Raman bands have the potential to be used as biomarkers for optical diagnosis of DENV infection. This study provides a new insight for future research in the field of optical diagnosis using Raman spectroscopy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first study about microsatellites in genomes of 21 virophages. • A total of 3664 SSRs and 488 cSSR were observed. • More than three-fourths of SSRs were found in the coding region. • All genomes had a higher SSR density in non-coding as compared to the coding region. • The conservation/uniqueness of cSSRs indicates their potential as biomarkers. Microsatellites or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) are short motif repeat sequences constituting the most hypervariable regions of genomes. Present study extracts and analyzes the SSRs from genomes of 21 virophages. Genomic sequences were retrieved from NCBI and the microsatellite data was extracted through MISA web server. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using MAFFT and MEGAX as per standardized protocols. The virophages have a circular/linear ds DNA genome of ~17-30 kb size. The GC% of genomes ranged from 26.8 (PSAV13) to 51.1 (PSAV12). A total of 3664 SSRs and 488 cSSR were observed with an average incidence of 174 and 23 respectively. The total SSR incidence in a genome ranged from 120 (PSAV19) to 264 (PSAV14). The cSSR (compound SSR) incidence ranged from 8 (PSAV12) to 47 (PSAV14). Mono-nucleotide repeats are the most incident microsatellites (1129 SSRs) followed by di-nucleotide (1036 SSRs) and tri-nucleotide repeats (368 SSRs). However, the same is not true for individual genomes. There are 14, 16 and 17 genomes which have no incidence of tetra-, penta- and hexa-nucleotide repeats respectively. Mono 'A' repeats having the maximum representation (average ~33 per genome) in mono-nucleotide repeats. For the di-nucleotide repeats, AT/TA motif had the highest frequency (average ~30) distantly followed by AG/GA; and CT/TC (average 5.6 & 5.5 respectively). A total of 1946 SSRs (76%) were found in the coding region. All genomes had a higher SSR density in non-coding as compared to the coding region. There are fifteen genomes which have at least one gene with no SSR. A total of 41 cSSRs with incidence across minimum of two virophages was observed. There were 12 cSSRs which had multiple presence within the same genome. The heat map of the genomes on one hand corroborates the phylogenetic tree with similar sequences (PSAV2, PSAV5, PSAV6, PSAV17 and PSAV18) being positioned together in the phylogenetic analysis while on the other hand it also highlights the diversity of the studied sequences. The conservation of cSSRs across multiple virophages highlights their potential as biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato leaf curl virus (TLCV) is an emerging problem in tomato growing areas of Pakistan. Relationship of TLCV disease and environmental conditions were studied on five tomato cultivars. Temperature (maximum and minimum) and relative humidity significantly contributed in the development of TLCV disease during two years (2012 and 2013). The TLCV disease incidence increased with rise in maximum and minimum temperature and decreased with the increase in relative humidity. The contribution of maximum temperature was explained by linear regression which showed 83 to 91% variability in the disease incidence and minimum temperature explained 75 to 85% variability. Relative humidity exerted 78 to 85% contribution in the disease development. The linear regression could not explain the contribution of rainfall and wind speed in disease development. The characterization of favorable environmental conditions for TLCV disease development would contribute towards accurate prediction and timely management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of 2019 the most dangerous disease that have affected more than 200 countries is Covid-19 (i.e. corona virus disease 2019) spread by the virus (i.e. novel coronavirus) which is transmitted from susceptible person to survivors in his surroundings. Such an epidemicity occurs first time in the world and number of cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the different areas that's why it is not easy to overcome this pandemic circumstances immediately. However, it is a challenge to develop anti-virus drugs for the suspected patients at global level. The scientists are interested in detailed experiments on Chloroquine (CQ) and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as one of the unique substance used in the manufacturing for an anti virus drugs. For instance the Hydroxychloroquine conjugated molecular structure became an interesting chemical by the scientist. The significance of both substances can be examine by the number of publications which are leading us to introduce an effective treatment. In this paper, we are interested to discussed physcio-chemical properties of Hydroxychloroquine structure and computational work for the specific topological descriptors named as the F-co-index, first Zagreb co-index and first multiplicative Zagreb co-index, second Zagreb co-index and second multiplicative Zagreb co-index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy plays an intricate role in paradigmatic human pathologies such as cancer, and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and autoimmune disorders. Autophagy regulation is performed by a set of autophagy-related (ATG) genes, first