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Abstract Actin dynamics is pivotal in controlling cotton fiber elongation and the onset of secondary wall biosynthesis. We report that overexpression of GhACTIN1 under fiber fiber-specific promoter, GhSCFP, improves cotton fiber length, strength, and micronaire value. However, the effect of transgene has a more positive effect on fiber strength and micronaire value than fiber length. F-actin quantification and cellulose contents measurement in transgenic developing cotton fiber during the elongation phase showed an increase of up to 8.7% and 4.7% respectively. Additionally, physiological factors such as water use efficiency showed no significant change in transgenic cotton lines, while stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate were significantly increased. Moreover, agronomical data determined that lint percentage (GOT) and seed cotton yield also increased up to 4.6% and 29.5% respectively, in transgenic cotton lines compared to the control lines. Our data demonstrate that the GhACTIN1 gene is a strong candidate gene for cotton fiber and yield improvement.

Background: Cervical ribs and elongated transverse process are congenital anatomical variations incidentally seen during conventional radiography and are usually ignored as most cases are of less clinical relevance. Cervical rib is generally noted in 1-2 % of the population. The main objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of this variation in our adult population. Methods: It is a retrospective cross sectional study which was conducted in Karachi at Ziauddin university hospital Kemari campus radiology department targeting adult population above nineteen years. Study period was six months between January to July 2015. Subject’s x-ray chest P/A view were taken which were analyzed by radiologist for presence of these anatomic variations. Results: In this study one thousand conventional frontal chest radiograph were taken in which 460 were males and 540 females patients who were analyzed for cervical ribs and elongated transverse process. Cervical rib was seen in thirty six patients with 2:1 female to male ratio. Elongated transverse process was noted in two hundred and twenty five subjects. Eleven patients having cervical ribs were symptomatic. Conclusion: The prevalence of cervical rib and elongated transverse process as delineated by our study is slightly higher than reported in other populations. We also conclude that conventional radiography is effective diagnostic tool to determine presence of this anatomical variation. Key Words: Cervical rib, variant, transverse process elongation

Next-generation mobile networks, such as Fifth-Generation (5G), and Sixth-Generation (6G) are envisioned to undergo an unprecedented transformation from connected things to connected intelligence with more stringent characteristics, i.e., low end-to-end latency, high bandwidth, reliable connectivity, etc. Such networks will significantly increase network traffic in the distribution networks, causing the need for real-time automated decision-making, such as automated network resource allocation. The network resources be allocated dynamically based on the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. However, the primary concern is that the distribution networks may get congested soon after allocating network resources. Thus, a QoS-aware prediction framework can be used proactively to predict the future trend of network traffic in each QoS class. In this paper, we propose a framework for predicting the heterogeneous multivariate QoS-aware network traffic to make the best use of network resources dynamically. Specifically, we use a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to integrate a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BLSTM) neural network. The results show that the fusion of RNN-BLSTM can predict the QoS-aware network traffic for over 13 hours with an average accuracy of 97.68%. Moreover, the proposed model is trained and tested over limited data, collected and identified through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) over an operational network. In addition, we compared the RNN-BLSTM with other prediction algorithms (i.e., LSTM, ARIMA, SVM) in terms of precision, execution time, and energy consumption. Lastly, the proposed framework is used to assign the network resources to each QoS class based on the QoS requirements of that class and its pre-defined priority.

Background: It was demonstrated that cepharanthine (CEP), derived from Stephania cepharantha hayata, is a potent inhibitor of the ABCC10 transmembrane protein. It is approved to be a natural product or remedy. The present study focuses on investigating whether cepharanthine effectively reduces hyperlipidemia and obesity in an experimental hyperlipidemic rat model. Method: Four groups of Wistar rats were assigned randomly to the following groups: a high-fat high sucrose diet (HFHS), normal-fat diet (NFD), HFHS plus cepraranthine (10 mg/kg) (HFHS-C), and a HFHS diet with atorvastatin (HFHS-A). The responses of rats were observed on the basis of serum and hepatic biochemical parameters, food intake, and body weight after CEP treatment, and assessing the histopathological modifications by the optical microscope in the liver and its cells. Results: Significant improvement in the serum total cholesterol (TC), serum triglycerides (TG), and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were observed following CEP treatment. We have also observed significant improvement in the structure of liver tissue and reduced-fat droplets in the cytoplasm. Moreover, CEP had a significant effect in preventing the gain in body weight of animals, and food intake was not significantly affected. Conclusion: Our research results revealed that CEP significantly improved dyslipidemia and prevented the accumulation of fatty deposits in the rats' liver tissue fed an HFHS diet. In addition, CEP exerted an anti-obesity effect.

