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This article presents an effective and simple approximation scheme to analytically approximate solution behavior of a multi‐dimensional reaction–diffusion Brusselator system. This system has applications in cooperative processes of chemical kinetics and biochemical reaction processes. The proposed residual power series method is based on multiple power series expansion and residual error function formulation. The convergence properties and error bounds of the proposed scheme are theoretically established and numerically verified. Two benchmark problems in two‐ and three‐dimensional space are considered to validate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed scheme. The obtained results verified reliability, accuracy, and simplicity of the proposed scheme against the available results in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with sharp solutions to majorization and Fekete-Szegő problems for several relatively new normalized subfamilies of starlike functions. Regarding starlike functions which are subordinated to Sine and Cosine functions, a number of new results are established. The results provide improvements to some recent results. As applications, some interesting deductions are also listed. The findings of this study are thoroughly supported by examples wherever necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A.brevifolia samples were collected from four locations between the altitude range 2800–4500 masl. • The content of total phenol and flavonoid decreases with increasing altitude. • The radical scavenging potential and phytotoxic effect of extracts decreases with an increase in altitude. • This decrease in phenolic content, antioxidant and allelopathic effect might be due to a declining number of competitive plants and available resources with increasing altitude. The climatic conditions change particularly in the high-altitude mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Artemisia brevifolia Wall. ex Dc., a pale green colored medicinal and aromatic plant, dominates different altitudinal locations in the Western Himalayan region of Ladakh. Metabolome analysis with antioxidative and allelopathic potential of the plant extracts from different altitudes was evaluated, with an aim to understand the interaction of the plant with its surroundings. The results showed decreasing concentration of total phenol and flavonoids with the increase in altitude. Metabolome analysis using FTIR points toward the presence of aromatic compounds, phenolic compounds and sesquiterpene lactones in all the samples with highest peak intensity in samples from Drass region of Ladakh. Overall, the metabolome analysis showed decreasing concentration of bioactive phenolics with the increase in altitude. The antioxidant activity of the sample extracts from low-altitude sites showed a higher inhibition percentage compared to high-altitude sites. Overall, the leaf extracts and powdered samples from different altitudes inhibited the germination and growth parameters of both dicotyledon (Medicago sativa L.) and monocotyledon (Triticum aestivum L.) in a concentration-dependent manner, under both in vitro and in vivo experimental conditions. Compared to germination rate and shoot length, the root length of both seedlings was strongly inhibited. The allelopathic potential of the extract and powdered samples also decreases with an increase in the altitude of the sampling site. These results indicate that the overall content of phenolics, radical scavenging potential and allelopathic potential decrease with an increase in altitude, which might be an adaptive strategy of A. brevifolia to conserve limited available resources at high altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) that interact with each other to achieve common goals are known as collaborative CPSs. Collaborative CPSs can achieve complex goals that individual CPSs cannot achieve on their own. One of the examples of collaborative CPSs is the vehicular cyber-physical systems (VCPSs), which integrate computing and physical resources to interact with each other to improve traffic safety, situational awareness, and efficiency. The perception system of individual VCPS has limitations on its coverage and detection accuracy. For example, the autonomous vehicle's sensor cannot detect occluded objects and obstacles beyond its field of view. The VCPS can combine its own data with other collaborative VCPSs to enhance perception, situational awareness, accuracy, and traffic safety. This paper proposes a collaborative perception system to detect occluded objects through the camera sensor's image fusion and stitching technique. The proposed collaborative perception system combines the perception of surrounding autonomous driving systems (ADSs) that extends the detection range beyond the field of view. We also applied logistic chaos map-based encryption in our collaborative perception system in order to avoid the phantom information shared by malicious vehicles and improve safety in collaboration. It can provide the real-time perception of occluded objects, enabling safer control of ADSs. The proposed collaborative perception can detect occluded objects and obstacles beyond the field of view that individual VCPS perception systems cannot detect, improving the safety of ADSs. We investigated the effectiveness of collaborative perception and its contribution toward extended situational awareness on the road in the simulation environment. Our simulation results showed that the average detection rate of proposed perception systems was 45.4% more than the perception system of an individual ADS. The safety analysis showed that the response time was increased up to 1 s, and the average safety distance was increased to 1.2 m when the ADSs were using collaborative perception compared to those scenarios in which the ADSs were not using collaborative perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been very limited work on the control loading and release of the drugs aprepitant and sofosbuvir. These drugs need a significant material for the control of their loading and release phenomenon that can supply the drug at its target site. Magnetic nanoparticles have characteristics that enable them to be applied in biomedical fields and, more specifically, as a drug delivery system when they are incorporated with a biocompatible polymer. The coating with magnetic nanoparticles is performed to increase efficiency and reduce side effects. In this regard, attempts are made to search for suitable materials retaining biocompatibility and magnetic behavior. In the present study, silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were incorporated with core–shell particles made of poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid)@butyl methacrylate to produce a magnetic composite material (MCM-PA@B) through the free radical polymerization method. The as-prepared composite materials were characterized through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR)spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), energy-dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and were further investigated for the loading and release of the drugs aprepitant and sofosbuvir. The maximum loading capacity of 305.76 mg/g for aprepitant and 307 mg/g for sofosbuvir was obtained at pH 4. Various adsorption kinetic models and isotherms were applied on the loading of both drugs. From all of the results obtained, it was found that MCM-PA@B can retain the drug for more than 24 h and release it slowly, due to which it can be applied for the controlled loading and targeted release of the drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to provide a qualitative analysis of the racist incidents of in international cricket, as reported by online and offline newspapers. Website blogs and journal articles were reviewed for a better understanding of the issue. The study highlights the nature and the forms of racism levied against the recipients. It highlights the players' experiences of racism as reported by the different reliable media sources and examines the marginalization from the recipient's perspective. The study revealed that the racist behaviour is usually directed towards the people of colour, and the people belonging to different ethnicities, religious groups and nationalities. Racism prevails on the cricket field and outside-in dressing rooms, locker rooms, cricket clubs etc. Some racial