recognized in yeast genome and subsequently identified in other species, including humans. Several other genes have been identified to be involved in the process of autophagy either directly or indirectly. Studying the codon usage bias (CUB) of genes is crucial for understanding their genome biology and molecular evolution. Here, we examined the usage pattern of nucleotide and synonymous codons and the influence of evolutionary forces in genes involved in human autophagy. The coding sequences (CDS) of the protein coding human autophagy genes were retrieved from the NCBI nucleotide database and analyzed using various web tools and software to understand their nucleotide composition and codon usage pattern. The effective number of codons (ENC) in all genes involved in human autophagy ranges between 33.26 and 54.6 with a mean value of 45.05, indicating an overall low CUB. The nucleotide composition analysis of the autophagy genes revealed that the genes were marginally rich in GC content that significantly influenced the codon usage pattern. The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) revealed 3 over-represented and 10 under-represented codons. Both natural selection and mutational pressure were the key forces influencing the codon usage pattern of the genes involved in human autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five tomato varieties/lines (viz:Thorgal, Morgal, Rio- Grande, Baby Red and Nagina) were sown in randomized complete block design with three replications in the experimental area of Plant Pathology Department, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. A highly susceptible variety Nagina was sown as spreader in between the test varieties to produce the maximum disease. Four treatments including untreated control, Acetamaprid, Imidacloprid and Diafenthiuron were evaluated against Bemisia tabaci population and Tomato Leaf Curl Virus disease under natural field condition. Treatments were applied randomly to each block of variety. Acetamaprid was found to be the most effective against the reduction of vector population as well as Tomato Leaf Curl Virus disease followed by imidacloprid and Diafenthiuron as compared to the untreated control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watermelon is a highly nutritious crop and its yield is affected by powdery mildew worldwide. Powdery mildew incidence has increased in recent years due to the tunnel farming trend. Conventional strategies like cultural practices e.g. sowing time and over fertigation have not been effective to control the powdery mildew. So, present study was carried out to evaluate different watermelon cultivars against powdery mildew and to provide information about the effectiveness of different fungicides and plant extracts for its control. The experiments were carried out in research area of Department of Plant Pathology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad during 2013-2014. Twelve varieties of watermelon were sown in randomized complete block design with three replications. Inoculation was done by spray method. After the onset of disease, fungicides and plant extract treatments were applied weekly. Data were analyzed statistically and treatment means were compared by using Least Significant Difference (LSD) test. Significant differences for powdery mildew resistance were observed in 12 genotypes and varieties WT2257 and Zcugma F1 showed only 3% disease incidence showing higher disease resistance. Other resistant watermelon varities were Panther, Pata Nagra and Ayesha 1 with disease incidence of 5, 7 and 9% respectively. On the other hand Sugar Baby and Anar Kali varieties showed 78 and 67% disease. Among the six extracts, neem extract showed least disease incidence of 17.56%. Garlic and sohanjana extracts showed 25.78 and 30.44% disease occurrence. Among the six fungicides, the least disease incidence was recorded in Gemstar with mean of 9.78%. Raydar and Crest fungicide sprayed crop had 15 and 19% disease. Highest disease incidence was recorded in control with mean of 69.11%. It is concluded that genetic resistance, pesticide and plant extract application showed significant variation in disease incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, analytical solutions and different types of soliton envelopes: bright, dark and singular for the nonlinear model, namely, nanobioelectronics transmission lines have been constructed along with constrained conditions. The modified extended tanh-function method and exp-function method have been used to find analytical solutions, and while solitary wave ansatz is used to construct these soliton solutions. Additionally, the constraint conditions, for the existence of the soliton solutions are also listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present extreme ultraviolet spectra of highly charged Fe ions observed with a compact electron beam ion trap as a function of monoenergetic electron beam energy. For 3 s 3 p – 3 s 3 d lines in Fe XV, strong intensity enhancement at a specific electron energy is confirmed. The enhancement is assigned as the resonant excitation via dielectronic capture followed by autoionization. The resonance contribution to line intensity ratio, which is important for the diagnostics of astrophysical plasmas, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research trials on commercially important rice varieties were conducted to assess their response against the narrow brown leaf spot (NBLS) disease at