Hyponatremia and hyperglycemia are common metabolic disorders which could worsen the outcome after a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of hyponatremia and hyperglycemia on stroke and its clinical outcome, including morbidity and mortality. This prospective cohort study included 50 stroke patients admitted in tertiary care hospitals. Stroke severity, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), conscious level, gag reflex, clinical presentations, and outcomes were recorded. Following a stroke, patients were monitored for a period of six months, during which the patient's death was recorded on the event form. Linear logistic regression model was used to determine the stroke mortality. Hyponatremia and hyperglycaemia were associated with higher odds ratio of deaths, poor functional recovery, severe disability, low mean GCS score as compared to normonatremic and normoglycemic patients (odds ratio [OR] = 4.7; 95% CI= 0.929-43.782) and hyperglycaemia (OR= 2.74; 95% CI=0.577-13.03). Stroke patients admitted with hyperglycemia or hyponatremia were associated with greater morbidity and mortality and poor functional recovery.

Abstract Stacking multiple genes into cotton crop to cop up multiple biotic stresses such as insects and weeds is a promising tool to save crop from losses. Transgenic cotton variety, VH-289, with double Bt and cp4EPSPS genes under the control of 35S promoter was used for the expression analyses and biosafety studies. The transgenic cotton plants were screened through PCR amplification of fragments, 1.7 kb for Cry1Ac, 582 bp for Cry2A and 250 bp for cp4EPSPS; which confirmed the presence of all genes transformed in transgenic cotton. The Cry1Ac + Cry2A and cp4EPSPS proteins were quantified through ELISA in transgenic cotton plants. The Glyphosate assay performed by spraying 1900 mL per acre of glyphosate Roundup further confirmed complete survival of transgenic cotton plants as compared to the non-transgenic cotton plants and all weeds. Similarly, insect infestation data determined that almost 99% insect mortality was observed in controlled field grown transgenic cotton plants as compared to the non-transgenic control plants. Evaluation of effect of temperature and soil nutrients availability on transgene expression in cotton plants was done at two different cotton growing regions, Multan and Lahore, Pakistan and results suggested that despite of higher temperature in Multan field, an increased level of Cry and cp4EPSPS proteins was recorded due to higher soil organic matter availability compared to Lahore field. Before commercialization of any transgenic variety its biosafety study is mandatory so, a 90 days biosafety study of the transgenic cotton plants with 40% transgenic cottonseeds in standard diet showed no harmful effect on wister rat model when studied for liver function, renal function and serum electrolyte.

Adverse atmospheric conditions and health hazards originated due to the discharge of particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) are the fundamental challenges to the researchers working on diesel engine. The solution is to develop cleaner technologies to abate emissions from diesel engine exhaust. In this paper, a novel hybrid emission control unit composed of counter flow heat exchanger (HE), oil bath cleaning unit (OBCU) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), the combination abbreviated as HE-OBCU-EGR unit, was designed, fabricated and implemented on the exhaust manifold of Massey Ferguson (MF-260) tractor engine to reduce the regulated gaseous emissions. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of HE-OBCU-EGR unit on the emissions of a four-stroke, three cylinder diesel engine equipped with an eddy-current dynamometer. The tests were conducted on engine speed of 1400 to 2000 rpm with an interval of 100 rpm at full load. The AVL DiTEST and AVL smoke meter were used to analyze the emissions including soot concentration (SC), pollution level (PL), filter smoke number (FSN), HC, NOx and CO. The results obtained with HE-OBCU-EGR unit revealed 44.9%, 29.2%, 26.3%, 42.9% and 24.8% reduction in SC, PL, FSN, HC and NOx emissions, whereas CO emissions were increased by 14.3% due to limited supply of oxygen from EGR. Results revealed that HE-OBCU-EGR unit may help to minimize the emissions of HC, SC, PL, FSN and NOx but is not suitable to control CO emissions. To minimize the emissions of CO, this technology can be superposed with turbocharger or supercharger to enhance the availability of O2 in the combustion chamber.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most essential fiber crop and is widely cultivated within the tropical regions of the world. It has a major impact on socio-economical get-together in Pakistan. Unfortunately, it has been tormented by cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) that is produced by distinct species of begomoviruses (Family; Geminiviridae) like Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala strain (CLCuKoV-Bu) associated with specific betasatellite—Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB). Host resistance against CLCuD has not been achieved yet. The present study employed the use of synthetic genes considering the phenomenon of pathogen derived resistance (PDR). The coat protein (CP) and replication associated protein (Rep) genes sequence from CLCuKoV-Bu were codon optimized, synthesized and used to control CLCuKoV-Bu and associated betasatellite related to CLCuD. The Nicotiana benthamiana plants were Agrobacterium mediated transformed with synthetic CP (CPsyn) and synthetic Rep (Repsyn) under the control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The transgenic plants harboring CPsyn and Repsyn genes were infiltrated with CLCuKoV-Bu alone and CLCuKoV-Bu- CLCuMuB inoculums showed relatively milder symptoms as compared with wild sorts and low virus concentration as checked by southern hybridization. The results confirmed that CPsyn, Repsyn genes may be utilized for the resistance of CLCuKoV-Bu and associated betasatellites related to CLCuD and PDR mechanism may also be developed for the control of CLCuD.