incidents that occurred in IC were of implicit racial bias and unconscious racism. From Krom Hendricks racial segregation to Azeem Rafiq's accusation of 'institutional racism' racism is still a pervasive problem in the IC. Although ICC and various national cricket boards have formulated and reinforced anti-racist laws yet more stringent enforcement is required to counter the blatant and subtle forms of racism including racial slurs, banters and casual racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The System of Cyber-Physical Systems (SoCPS) comprises several independent Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) that interact with each other to achieve a common mission that the individual systems cannot achieve on their own. SoCPS are rapidly gaining attention in various domains, e.g., manufacturing, automotive, avionics, healthcare, transportation, and more. SoCPS are extremely large, complex, and safety-critical. As these systems are safety-critical in nature, it is necessary to provide an adequate safety analysis mechanism for these collaborative SoCPS so that the whole network of these CPSs work safely. This safety mechanism must include composite safety analysis for a network of collaborative CPS as a whole. However, existing safety analysis techniques are not built for analyzing safety for dynamically forming networks of CPS. This paper introduces a composite safety analysis approach called SafeSoCPS to analyze hazards for a network of SoCPS. In SafeSoCPS, we analyze potential hazards for the whole network of CPS and trace the faults among participating systems through a fault propagation graph. We developed a tool called SoCPSTracer to support the SafeSoCPS approach. Human Rescue Robot System—a collaborative system—is taken as a case study to validate our proposed approach. The result shows that the SafeSoCPS approach enables us to identify 18 percent more general faults and 63 percent more interaction-related faults in a network of a SoCPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear coupled reaction-diffusion systems often arise in cooperative processes of chemical kinetics and biochemical reactions. Owing to these potential applications, this article presents an efficient and simple meshless approximation scheme to analyze the solution behavior of a two-dimensional coupled Brusselator system. On considering radial basis functions in the localized settings, meshless shape functions owing Kronecker delta function property are constructed to discretize the spatial derivatives in the time-dependent partial differential equation (PDE). A system of first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs), obtained after spatial discretization, is then integrated in time via a high-order ODE solver. The proposed scheme’s convergence, stability, and efficiency are theoretically established and numerically verified on several benchmark problems. The outcomes verify reliability, accuracy, and simplicity of the proposed scheme against the available methods in the literature. Some recommendations are made regarding time-step size under different node distributions and RBFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriage is one of the universal social institution but it's very difficult process to live together forever when their culture and mindset is different. But over the past several decades lot of changes has been taken place in Muslim marriage in Kashmir. The objective of the research is to study the changing trends of Muslim marriage in Kashmir. The study was exploratory in nature and random sampling method was used for analyzing the data. For collecting the data a framed scheduled was prepared and 400 respondents were interviewed for the purpose of collecting of data. The author found that there has been a significant impact on these variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a meshfree spectral interpolation technique combined with Crank–Nicolson difference scheme is proposed to solve a class of strongly non-linear Burgers–Fisher type equation numerically. The proposed technique utilizes meshless shape functions for approximation of unknown spatial function and its derivatives. These shape functions are obtained by combining radial basis functions and point interpolation method in the spectral framework. The Crank–Nicolson finite difference scheme is employed for time integration. Stability of the proposed method is analysed theoretically and supported by numerical evidences for RBFs shape parameter (c) , which is an equally important task. Measure of fitness quality is assessed via L ∞ , L 2 and L r m s error norms. Efficiency and accuracy of the proposed technique is further examined via variation of time-step size δ t and number of nodal points N. Comparison made with existing techniques in the literature confirms excellent performance of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims And Objectives: We evaluated the role of Dyna CT in localizing HCC lesions and their selective vascular supply to help guide chemoembolization. We also evaluated the role of Dyna CT in assessing drug deposition within the lesion and predict the need of further drug delivery. Methods: 24 patients with documented HCC were taken up for TACE after a pre-procedural contrast CT and MRI. An intra-procedural Dyna CT was done in all patients to obtain a three dimensional overview of the vascular network. Selective cannulation of the tumor arteries was achieved using a combined digital subtraction angiography and Dyna CT image guidance. Additional lesions and vessels identified on Dyna CT were also treated. Drug deposition within the lesion marking technical success was assessed on completion Dyna CT and the need for additional drug delivery was assessed. Results: Contrast CT identified 36 lesions, DSA 33 lesions and Dyna CT 39 lesions in 24 patients. Dyna CT was the most sensitive for lesions <10 mm (p=0.006). Dyna CT identified 4 additional supplying lesion supplying arteries (2 hepatic, 2 extra hepatic) compared to DSA. In 6(25%) patients DYNA CT helped in improvement in catheter position in the form of more selective catheterization. 35 (90%) lesions showed homogenous Type 1 deposition, two lesions (5%) showed Type 2 and the other two (5%) showed type 3 deposition of lipoidol on completion Dyna CT. The latter two were further treated to achieve type 1 deposition and 100% technical success. Conclusion: Dyna CT can effectively guide TACE procedure by not only identifying the lesions and their vascular supply but also helping in guiding the catheter for selective cannulation and drug deposition. Completion Dyna CT can effectively assess drug deposition and the need for additional treatment in the same setting if needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, meshless spectral interpolation technique using implicit time stepping scheme is proposed for the numerical simulations of time-fractional higher-order diffusion wave equations (TFHODWEs) of variable coefficients. Meshless shape functions, obtained from radial basis functions (RBFs) and point interpolation method (PIM), are used for spatial approximation. Central differences coupled with quadrature rule of 𝒪 (τ 3 − α)   (1 < α ≤ 2) are employed for fractional temporal approximation. For advancement of solution, an implicit time stepping scheme is then invoked. Simulations performed for different benchmark test problems feature good agreement with exact solutions. Stability analysis of the proposed method is theoretically discussed and computationally validated to support the analysis. Accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are assessed via E 2 , E ∞ and E rms error norms as well as number of nodes N and time step-size τ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we propose a hybrid radial basis functions (RBFs) collocation technique for the numerical solution of fractional advection–diffusion models. In the formulation of hybrid RBFs (HRBFs), there exist shape parameter (c*) and weight parameter (ϵ) that control numerical accuracy and stability. For these parameters, an adaptive algorithm is developed and validated. The proposed HRBFs method is tested for numerical solutions of some fractional Black–Sholes and diffusion models. Numerical simulations performed for several benchmark problems verified the proposed method accuracy and efficiency. The quantitative analysis is made in terms of L∞, L2, Lrms, and Lrel error norms as well as number of nodes N over space