the research area of Plant Pathology Department, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during the year 2018 and repeated in 2019. For the sake of experimentation, Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku (RRIKSK) Sheikhupura provided the germplasm of ten rice varieties that farmers frequently used for cultivation. The seeds of rice varieties were sown in pots with a completely randomized design under controlled environmental conditions. The lower, middle, and flag leaves of five plants from each replication were tagged, and the percent severity of narrow brown leaf spot disease was recorded and analyzed by statistical computer software GenStat (10th Edition). The means of percent disease severity on different rice varieties were compared by Fisher’s protected least significant difference test at a 5% significance level. The simple main effects of rice varieties and years on the development of narrow brown leaf spot disease were significant, but their interactions were non-significant. The disease severities were enhanced during the year 2019 as compared to 2018 on the same rice varieties. Minimum disease severity was detected on the plants of rice variety Basmati-515 (1.67%) and maximum on rice variety PK- 1121 (81.00%). The second-highest level of susceptibility was found in the variety KSK-133 (67%) and ranked as very highly (VHS) susceptible. The variety B-Ksn (43.67%) was found highly susceptible. The varieties B-Chb (21.17%) and KSK-434 (22.50%) were statistically at par and found mildly resistant. Different rice varieties have different genetic response against the NBLS disease development. So, evaluating rice varieties against the infection of narrow brown leaf spot disease is the need of time for breeders for their breeding programs. The cultivation of resistant rice varieties is cost-effective for farmers regarding disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted at two different locations under rainfed conditions of Punjab, Pakistan to assess nodulation, nitrogen fixation and nutrient uptake by chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.) in response to application of three rates [0, 40, and 80 kg phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5ha−1)] of phosphorus and three rates (0, 15 and 30 kg S ha−1) of sulfur in different combinations. Effect of phosphorus application was nonsignificant while that of sulfur was significant on percent nitrogen derived from atmosphere. Both phosphorus and sulfur application resulted in increase in nitrogen fixation up to 38% and 33% over control, respectively. Nutrient uptake [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S)] increased significantly with the application of phosphorus and sulfur and correlated positively with nitrogen fixation. There is direct involvement of sulfur in the process of nitrogen fixation whereas effect of phosphorus on nitrogen fixation is indirect mainly through enhanced growth and dry matter production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus slow decline caused by Tylenchulus semipenetrans deteriorates the quality and quantity of citrus fruit and make it prone for the invasion of other microbes. A survey was carried out for the assessment of nematode population distribution in all 7 Tehsils of district Sargodha (Pakistan) viz: Sargodha, Silanwali, Sahiwal, Shahpur, Bhalwal, Kot Momin and Bhera. Population densities of nematode were assessed in different genera of citrus crop i.e. kinnow, sweet orange, feutral's early, grape fruit and sweet lime, both in healthy and declining orchards. Whitehead and Hemming tray method was used for the isolation of T. semipenetrans which showed that the population was low in declining orchards as compared to the population densities found in healthy orchards. Kinnow was the most infested by nematode with mean population 1161 while sweet orange was the least infested with 595 nematodes, in all localities. Maximum nematode population density in healthy and declining orchards was recorded in Kot Momin that was 2600 and 946 nematodes per 50 ml of soil, respectively. The lowest mean population was recorded in Silanwali with 1200 in healthy and 300 in declining orchards. The assessment of spatial distribution of nematode population would pave foe effective disease management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen fixing capacity of leguminous plants can be increased by the supply of adequate amounts of nutrients, especially phosphorus and sulfur. Some nutrients have direct involvement in the process of nitrogen fixation while others affect by improving growth of host plant. Field experiments were conducted at two different locations in northern rainfed Punjab, Pakistan, to assess the amount of nitrogen fixation and nitrogen uptake by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) during crop growing seasons 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Treatments were: phosphorus levels (0, 40 and 80 kg P2O5 ha-1); sulfur sources (gypsum and ammonium sulfate) and levels (0, 15 and 30 kg S ha-1). The experimental design was randomized complete block with split-split plot arrangement: phosphorus levels in main plots, sulfur sources in sub-plots and sulfur levels in sub-sub-plots. Phosphorus (80 kg P2O5 ha-1) increased nitrogen fixed and uptake by 33 and 31 % over control. However, effect of phosphorus on nitrogen derived from atmosphere was not significant while that of sulfur was significant. Sulfur (30 kg