Sucking insects require a surface of plants on which the legs and the eggs of insects will adhere and to which insect mouthparts will access. The primary plant protection against insects is their surface property, which hinders the attachment of the insect's legs and eggs. The epicuticular waxes chemistry influences the fine structure of the cuticular surface. In current study, an attempt was made to investigate the variation of chemical compounds in epicuticular waxes of four cotton species that classify them resistant or susceptible i.e., Gossypium abroreum, G. hirsutum, G. arboreum wax deficient mutant (GaWM3) and G. harknessi which were evaluated for their interaction with whitefly and CLCuV transmission. Gossypium hirsutum an insect and CLCuV susceptible cotton variety, was found to have four compounds namely Trichloroacetic acid, hexadecylester, P-xylenolpthalein, 2-cyclopentene-1-ol, 1-phenyl-and Phenol, 2,5-bis [1,1- dimethyl] which could interact with chitin of whitefly while only two compounds in Gossypium arboreum an insect and CLCuV resistant cotton variety could interact with chitin of whitefly. Similarly, GaWM3 and Gossypium harkasnessi were found to have only a single compound. Number of whiteflies found on leaves of G. hirsutum was much higher as compared to other cotton species. Keeping this fact in mind a wax biosynthetic gene CER3, from Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed into G. hirsutum and the plants were evaluated for their resistance against whitefly and CLCuV transmission. In microscopic analysis transgenic plants clearly showed higher amounts of leaf waxes as compared to non-transgenics. The least whitefly population and CLCuV titer of

The study aims to improve fiber traits of local cotton cultivar through genetic transformation of sucrose synthase (SuS) gene in cotton. Sucrose synthase (SuS) is an important factor that is involved in the conversion of sucrose to fructose and UDP-glucose, which are essential for the synthesis of cell wall cellulose. In the current study, we expressed a synthetic SuS gene in cotton plants under the control of a CaMV35S promoter. Amplification of an 813-bp fragment using gene-specific primers confirmed the successful introduction of SuS gene into the genome of cotton variety CEMB-00. High SuS mRNA expression was observed in two transgenic cotton plants, MA0023 and MA0034, when compared to the expression in two other transgenic cotton plants, MA0035 and MA0038. Experiments showed that SuS mRNA expression was positively correlated with SuS activity at the vegetative (54%) and reproductive stages (40%). Furthermore, location of transgene was found to be at chromosome no. 9 in the form of single insertion, while no signal was evident in non-transgenic control cotton plant when evaluated through fluorescent in situ hybridization and karyotyping analysis. Fiber analyses of the transgenic cotton plants showed increases of 11.7% fiber length, 18.65% fiber strength, and up to 5% cellulose contents. An improvement in the micronaire value of 4.21 was also observed in the MA0038 transgenic cotton line. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the fibers of the SuS transgenic cotton plants were highly spiral with a greater number of twists per unit length than the fibers of the non-transgenic control plants. These results determined that SuS gene expression influenced cotton fiber structure and quality, suggesting that SuS gene has great potential for cotton fiber quality improvement.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of sodium polystyrene sulphonate in treating hyperkalemia and its effect on different serum electrolytes level. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Lyari general hospital, 500 bedded tertiary care public sector hospital at Karachi, from Jan 2017 to Mar 2017. Material and Methods: Hyperkalemic patients were included in study who fulfilled inclusion criteria and were administered with single STAT 30 grams dose of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate. Serum electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate and calcium were measured before and after 2 hours of administration of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate. Paired t-test was used as tool for statistical analysis. Results: Significant (p0.05). Conclusion: Sodium polystyrene sulphonate found to be effective in treating hyperkalemia and considerable changes in serum sodium level have been observed with minimal changes in serum magnesium and calcium levels.