domain and time‐step δt. Numerical convergence in space and time is also studied for the proposed method. The unconditional stability of the proposed HRBFs scheme is obtained using the von Neumann methodology. It is observed that the HRBFs method circumvented the ill‐conditioning problem greatly, a major issue in the Kansa method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, meshless RBFs method is proposed to solve two-dimensional time-fractional Sobolev equations. The proposed method uses RBFs for approximation of spatial operator. Finite difference formula of O (δ t 2 − α) (0 < α ≤ 1) is used for time-fractional derivative approximation while θ -rule (0 ≤ θ ≤ 1) as time stepping scheme for the advancement of solution in time. Validation of the proposed method is made by considering various test examples from literature. Simulated results are found in very good agreement with available exact solutions. A rigorous comparative analysis made with other methods testifies proposed method's superiority in higher dimensions. Efficiency and accuracy of RBFs method are examined by varying number of nodes N in the domain of influence, time-step size δ t , as well as L 2 , L ∞ and L rms error norms. Linearized stability analysis of the proposed method is thoroughly discussed and verified numerically to support the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While factors affecting smoking are well documented, the role of religion has received little attention. This national study aims to assess the extent to which religious affiliation is associated with current-smoking and ever-smoking, controlling for age, sex, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Variations between adult and youth populations are examined using secondary analysis of individual-level data from 5 years of the Health Survey for England for adult (aged >20, n = 39,837) and youth (aged 16–20, n = 2355) samples. Crude prevalence statistics are contrasted with binary logistic models for current-smoking and ever-smoking in the adult and youth samples. Analyses suggest that Muslims smoke substantially less than Christians. Highest levels of smoking characterise people not professing any religion. Associations between smoking and the Muslim religion attenuate to statistical insignificance in the face of ethnic and socio-economic factors. An association between smoking and the absence of a religious affiliation is sustained. An understanding of the association between smoking and religion is essential to the development of tobacco control programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a meshless spectral radial point interpolation (MSRPI) method using weighted θ -scheme is formulated for the numerical solutions of a class of nonlinear Kawahara-type evolutionary equations. The formulated method is applied for simulation of single and double solitary waves motion, wave generation and oscillatory shock waves propagation. Quality of approximation is measured via discrete L ∞ , L 2 and L rms error norms. Three invariant quantities corresponding to mass, momentum and energy are also computed for the method validation. Stability analysis of the proposed method is briefly discussed and verified computationally. Comparison of the obtained results are made with other existing results in the literature revealing the method superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical investigation of electronically excited stated intermolecular hydrogen bonding dynamics of the 2D luminescent polypyrene covalent organic framework and methanol molecule (PPy-COF-MeOH) was performed using the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD-DFT) method. The strengthening of Hydrogen bonds C-H---O-H and B-O---H-O upon photoexcitation was confirmed via comparison of geometric structures, electronic transition energies, 1H-NMR, binding energies, UV-Vis and infrared spectra in S0 and S1 states. Frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) analysis, electronic configuration, Mulliken charge analysis; and the charge density variation in hydrogen bonding proximity demonstrated that the strengthened hydrogen bonds facilitate the nonradiative path which may consequently proceed the luminescence quenching. Hence, the molecular material property prediction package (MOMAP) programme verified the fluorescence quenching because PPy-COF-MeOH complex showed a lower fluorescent rate constant compared to isolated PPy-COF fragment. The S1-T1 energy gap analysis also revealed the possibility of the Intersystem crossing (ISC). Above results significantly highlighted the role of the hydrogen bonding dynamics on luminescence property of the PPy-COF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rust pathogens represent a major threat to cereal crops, though little is known about the status of oat crown rust in Pakistan. This study was designed to assess crown rust status and field based partial resistance of 16 exotic oat lines introduced from Europe along with local check, under natural field conditions at District Mansehra, Pakistan. Data on crown rust severity and host reaction was taken at three scoring dates to assess partial resistance using area under rust progress curve, infection rate, co-efficient of infection and final rust severity. A moderate crown rust pressure was observed during oat season 2015-16, with relatively late crown rust onset after mid of April. Based on the crown rust resistance response, the tested germplasm was clustered into four groups i.e., G1 contained eight, G2 contained three, G3 contained two and G4 contained three genotypes. Group 1 could be regarded as the most resistant genotypes group, and contained genotypes O-SA-1, O-SA-5, O-SA- 15, O-SA-10, O-SA-14, O-SA-4, O-SA-6 and O-SA-11. Genotype O-SA-9, O-SA-7 and O-SA-12 had relatively high crown rust susceptibility. Further studies on across location and over-years crown rust resistance response of these genotypes must enable their exploitation in oat genetic improvement and crown rust control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the luminescent polypyrene covalent organic framework and formaldehyde (PPy-COF-HCHO) was carried out with the density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory. The strengthening of the photoexcited hydrogen bond C = O—-H-C was verified via geometric structures, electronic transition energies, binding energies, UV-Vis and infrared spectra comparison in both ground state and excited state of the PPy-COF's truncated representative fragment. From the frontier molecular orbitals examination, natural population analysis, and plotted electron density difference map demonstrated that the strengthened hydrogen bond facilitated the rearrangement of electron density between H-donor and H-acceptor moieties which should account for charge transfer and ultimate fluorescence quenching. Interestingly, the energy gap between excited state and triplet state of the hydrogen-bonded complex showed the possibility of the intersystem crossing. The MOMAP programme further confirmed the quenching process because there was a lower fluorescent rate constant for the donor-acceptor PPy-COF-HCHO complex compared to free PPy-COF fragment. Results above significantly highlighted the high sensitivity of the PPy-COF towards organic analyte, i.e. the formaldehyde and can be employed as a sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Advection-diffusion problems with multi-term time-fractional derivatives and of variable coefficients are considered in higher dimensions. • These problems have applications mainly in heat conduction or heat transfer, mass and chemical transports into porous or nonporous media. • A meshless spectral radial point interpolation method (MSRPIM) using radial basis functions (RBFs) and point interpolation, is proposed and implemented for obtaining accurate solutions of these problems. • Stability analysis of the proposed method is carried out which is justified computationally. • Computed solutions obtained via different RBFs are matched with each other as well matched with the exact and earlier works for various fractional order derivatives. Comparisons reveal accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method in obtaining accurate solutions for such problems. Abstract In this paper, a weighted meshless spectral radial point interpolation method (MSRPIM) is implemented for the numerical solutions of a class of multi-term time fractional advection-diffusion problems with spatial