S ha-1) increased nitrogen derived from atmosphere, amount of nitrogen fixed and nitrogen uptake by 6, 25 and 17 % over control. Ammonium sulfate treatments caused significantly higher amount of nitrogen fixed and higher nitrogen uptake as compared to gypsum treatments, although both sulfur sources were similar regarding percent nitrogen derived from atmosphere. A strong positive correlation (R= 0.98**) between amount of nitrogen fixed and nitrogen uptake at both locations was observed. There was a direct effect of sulfur on the process of nitrogen fixation, whereas phosphorus mainly affected growth of chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Barani Agriculture Research Institute Chakwal Punjab, Pakistan to assess the seed yield, nitrogen fixation and nutrient uptake by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in response to application of different levels of phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S). The treatments comprised three levels (0, 40 & 80 kg P2O5 ha-1) of P and three levels (0, 15 & 30 kg S ha-1) of S from two sulfur S sources (gypsum & ammonium sulfate) in different combinations. The trial was laid out according to randomized complete block design with split split plot arrangement. Application of P and S resulted in significant increase in seed yield by 21 and 12% over control, respectively. Effect of combined application of P and S was synergistic at nutrient application rate of P40S15, while antagonistic at P80S30. Sulfur application had significant effect on percent nitrogen derived from atmosphere (% Ndfa), while effect of P was non-significant. There was significant increase in protein content of chickpea seed due to application of S. Application of both P and S resulted in increase in nitrogen (N) fixation by 16%. Value cost ratio was less than 2 for higher level of P either sole or in combination with S. A fertilizer combination of P40S30 is more economical and cost effective for chickpea production under rainfed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery in cases of acute cholecystitis performed in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Study design: Prospective clinical practice audit. Setting and duration: Surgical department, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, from 1st August 2018 to 31st October 2019. Material and Methods: 130 patients presenting with signs and symptoms suggestive of acute or acute on chronic cholecystitis of any age group and of both gender undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included. All the data was recorded on a standardized proforma. Bias and confounders in the study were controlled by strictly following the exclusion criteria. The data collected included patient bio-data, operative findings, operative time, and conversion rate, length of hospital stay, wound infection or intra-abdominal infection and mortality. Results: 130 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the study period. The mean age of all the patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy was 40±13 years. Females were 81.5% while males were 18.5%. The overall rate of conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy was 2.3% due to dense adhesions, difficult anatomy & bleeding while doing dissection of Calot’s triangle . Gall bladder perforation & spillage of gall stones during the laparoscopic cholecystectomy occurred in 13.84% cases. 95 (73%) patients have not developed early or late post-operative complications. Umbilical port site infection was observed in 26 (20%) cases. The average operative time was 46±9 minutes. 90% of the patients were discharged 48 hours after the surgery. No mortality was observed during the study period. Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and effective procedure, in the hands of experienced laparoscopic surgeon, in most of the patients with less morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mortality linked with HCV infection can be lowered with effective and prompt diagnosis in early stages of infection. In this study potential of Raman spectroscopy to differentiate between healthy and HCV infected serum samples was investigated. Clear differences were observed in the Raman spectra of HCV infected and healthy sera samples. Using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t -test (p < 0.001) on Raman spectra of diseased and healthy samples, we observed eleven unique Raman bands at 676, 825, 853, 936, 1029, 1105, 1155, 1305, 1620, 1654 and 1757 cm−1 associated with only HCV infected sera and have not been reported in earlier studies. In addition, six Raman bands at 556, 585, 716, 815, 1273 and 1142 cm−1were observed in healthy sera only. Three Raman bands at 1330, 1526 and 1572 cm−1 were observed in both type of samples but their intensity was drastically reduced in diseased samples. Various multivariate analysis techniques were employed to demonstrate the robustness of the results. We employed multivariate and unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) in conjunction with supervised classification linear discriminant analysis (LDA), using ten-fold jackknife cross-validation, in order to develop effective diagnostic algorithm technique (PCA-LDA). Our PCA-LDA model yielded sufficient sensitivity and specificity i.e. correctly identified all infected samples included in this study. Ours results indicate that these unique Raman bands have the potential to be used as biomarkers for optical diagnosis