Background: Enhanced production and improved properties of cellulases for a greater activity on plant biomass would rank amongst the top priorities for second-generation ethanol production. Based on the emergence of protein engineering as a cutting-edge technology for enhancing enzyme activity and expression level, the present study is aimed at the application of this technique to the major cellulosomal processing endoglucanase of C. thermocellum, CelR for refining enzyme characteristics. Methods: The full-length native enzyme gene (CelR) and a truncated version without the docking domains at C-terminus (CelR-CB) were PCR amplified using gene specific primers. The amplified PCR products were T/A cloned in the vector pTZ57 R/T and transformed in E. coli DH5α. The cellulase genes from the confirmed transformed plasmids were sub-cloned in T7 promoter-based expression vector pET-28a and expression analysis was done in E. coli (DE3) BL21 codon Plus. Results: An SDS PAGE analysis of both the CelR derivatives revealed that the truncated version i.e. CelR-CB showed a two-fold increase in expression level as compared to the full-length enzyme. Conclusion: The increased expression level of CelR in E. coli coupled with its increased production therefore makes it a promising method for augmenting the recombinant enzyme production for potential applications.

Background: Shoulder pain is a very common complaint in population because of shoulder joint’s extreme mobility and less stability. Weight lifting is considered as a sport in which weight lifters try to increment their muscular strength either for a competition or to maintain a healthy active life. Improper exercises or weight lifting not under the supervision of professional trainers or coaches may worsen or add to the development of glenohumeral joint hyper laxity, instability, or impingement. Moreover injuries to the shoulder are also regular among weight coaches and can be profession debilitating to those at the focused level. Objective of the study: Objective of the study is to determine the frequency of shoulder pain among weight lifters in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was done in several different gyms of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A sample of 291 male weight lifters (age 14-55year) was recruited through convenient sampling. Prevalence of shoulder pain was assessed by self-structured Questioner in which Pain assessment was done by Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), physical function and symptoms were measured by a standard DASH Questioner. Later the data was analyzed through SPSS 21. Results: The results showed that the mean age of the weight lifters was 24 and out of 291(100%) weight lifters 23% weight lifters had shoulder pain, among which majority had mild (46.3%) to moderate level (49.3%) pain. Results also showed that weight lifters with shoulder pain had more (82%) unilateral pain than (17.9%) bilateral pain. And mean of the DASH score was 40.96, indicates that shoulder Pain among weight lifters was causing mild disability. Conclusion: It is concluded that a valuable percentage of weight lifters have mild to moderate level of dull shoulder pain. Among which majority has unilateral pain and this pain is more evident in those weight lifters who spend one hour daily in gyms and fitness centers for their workouts and do repetitive activities and work in overhead positions in there occupational settings or in their daily livings. This pain was causing mild disability in their normal functioning. Keywords: Exercise, Shoulder pain, Sports and Weight-lifting

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of curved Multiplanar reformat of multidetector CT scan in visualizing zone of transition in patients with intestinal obstruction. SETTING: Radiology and Emergency Department of Dr. Ziauddin University Hospital, Clifton Campus, Karachi. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODOLOGY: This prospective non funded study was done in Ziauddin University Hospital Clifton campus from January 2014 to July 2015. Patients’ curved MPR images results were compared with operative findings taken as gold standard. RESULT: In this study pre-surgical CT correlation was done in sixty patients with intestinal obstruction, twenty eight were male and thirty two females. Surgical findings suggest that forty four patients were correctly diagnosed on CT scan, giving specificity 85.7% sensitivity of 95.6 % and diagnostic accuracy of 93.3%. CONCLUSION: The curved Multiplanar reformat of multidetector CT scan is excellent diagnostic tool and plays a vital role in characterizing and locating area of transition in patients with intestinal obstruction and for relevant treatment.