and temporal dispersion. In the proposed methodology, meshless shape functions are used for discretization in space. These functions are generated via radial basis functions (RBFs) and point interpolation method. Weighted θ -scheme and first order finite differences together with a simple quadrature rule are employed for the discretization of time fractional derivatives. Efficiency and accuracy of the formulated method is validated in terms of number of nodal points N , time-step size τ and weight parameter θ ∈ [ 0 , 1 ]. Quality of the computed solutions are checked using E ∞ , E 2 and E rms error norms. Stability of the proposed method is analyzed theocratically and validated computationally, which is an important task of the current paper. Simulations reveal very good accuracy for both 1D and 2D test problems having constants and variable coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this article, an efficient and accurate meshless spectral interpolation method is formulated for the numerical solution of time-fractional coupled KdV equations that govern shallow water waves. Meshless shape functions constructed via radial basis functions (RBFs) and point interpolation are used for discretization of the spatial operator. Approximation of fractional temporal derivative is obtained via finite differences of order O (τ 2 − α) and a quadrature formula. The formulated method is applied to various test problems available in the literature for its validation. Approximation quality and efficiency of the method is measured via discrete error norms E 2 , E ∞ and E rms. Convergence analysis of the proposed method in space and time is numerically determined by varying nodal points M and time step-size τ respectively. Stability of the proposed method is discussed and affirmed computationally, which is an important ingredient of the current study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work aims to exploit two techniques namely: Residual Power Series method (RPSM) and collocation based meshfree method, for the solution of time-fractional Black–Scholes models with constant and variable coefficients. Firstly, using RPSM, we obtain exact solutions of the considered models and then numerical solution by meshfree method. Computer simulations are performed for three test problems of European options pricing. The simulations features excellent agreement with exact solutions. Accuracy and efficiency of the proposed numerical method is assessed via E 2 , E ∞ and E rms error norms. Convergence of the proposed methods is also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of nutrients has a great impact over the yield and quality of crops as well as soil health. An experiment was performed to investigate the impact of nutrients management and application time over the yield and yielding attributes of wheat at the Agronomy Research Farm in the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan during winter 2014-15. The experiment was designed in RCBD with split plots arrangement, replicated four times. Three levels of nitrogen (N) (90, 120, 150 kg ha-1) were allotted to main plots, while combination of sulfur (S) levels (15, 30, 45 kg ha-1) and application timings (100% at sowing, 100% at tillering and 50% at sowing + 50% at tillering) along with a control were allotted to the sub plots. Data regarding number of productive and unproductive tillers m-2, thousand grain weight, grains spike-1, biomass yield and value cost ratio (VCR) of wheat were significantly affected by N and S. Sulfur and its application time prominently influenced the productive tillers m-2 and biomass yield. Nitrogen at 150 kg ha-1 resulted in more number of productive tillers m-2, less un-productive tillers m-2 and higher thousand grain weight, biological yield and higher value cost ratio. Sulfur at 45 kg produced higher productive tillers m-2, thousand grain weight, grains spike-1 and biomass yield. Sulfur applied 50% at sowing and 50% at tillering significantly influenced number of productive tillers m-2 and biological yield (9704 kg ha-1). It was concluded from the analysis of data that nitrogen at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 with sulfur at the rate of 45 kg ha-1 applied 50% at sowing + 50% at tillering significantly contributed towards the economics and reproductive traits of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of nutrients has a great impact over the yield and quality of crops as well as soil health. An experiment was performed to investigate the impact of nutrients management and application time over the yield and yielding attributes of wheat at the Agronomy Research Farm in the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan during winter 2014-15. The experiment was designed in RCBD with split plots arrangement, replicated four times. Three levels of nitrogen (N) (90, 120, 150 kg ha-1) were allotted to main plots, while combination of sulfur (S) levels (15, 30, 45 kg ha-1) and application timings (100% at sowing, 100% at tillering and 50% at sowing + 50% at tillering) along with a control were allotted to the sub plots. Data regarding number of productive and unproductive tillers m-2, thousand grain weight, grains spike-1, biomass yield and value cost ratio (VCR) of wheat were significantly affected by N and S. Sulfur and its application time prominently influenced the productive tillers m-2 and biomass yield. Nitrogen at 150 kg ha-1 resulted in more number of productive tillers m-2, less un-productive tillers m-2 and higher thousand grain weight, biological yield and higher value cost ratio. Sulfur at 45 kg produced higher productive tillers m-2, thousand grain weight, grains spike-1 and biomass yield. Sulfur applied 50% at sowing and 50% at tillering significantly influenced number of productive tillers m-2 and biological yield (9704 kg ha-1). It was concluded from the analysis of data that nitrogen at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 with sulfur at the rate of 45 kg ha-1 applied 50% at sowing + 50% at tillering significantly contributed towards the economics and reproductive traits of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This article evaluates the feasibility, safety, and technical success of robot-assisted computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous lung biopsy. Methods CT-guided lung biopsy was performed after clearance from the institutional ethical committee in 60 patients who were assigned to two groups, group A (robot-assisted biopsy) and group B (conventional CT-guided biopsy). The accuracy of needle placement, number of needle adjustments, radiation dose, procedure time, and complications were compared in both these groups. Results In group A, the procedure duration was significantly shorter (p = 0.001), dose length product, lower (p = 0.001), accuracy of needle placement, superior (p = 0.003), and complication rates were lower (p = 0.002) compared with conventional CT guidedbiopsy. Conclusion Robotic assistance during CT lung biopsy is associated with improved targeting of lesions with more diagnostic yield and less procedure duration, radiation exposure, and fewer complications compared with conventional CT lung biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium muscarium (Petch) Zare and Gams is currently being developed as a biocontrol agent against insect pests, as well as some plant-pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Data about its activity against plant-parasitic nematodes exist, but are relatively limited. To expand this understanding, we investigated the biocontrol efficiency of three isolates of L. muscarium (Lm) against the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. In our experiments, the maximum number of nematode eggs, juveniles (J2s), females, and egg masses that were parasitized were quantified after a 72-h exposure to the fungus. The isolate Lm 1 was designated as the best biocontrol agent against nematode eggs as well as J2s. It showed the highest colonization of eggs and significantly decreased egg hatching events. The results from two additional isolates, Lm2 and Lm3, were also significant (P = 0.05) but less pronounced than those observed with Lm1. L. muscarium treatments had significant (P = 0.05) positive effects on plant shoot and root growth compared with the growth of control plants. These results suggest the effectiveness of the fungus may be due to either the infection of eggs and J2s, or the production of secondary metabolites that induced