of HCV infection. Unlabelled Image • Aimed to differentiate between HCV infected and healthy sera samples based on the Raman signatures • PCA, LDA and ANOVA tests have been successfully applied to separate the data sets significantly. • Raman based signatures have the potential to differentiate the HCV infected samples from healthy samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compelxation effect restricts the intramolecular motion of photoinitiator BFC. • Complexation effect broadens the absorption of photoinitiator BFC to the visible light region. • Complexation effect promotes the efficiency of photoinitiator BFC upon blue light. In this work, we discussed the complexation effect between polyethylene glycoldiacrylate (PEGDA) and novel type II photoinitiator 2,6-bis(furan-2-ylmethylidene) cyclohexan-1-one(BFC). Due to this complexation effect, the initiating system BFC/PEGDA has broader ground state light absorption in visible light region than BFC has and could be initiated more efficiently by LED 405nm lamp (visible light source). Moreover, BFC/PEGDA exhibits higher initiating efficiency than BFC/ethyl-4-(dimethylamino) benzoate (EDAB) in initiating monomer such as hexamethylene diacrylate (HDDA). To investigate this unusual phenomenon, steady state photolyisis experiments of BFC, BFC/EDAB and BFC/PEGDA, 1H-NMR, time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were carried out. The results showed BFC exhibited weak photostability and photo bleached. The intramolecular motion of BFC induced few BFC performing hydrogen transfer interaction with coinitiator EDAB to produce radicals for polymerization. However, complex BFC/PEGDA has good photostability and this effect restricts the intramolecular motion of BFC which prevented BFC from being bleached and induced more BFC performing hydrogen transfer interaction with PEGDA to produce radicals for polymerization. According to 1H-NMR spectra of BFC in different radiation time and TD-DFT calculations of BFC's isomers, it demonstrated BFC performed intramolecular motion which was mainly caused by the furan rings rotating towards carbonyl on BFC. This strategy of promoting photoinitiator's absorption in the visible light region and its initiating efficiency just through mixing the two compounds together might provide potential application for visible light photoinitiating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel approach comprised of fuzzy intelligence and GMM has been proposed for segmentation of brain MRI and carotid artery ultrasound images. • It utilizes statistical, wavelet, and textural features. • Robustness of the approach has been evaluated at Gaussian and Rician noise levels. • Application of the proposed approach to plaque detection in real carotid artery ultrasound images is assessed. • Benefit for clinical evaluation of the disease in both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. In medical image analysis for disease diagnosis, segmentation is one of the challenging tasks. Owing to the inherited degradations in MRI improper segments are produced. Segmentation process is an important step in brain tissue analysis. Moreover, an early detection of plaque in carotid artery using ultrasound images may prevent serious brain strokes. Unfortunately, low quality and noisy ultrasound images are still challenges for accurate segmentation. The objective of this research is to develop a robust segmentation approach for medical images such as brain MRI and carotid artery ultrasound images. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed to address the segmentation challenges of medical images. The proposed approach employed fuzzy intelligence and Gaussian mixture model (GMM). It comprises two phases; firstly, incorporating spatial fuzzy c-means in GMM by exploiting statistical, texture, and wavelet image features. During model development, GMM parameters are estimated in presence of noise by EM algorithm iteratively. Utilizing these parameters, brain MRI images are segmented. In next phase, developed approach is applied to solve a real problem of carotid artery plaque detection using ultrasound images. The dataset of real patients annotated by radiologists has been obtained from Radiology Department, Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan. For this, intima-media-thickness values are computed from the proposed segmentation followed by support vector machines for plaque classification (normal/abnormal). The obtained segmentation has been evaluated on standard brain MRI dataset and offers high segmentation accuracy of 99.2%. The proposed approach outperforms in term of segmentation performance range of 3–9% as compared to the state of the art approaches on brain MRI. Furthermore, the proposed approach shows robustness to various levels of Gaussian and Rician image noises. On carotid artery dataset, we have obtained high plaque detection rate in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F-score values of 98.8%, 99.3%, 98.0%, and 97.5% respectively. The proposed approach segments both modalities with high precision and shows robustness at Gaussian and Rician noise levels. Results for brain MRI and ultrasound images indicate its effectiveness and can be used as second opinion in addition to the radiologists. The developed approach is straightforward, efficient, and reproducible. It may benefit to improve the clinical evaluation of the disease in both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]