BACKGROUND: Insects have developed resistance against Bt-transgenic plants. A multi-barrier defense system to weaken their resistance development is now necessary. One such approach is to use fusion protein genes to increase resistance in plants by introducing more Bt genes in combination. The locating the target protein at the point of insect attack will be more effective. It will not mean that the non-green parts of the plants are free of toxic proteins, but it will inflict more damage on the insects because they are at maximum activity in the green parts of plants. RESULTS: Successful cloning was achieved by the amplification of Cry2A, Cry1Ac, and a transit peptide. The appropriate polymerase chain reaction amplification and digested products confirmed that Cry1Ac and Cry2A were successfully cloned in the correct orientation. The appearance of a blue color in sections of infiltrated leaves after 72 hours confirmed the successful expression of the construct in the plant expression system. The overall transformation efficiency was calculated to be 0.7%. The amplification of Cry1Ac-Cry2A and Tp2 showed the successful integration of target genes into the genome of cotton plants. A maximum of 0.673 μg/g tissue of Cry1Ac and 0.568 μg/g tissue of Cry2A was observed in transgenic plants. We obtained 100% mortality in the target insect after 72 hours of feeding the 2nd instar larvae with transgenic plants. The appearance of a yellow color in transgenic cross sections, while absent in the control, through phase contrast microscopy indicated chloroplast localization of the target protein. CONCLUSION: Locating the target protein at the point of insect attack increases insect mortality when compared with that of other transgenic plants. The results of this study will also be of great value from a biosafety point of view.

Background:. In Nepal, burn trauma causes more than 55,000 injuries each year. Burn-related mortality is high in Nepal, in part due to lack of allograft, leading to high infection rates. To address this challenge, our collaboration between Kirtipur Hospital, America Nepal Medical Foundation, Stanford University, and ReSurge International established Nepal’s first skin bank. Methods:. We identified 3 major tasks to create a sustainable skin banking program: 1) identify and acquire the equipment and personnel needed to collect, process, store, and graft cadaveric skin for burn injuries; 2) develop safe donation protocols and documentation tools that remain feasible for low-resource settings; and 3) develop a long-term awareness program to educate the Nepali people on skin donation, a previously foreign concept. Results:. Kirtipur Hospital acquired the necessary equipment and materials for the skin bank through a combination of local and international fundraising efforts. Existing U.S. skin banking protocols were adapted for the Nepali setting and piloted on potential patients, donors, and physicians. For the first time in the hospital’s history, patients with > 40% total body surface area burns were successfully treated with extensive allografts. Conclusions:. It is feasible to create a skin bank in a country with no tradition of allograft skin use. Long-term sustainability now depends on spreading awareness and education in the Kathmandu Valley to overcome religious and cultural barriers that have hindered donor recruitment. Our low-cost and high-impact skin bank provides a model to expand this system to other hospitals both within Nepal and beyond.

In multihop wireless networks, hop-by-hop reliability is generally achieved through positive acknowledgments at the MAC layer. However, positive acknowledgments introduce significant energy inefficiencies on battery-constrained devices. This inefficiency becomes particularly significant on high error rate channels. We propose to reduce the energy consumption during retransmissions using a novel protocol that localizes bit-errors at the MAC layer. The proposed protocol, referred to as Selective Retransmission using Virtual Fragmentation (SRVF), requires simple modifications to the positive-ACK-based reliability mechanism but provides substantial improvements in energy efficiency. The main premise of the protocol is to localize bit-errors by performing partial checksums on disjoint parts or virtual fragments of a packet. In case of error, only the corrupted virtual fragments are retransmitted. We develop stochastic models of the Simple Positive-ACK-based reliability, the previously-proposed Packet Length Optimization (PLO) protocol, and the SRVF protocol operating over an arbitrary-order Markov wireless channel. Our analytical models show that SRVF provides significant theoretical improvements in energy efficiency over existing protocols. We then use bit-error traces collected over different real networks to empirically compare the proposed and existing protocols. These experimental results further substantiate that SRVF provides considerably better energy efficiency than Simple Positive-ACK and Packet Length Optimization protocols.