plant defense mechanisms and lead to systemic resistance. Our study demonstrates that L. muscarium could be used as a potential biocontrol agent against root knot nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To report our experience of a series of percutaneous nephrolithotomy ( PCNL) procedures in a single centre over 18 years in terms of patient and stone characteristics, indications, stone clearance and complications, along with the results of chemical analysis of stones in a subgroup. Patients and Methods We retrospectively analysed the outcomes of PCNL in 3402 patients, who underwent the procedure between 1997 and 2014, obtained from a prospectively maintained database. Data analysis included patients' age and sex, laboratory investigations, imaging, punctured calyx, duration of operation, volume of irrigation fluid, radiation exposure time, blood transfusion, complications and stone-free status at 1-month follow-up. For the present analysis, outcomes in relation to complications and success were divided in two eras, 1997-2005 and 2006-2014, to study the differences. Results Of the 3402 patients, 2501 (73.5%) were male and 901 (26.5%) were female, giving a male:female ratio of 2.8:1. Staghorn (partial or complete) calculi were found in 27.5% of patients, while 72.5% had non-staghorn calculi. Intracorporeal energy sources used for stone fragmentation included ultrasonography in 917 patients (26.9%), pneumatic lithoclast in 1820 (53.5%), holmium laser in 141 (4.1%) and Lithoclast® master in 524 (15.4%). In the majority of patients (97.4%) a 18-22-F nephrostomy tube was placed after the procedure, while 69 patients (2.03%) underwent tubeless PCNL. The volume of the irrigation fluid used ranged from 7 to 37 L, with a mean of 28.4 L. The stone-free rate after PCNL in the first era studied was 78%, vs 83.2% in the second era, as assessed by combination of ultrasonography and plain abdominal film of the kidney, ureter and bladder. The complication rate in the first era was 21.3% as compared with 10.3% in the second era, and this difference was statistically significant. Stone analysis showed pure stones in 41% and mixed stones in 58% of patients. The majority of stones consisted of calcium oxalate. Conclusions This is the largest series of PCNL reported from any single centre in Pakistan, where there is a high prevalence of stone disease associated with infective and obstructive complications, including renal failure. PCNL as a treatment method offers an economic and effective option in the management of renal stone disease with acceptable stone clearance rates in a resource-constrained healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variations in research productivity available in the scholarly world, between men and women, have always attracted the interest of many researchers across the globe. The present study aims to identify the differences in research productivity, patent creation, funding, collaboration, citation and impact between men and women across regions and disciplines over a period of time. After the comprehensive literature survey, results of various studies were correlated in a systematic manner for further analyses to reveal the findings and draw conclusions. The findings clearly depict that comparatively, males have a higher average productivity than females for all the performance indicators especially research productivity, patent creation, funding and collaboration across regions and disciplines; however, the gap is narrowing with the passage of time. The researchers have noted many factors, personal as well as academic, responsible for the limited productivity of women in research. Age, marriage, children and domestic workload are some personal factors badly affecting research productivity of women whereas less representation of women in higher education, low academic ranks, and fewer research funds are some of the academic factors affecting the research productivity negatively. In order to eliminate the gender differences in research productivity, some recommendations have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was carried out at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during the year 2013 to evaluate the response of maize (Zea mays L.) to foliar application of boron under water stress conditions. Maize hybrid FH-810 was selected as a test crop. The experiment was designed in RCBD with split plot arrangement. Two stress levels viz. no stress (S1) and water stress of 15 days (S2) were placed in main plots while three foliar sprays viz. no spray (F1), simple water spray (F2) and boron spray @ 100 ppm (F3) were assigned to sub-plots. The crop was grown upto harvesting and data were recorded according to the standard procedures. The results showed that stress levels and foliar sprays significantly affected different yield related parameters. Maximum grain yield was obtained in no stress (S1) crop when treated with F3 (boron spray @ 100 ppm). Boron application significantly enhanced the plant height (194.63 cm), cop length (16.94 cm), 1000-grain weight (381.89 g), biological yield (16.89 t/ha) and harvest index (49.37%). However protein content (7.36%) and amylase contents (0.625 I.U/g) were found to be decreased due to boron application while stress levels had no significant effect on these parameters. The interaction of stress levels with foliar spray applications was found nonsignificant for all studied parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study was designed with the objective to find out the sero-prevalence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in animals and to evaluate the role of FMD vaccination as a control strategy for this disease. Serological analysis of randomly sampled animals (n=373; 110 from Greater Cholistan and 263 from Lesser Cholistan) using nonstructural protein ELISA indicated that 62.2% animals in the Desert had previous exposure to FMD virus. To determine the efficacy of vaccine for prevention of the disease, 7,500 cattle heads located at 131 'tobas' both in Lesser and Greater Cholistan were vaccinated using a trivalent FMD vaccine containing A, Asia-1 and O serotypes. Booster dose was administered after 30 days of primary vaccination followed by immunization after every 6 months. Blood samples were collected at day 0 and at the time of booster dose. Sera samples were analyzed for titres against all 3 serotypes using Solid Phase Competitive Blocking ELISA. At the time of vaccination (day 0), 31.8-64.5% animals showed protective titres indicating previous exposure of animals against all 3 serotypes of the virus. This protective titre further increased from 64% to 87% animals against different serotypes after primary vaccination (day 30). Field observations indicated that after booster dose, none of the vaccinated animals showed any clinical sign of the disease; whereas, FMD outbreaks were recorded in un-vaccinated animals located in the study area. In conclusion, the high quality FMD vaccine, administered following the standard operating procedures, can protect animals against this disease in Desert Production System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the Age of patients and the site of Colonic Neoplastic Lesions (CNL) and to determine the appropriate screening strategy for Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC) (sigmoidoscopy versus colonoscopy) in our population. Methods: This is a cross sectional study. Data of all patients more than 16 years of age who underwent full colonoscopic examination at the Aga Khan University hospital between January 2011 till December 2013 and were diagnosed to have CRC or advanced adenomas (defined as polyp more than 1 cm and/or having villous morphology on histology) was recorded. Lesions found distal to the splenic flexure were characterized as distal lesions and while lesions found between the splenic flexure and the cecum were characterized as proximal lesions. Results: During the study period colonic neoplastic lesions were found in 217 patients; 186 (85.7%) patients had CRC and 31(14.3%) patients had advanced adenomatous polyps. Mean age was 55.8±14 years and amongst them 72 (33.2%) patients were less than 50 years of age while 145 (66.8%) were more than 50 years. In 144 (66.4%) patients lesions were located in the distal colon, 65 (30%) had lesions in the proximal colon while in 8 (3.7%) patients the neoplastic lesions were found both in the proximal and distal colon. The predominant symptoms were bleeding per rectum in 39.6% of patients followed by weight loss in 31.8% of patients. Only 3 patients had familial syndromes with multiple polyps. When patients younger than 50 years of age were compared with patients more than 50 years there was no statistically significant difference between the site of neoplastic lesion as well as the presenting symptoms. (p value 0.85). Conclusion: Colonic Neoplastic Lesions presented at younger age in our study population and one third of the lesions were found in the right sided colon. Hence screening for CNLs should be implied at an earlier age preferably with colonoscopy. More population based data is required to further validate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative Cyber-Physical Systems (CCPS) are systems where several individual cyber-physical systems collaborate to perform a single task. The safety of a single Cyber-Physical System (CPS) can be achieved by applying a safety mechanism and following standard processes defined in ISO 26262 and IEC 61508. However, due to heterogeneity, complexity, variability, independence, self-adaptation, and dynamic nature, functional operations for CCPS can threaten system safety. In contrast to fail-safe systems, where, for instance, the system leads to a safe state when an actuator shuts down due to a fault, the system has to be fail-operational in autonomous driving cases, i.e., a shutdown of a platooning member vehicle during operation on the road is unacceptable. Instead, the vehicle should continue its operation with degraded performance until a safe state is reached or returned to its original state in case of temporal faults. Thus, this paper proposes an approach that considers the resilient behavior of collaborative systems to achieve the fail-operational goal in autonomous platooning systems. First, we extended the state transition diagram and introduced additional elements such as failures, mitigation strategies, and safe exit to achieve resilience in autonomous platooning systems. The extended state transition diagram is called the Resilient State Transition Diagram (R-STD). Second, an autonomous platooning system's perception, communication, and ego-motion failures are modeled using the proposed R-STD to check its effectiveness. Third, VENTOS simulator is used to verify the resulting resilient transitions of R-STD in a simulation environment. Results show that a resilient state transition approach achieves the fail-operational goal in the autonomous platooning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical correlations provide estimates of parameter values for preliminary design, verification of laboratory shear test data, and confirmation of back-analysis of a failed slope. The empirical correlations presented herein use liquid limit, clay-size fraction, and effective normal stress to capture the variability and stress-dependent nature of drained residual and fully softened strength envelopes. This paper describes the testing and analysis used to increase the number of data points in the existing correlations, expand the residual strength correlation to include an effective normal stress of 50 kPa, and develop correlations between values of liquid limit and clay-size fraction measured using sample processed through a No. 40 sieve (ASTM procedure) and values derived using ball-milled/disaggregated sample. In addition, equations are presented to express the empirical correlations used to develop a spreadsheet that estimates the residual and fully softened friction angles based on entered values of liquid limit and clay-size fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To report our recent experience of treating patients with stones associated with renal failure, some of the factors underlying this problem, and few suggestions to avert this tragedy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2010 to December 2010, a total of 2838 new patients with stone disease were treated at a tertiary care center. The medical files of 278 patients presenting with stone disease and renal failure were reviewed and compared with a cohort of 878 patients with normal renal functions. Their demographic and clinicopathological parameters were noted and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 2838 patients, 278 (9.7%) presented with acute and chronic renal failure, 40 (1.4%) with unilateral non-functioning kidneys, and 25 (0.8%) with pyonephrosis and perinephric abscess. Management in 278 subjects was divided into initial relief of obstruction by percutaneous nephrolithotomy and double-J stents followed by definitive management in the form of open surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, and ureterorenoscopy to make these patients stone-free. Results of treatment showed that 72% of patients either recovered their renal functions or became dialysis-free at the end of the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Complications of renal calculi in the era of modern treatment can be prevented by public education and organizing courses for family physicians as well as opening new stone clinics in the rural areas of the country equipped with modern treatment facilities and strategies for prevention of renal calculi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report our recent experience of treating patients with stones associated with renal failure, some of the factors underlying this problem, and few suggestions to avert this tragedy. Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2010, a total of 2838 new patients with stone disease were treated at a tertiary care center. The medical files of 278 patients presenting with stone disease and renal failure were reviewed and compared with a cohort of 878 patients with normal renal functions. Their demographic and clinicopathological parameters were noted and analyzed. Results: Of 2838 patients, 278 (9.7%) presented with acute and chronic renal failure, 40 (1.4%) with unilateral non-functioning kidneys, and 25 (0.8%) with pyonephrosis and perinephric abscess. Management in 278 subjects was divided into initial relief of obstruction by percutaneous nephrolithotomy and double-J stents followed by definitive management in the form of open surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, and ureterorenoscopy to make these patients stone-free. Results of treatment showed that 72% of patients either recovered their renal functions or became dialysis-free at the end of the follow-up period. Conclusion: Complications of renal calculi in the era of modern treatment can be prevented by public education and organizing courses for family physicians as well as opening new stone clinics in the rural areas of the country equipped with modern treatment facilities and strategies for prevention of renal calculi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we focus on the numerical study of one and two dimensional higher order multi-term time fractional partial differential equations. In the adopted strategy, the temporal fractional derivative is replaced via well known L 1 formula and the integer order space derivatives are approximated by truncated one and two dimensional wavelet series. The fascinating nature of the scheme is to use collocation approach which convert the governing equations to the system of algebraic equations from which the wavelet coefficients can be calculated. Next, stability of the proposed scheme is investigated theoretically which is also the fundamental subject of the current work. Further computational convergence rate is computed which predicts that the order is approximately two. The scheme is applied to solve one dimensional beam models (fourth order partial differential equations) and two dimensional fissured rock models (Sobolev equations). Efficiency of the scheme is examined with the help of various error norms such as I ∞ , I r m s and I 2. Simulations indicate pretty much good results from which we can say that the scheme is suitable and robust for both one and two dimensional problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zn-doped YBCO single crystals were prepared with Zn contents of 0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.0% and 4.3%. The magnetic measurements were made under magnetic field up to 5 T using SQUID. The peak effect was observed in these samples in all the measured temperature range from 0.2 ≤ T/Tc ≤ 0.95. The region between peak field Hp and irreversibility field Hirr increased consistently with increasing Zn concentration showing broadening in the phase diagram and indicating increased disorder for higher Zn content samples. The anisotropy in the peak field Hp for these samples measured for applied field H along c-axis and along ab-plane (Hp|c/Hp|ab) was found to increase from 0.15 to 0.18 for samples with Zn concentration up to 3% and decreased to 0.142 for sample with Zn content of 4.3% at 0.9 Tc. In the temperature range of 0.8-0.95 Tc, the anisotropy in the critical current density (Jc|c/Jc|ab) was also found to increase in the order of 1.9-2.166 for the samples with Zn content up to 3%, whereas for 4.3% Zn sample it was 0.926. The anisotropic changes in the irreversibility field Hirr were also found to be in the range of 0.254-0.279 for the Zn concentration up to 3% and decreased for the 4.3% Zn sample in temp range of 0.8-0.95 Tc. In addition to the effect of local magnetic moments induced by Zn impurity, the changes in the anisotropic factor with the increase of Zn content seems to contribute effectively for increase in Hp, Jc and Hirr for Zn contents up to 3% samples even at elevated temperature of 0.8-0.95 Tc. The decrease in Jc and Hirr for 4.3% Zn sample may be due to increase in the impurity level beyond threshold leading to decrease in superconducting volume fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drained residual shear strength is used for the analysis of slopes containing preexisting shear surfaces. Some recent research suggests that preexisting shear surfaces in prior landslides can gain strength with time. Torsional ring and direct shear tests performed during this study show that the recovered shear strength measured in the laboratory is only noticeably greater than the drained residual strength at effective normal stress of 100 kPa or less. The test results also show that the recovered strength even at effective normal stresses of 100 kPa or less is lost after a small shear displacement, i.e., slope movement. An effective normal stress of 100 kPa corresponds to a shallow depth so the observed strength gain has little, if any, impact on the analysis of deep landslides. This paper describes the laboratory strength recovery testing and the results for soils with different plasticities at various rest periods and effective normal stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Magnetic measurements were made using pure YBCO and Zn doped YBa2(Cu1− x Zn x )3O7− σ . Single crystals with Zn concentration of 0.5%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.3%. The magnetic hysteresis loops for these samples were measured in the temperature range 0.1⩽ T/Tc ⩽0.96 under magnetic fields of 5T using SQUID. It was found that the critical current density Jc increased for low Zn content samples up to 3% Zn concentration compared to pure YBCO sample and decreased for the higher Zn content samples. These values varied consistently when compared at magnetic fields of 1T and 3T. Moreover Zn doped samples showed significant values of Jc in the temperature range of 0.7–0.9Tc , close to critical temperature compared to pure YBCO sample. The irreversibility field Hirr was also enhanced in this temperature range showing consistent decrease with increase of Zn concentration. The peak field Hp above Hc 1 and irreversibility field Hirr , both show power law dependence of the form H = m 1(1− T/Tc ) m 2 in the temperature range of 0.75–0.96Tc . The values of parameter m 2 increased from 1.44 to 1.95 for the samples up to 3% Zn content and decreased to 1.37 for higher Zn contents. The ratio Hirr /Hp was found to be 3–4 for the lower Zn content samples and was 7–8 for the sample with high Zn content indicating more disorder for higher Zn content samples. The region between peak field Hp and irreversibility field Hirr was broadened with the increase of Zn concentration. The strong effect of Zn substitution in modifying behavior of these samples even at elevated temperatures is possibly due to the changes in the anisotropy of our samples with the increase of Zn concentration and also due to the locally induced changes in magnetic moments by Zn substitution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Octopus-like side chains are introduced in poly(arylene piperidinium)-based alkaline anion exchange membranes (AEMs) to enhance the conductivity and stability. This type of side chain consists of a bulky rigid β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as the "octopus head", and long flexible piperidinium ionic liquids as the "arms". The β-CD unit can enlarge internal free volume of the AEM to reduce ion transport resistance; the "arms" can interact with adjacent hydrophilic ionic groups and water, constructing continuous ion transport channels. The prepared poly(biphenyl piperidinium) AEM with "octopus" side chains at an ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 1.29 mmol g−1 exhibits higher hydroxide conductivity (121.5 mS cm−1 at 80 °C) than that without the "octopus" structure (57.4 mS cm−1) although the latter has a larger IEC (1.55 mmol g−1). This "octopus" AEM retains 87.2% of its conductivity after being treated in a 1 M NaOH at 80 °C for 480 h. The alkaline H 2 /O 2 fuel cell constructed with this "octopus" AEM produces a peak power density of 469 mW cm−2; the cell voltage can be maintained by 85% during 16 h operation. This work illustrates the advantage of "octopus" side chain for enhancement of AEM performance. [Display omitted] • Octopus-like side chains are grafted on an ether-free backbone for AEM preparation. • The octopus-type side chains can promote micro-phase separation. • The octopus side chain AEM exhibits a high hydroxide ion conductivity (121.5 mS cm−1 at 80 °C). • The H 2 –O 2 fuel cell employing the above AEM yields a power density of 469 mW cm−2 at 60 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Pakistan and causes huge economic losses. This work focus on the Landhi Dairy Colony (LDC), located in the suburbs of Karachi. LDC is the largest Buffalo colony in the world, with more than 300,000 animals (around 95% buffaloes and 5% cattle, as well as an unknown number of sheep and goats). Each month from April 2006 to April 2007 we collected mouth-swabs from apparently healthy buffaloes and cattle, applying a convenient sampling based on a two-stage random sampling scheme, in conjunction with participatory information from each selected farm. Furthermore, we also collected epithelium samples from animals with clinical disease, as well as mouth-swabs samples from those farms. In addition, we analysed a total of 180 serum samples randomly collecting 30 samples each month at the local slaughterhouse, from October 2006 to March 2007. Samples have been screened for FMDV by real-time RT-PCR and the partial or full 1D coding region of selected isolates has been sequenced. Serum samples have been analysed by applying serotype-specific antibody ELISA and non-structural proteins (NSP) antibody ELISA. Results: FMDV infection prevalence at aggregate level shows an endemic occurrence of FMDV in the colony, with peaks in August 2006, December 2006 and February 2007 to March 2007. A significant association of prevalence peaks to the rainy seasons, which includes the coldest time of the year and the muslimic Eid-festival, has been demonstrated. Participatory information indicated that 88% of all questioned farmers vaccinate their animals. Analysis of the serum samples showed high levels of antibodies for serotypes O, A, Asia 1 and C. The median endpoint-titre for all tested serotypes, except serotype C, in VNT titration is at a serum dilution of equal or above 1/100. All 180 serum samples collected have been tested for antibodies against the non-structural proteins and all but four have been found positive. Out of the 106 swab-samples from apparently healthy and affected animals positive in real-time RTPCR, we sequenced the partial or full 1D coding region from 58 samples. In addition we sequenced the full 1D coding region of 17 epithelium samples from animals with clinical signs of FMD. From all sequenced samples, swabs and epithelium, 19 belong to the regional PanAsia II lineage of serotype O and 56 to the A/Iran/2005 lineage of serotype A. Conclusion: For an effective and realisable FMD control program in LDC, we suggest to introduce a twice annually mass vaccination of all buffaloes and cattle in the colony. These mass vaccinations should optimally take place shortly before the beginning of the two rainy periods, e.g. in June and September. Those vaccinations should, in our opinion, be in addition to the already individually performed vaccinations of single animals, as the latter usually targets only newly introduced animals. This suggested combination of mass vaccination of all large ruminants with the already performed individually vaccination should provide a continuous high level of herd immunity in the entire colony. Vaccines used for this purpose should contain the matching vaccine strains, i.e. as our results indicate antigens for A/Iran/2005 and the regional type of serotype O (PanAsia II), but also antigens of the, in this world region endemic, Asia 1 lineage should be included. In the long term it will be important to control the vaccine use, so that subclinical FMD will be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The magnetic relaxation measurements were made using Zn doped YBCO single crystals YBa2(Cu1− x Zn x )3O7− σ . The decay of magnetization showed a linear dependence with the logarithm of time in wide temperature range of 0.1< T/T c <0.8, which indicates a strong flux pinning in these samples effective up to higher temperatures of 0.8T c. The temperature dependence of the normalized creep rate S(T) for applied fields of 1T shows a non-monotonic behavior in the whole temperature range, with a peak at lower temperature and a dip at intermediate temperatures which is contrary to the predicted plateau in this region and indicates a strong change in the pinning mechanism of these samples at these temperatures and fields. The dip in creep rate S(T) of these samples up to 3% Zn concentration was found to be as large as 0.008, compared to 0.025–0.045 observed in the similar strong pinning systems. The weak temperature dependence of the pinning potential for these Zn doped samples at low temperatures shows drastic and systematic changes in U 0 at higher temperatures which indicates that the Zn impurity contributes effectively to modify the pinning properties up to higher temperatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A number of (E)- and (Z)-1-alkylthio-2-p-tolylsulphonylstilbenes (3a-i and 5a-i) were synthesized by the nucleophilic displacement of halogens with sodium salts of various alkanethiols on (E)-1-chloro-2-p-tolylsulphonylstilbene (1) and (Z)-1-bromo-2-p-tolylsulphonylstilbene (2) respectively. Oxidation of these (E) - and (Z)-1-alkylthio-2-p-tolylsulphonyl gave the corresponding (E)- and (Z)-1-alkylsulphonyl-2-p-tolylsulphonylstilbenes (4a-i and 6a-i) respectively. Mass spectral data of all the synthesized compounds were examined. Smiles-type rearrangement observed in (E)-and (Z)- sulphide-sulphones (3a-i and 5a-i) was absent in (E)- and (Z)-disulphones (4a-i and 6a-i). Loss of sulphur dioxide and sulphonyl-sulphinate rearrangement with vinyl migration was noticed in all the synthesized compounds. McLafferty-type rearrangement was observed only in (E)- sulphide-sulphones and (E)- disulphones but not in the corresponding (Z)-isomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the World Reference Laboratory for FMD, a new subtype of FMDV serotype A was detected in Iran in 2005. This subtype was designated A/IRN/2005, and rapidly spread throughout Iran and moved westwards into Saudi Arabia and Turkey where it was initially detected from August 2005 and subsequently caused major disease problems in the spring of 2006. The same subtype reached Jordan in 2007. As part of an ongoing project we have also detected this subtype in Pakistan with the first positive samples detected in April 2006. To characterise this subtype in detail, we have sequenced and analysed the complete coding sequence of three subtype A/IRN/2005 isolates collected in Pakistan in 2006, the complete coding sequence of one subtype A/IRN/2005 isolate collected during the first outbreak in Turkey in 2005 and, in addition, the partial 1D coding sequence derived from 4 epithelium samples and 34 swab-samples from Asian buffaloes or cattle subsequently found to be infected with the A/IRN/2005 subtype. Results: The phylogenies of the genome regions encoding for the structural proteins, displayed, with the exception of 1A, distinct, serotype-specific clustering and an evolutionary relationship of the A/IRN/2005 sublineage with the A22 sublineage. Potential recombination events have been detected in parts of the genome region coding for the non-structural proteins of FMDV. In addition, amino acid substitutions have been detected in the deduced VP1 protein sequence, potentially related to clinical or subclinical outcome of FMD. Indications of differential susceptibility for developing a subclinical course of disease between Asian buffaloes and cattle have been detected. Furthermore, hitherto unknown insertions of 2 amino acids before the second start codon, as well as sublineage specific amino acids have been detected in the genome region encoding for the leader proteinase of A/IRN/2005 sublineage. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the A/IRN/2005 sublineage has undergone two different paths of evolution for the structural and non-structural genome regions. The structural genome regions have had their evolutionary starting point in the A22 sublineage. It can be assumed that, due to the quasispecies structure of FMDV populations and the error-prone replication process, advantageous mutations in a changed environment have been fixed and lead to the occurrence of the new A/IRN/2005 sublineage. Together with this mechanism, recombination within the non-structural genome regions, potentially modifying the virulence of the virus, may be involved in the success of this new sublineage. The possible origin of this recombinant virus may be a co-infection with Asia1 and a serotype A precursor of the A/IRN/2005 sublineage potentially within Asian Buffaloes, as these appears to relatively easy become infected, but usually without developing clinical disease and consequently showing not a strong acute inflammatory immune response against a second FMDV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y-STR polymorphism of Gujjar population was determined by using AmpFISTR®YfilerTM PCR amplification kit. A total 176 haplotypes were obtained after the analysis of 17 Y-STR loci in 176 genetically unrelated individuals. Haplotype diversity and discrimination capacity attained was 0.99730 and 0.652201325, respectively. The comparison of Gujjar population with 16 other populations revealed that Gujjars have low genetic distance from Punjabi, Sindhi, and Pakhtun population of Pakistan; Azad Kashmir, Saraswat Brahmin from India; Bangladeshi population; north and south of Afghanistan; and Uttar Pradesh India which hints toward the migrational route Gujjars took over the centuries. This data is of significant value for population studies and forensic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) haplotype diversity of 180 genetically unrelated male individuals from Sheikh population of Punjab Pakistan was studied by amplifying 17 Y-STR markers through the AmpFISTR®Yfiler™ PCR amplification kit. The analysis of data revealed mean discrimination capacity of 0.6438 and matching probability of 0.3561. Sheikh population was also compared with 11 other populations in order to determine its population relationships which indicated that Punjabi Sheikhs have low genetic resemblance with Indian-Balmiki, UAE [Arab], Yousafzai Pathan from Pakistan, and Pathans from Afghanistan. The data of this study could have valuable application in forensic cases, in population genetics studies, and in strengthening the Y-STR database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insertion–deletion polymorphism (Indels) is valuable diallelic markers for forensic as well as parentage analysis. The Investigator DIPplex Kit (Qiagen) contains thirty autosomal Indels markers along with amelogenin. These thirty markers were tested in the Pakistani Punjabi Population but no significant deviations were observed from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium rule expectations (Bonferroni corrected) except HLD58, HLD56, HLD99, and HLD40. The mean expected and observed heterozygosity was found 0.4701 and 0.4667 respectively; combined matching probability was computed as 7.31867 × 10−13. However, the use of the 30 Indels markers proved to be a good supplementary tool in forensic casework, particularly when evidence sample is highly degraded. The significant genetic differences were also observed between the Punjabi and other populations of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]