Unravelling Water Use Efficiency in Sugarcane and Cotton Production in Pakistan

The present Policy Viewpoint explores water use efficiency between the two competing cash crops of the Kharif season, sugarcane and cotton. It is concluded that the sugarcane crop consumes about 3.5 times more water than the cotton crop. Moreover, one litre of water used in cotton production generates about 4 times higher monetary benefit at both the farm gate and at the processing stage. Sugarcane alone consumes about 42 percent of the total annual household water demand of Pakistan. Keywords: Cotton, Sugarcane, Water Use Efficiency, Water Pricing, Pakista

Investigations of different strategies for high frequency regeneration of Dendrobium malones ‘Victory’

Regeneration of orchid, Dendrobium malones “Victory”, has been established by direct differentiation and through callus formation. With direct thin leaf section differentiation method, the number of protocorm like bodies (PLBs) formed from Thin Section (TS) explants obtainedfrom a single leaf was 10 times more than that from a single whole leaf, in a short time period. This therefore suggested that the proliferation potential is distributed all along the seedling leaves and morphogenically competent cells were not limited in the basal ends or the tips of the leaves in TS of orchid leaf cultures. Full MS media supplemented with auxins/cytokinins either in single orin combination along with peptone, yeast extract, casein hydrolysate (each at 100 mg/l), banana powder (40 g/l), 15% coconut water and 2% sucrose have shown excellent results for high frequency regeneration in orchid cultures. In many higher plants, regenerating leaves responded by developing proliferative loci in some “Predetermined Regenerative” cells in the dermal layers by tissue culture methods

Educational Motives and Perceived Educational Consequences as Predictors of Facebook Usage

This study proposes a model and validates it with the help of uses and gratifications theory, displacement theory and the individual differences theory. The tenets of the proposed model are: the associations of the educational motives with Facebook use; the association of perceived consequences resulting from Facebook use with the Facebook use; the interactional effect of the weekly time patterns and gender for Facebook use; the interactional effect of the daily and weekly time patterns for the educational motives for Facebook use; and the interactional effect of the daily and weekly time patterns for the perceived consequences resulting from Facebook use among university students in Lahore. By using convenience sampling technique, students are selected from the population of educational institutions in Lahore. The variance explained in the dependent variable of motives for Facebook usage and the perceived consequences is 22.9%. Both variables of educational motives (β = .402) and the perceived consequences (β = .200) have made significant contribution to the prediction of Facebook usage but the former has made the unique one. Male students are using Facebook more than the female students (η2 = .01). The interaction effect of daily and weekly time patterns have small effects on educational motives (η2 = .038) and the perceived consequences (η2 = .032). Facebook is found empowering the students for the educational motives, however university students perceive that Facebook use has consequences when they use it for more than two hours in different parts of the day

Poboljšanje proizvodnje glukoza-oksidaze s pomoću Penicillium notatum

Glucose oxidase (GOD) is an important enzyme that finds a wide range of applications in food and pharmaceutical industry. In this investigation the feasibility of using rice polish as a substrate for the production of GOD by Penicillium notatum in submerged fermentation (SmF) has been evaluated. The intention was to enhance total GOD activity by the selection of economical substrate, microorganism and consecutive optimization of various cultural conditions. Maximum GOD activity of (112±5) U/mL was achieved under optimum growth conditions: rice polish 5 g, incubation period 72 h, buffering agent 3 % (by mass per volume), incubation temperature (30±1) °C and pH=6.0. Addition of carbon and nitrogen sources further enhanced the enzyme yield, indicating an economically attractive process for GOD production.Glukoza-oksidaza je važan enzim koji ima raznovrsnu primjenu u industriji hrane i proizvodnji lijekova. U ovome je radu ispitana primjena otpadaka dobivenih poliranjem riže kao supstrata u proizvodnji glukoza-oksidaze submerznom fermentacijom s pomoću Penicillium notatum. Svrha je rada bila poboljšati ukupnu aktivnost glukoza-oksidaze odabirom ekonomičnog supstrata i mikroorganizma te optimiranjem uvjeta uzgoja. Najveća aktivnost od (112±5) U/mL postignuta je pri optimalnim uvjetima rasta uporabom 5 g otpadaka i 3 % (m/V) puferskog sredstva tijekom 72 h pri (30±1) °C i pH=6. Dodatkom izvora ugljika i dušika još je više poboljšan prinos enzima, čime je potvrđena ekonomska opravdanost ovog procesa za proizvodnju glukoza-oksidaze

Poboljšanje proizvodnje glukoza-oksidaze s pomoću Penicillium notatum

Glucose oxidase (GOD) is an important enzyme that finds a wide range of applications in food and pharmaceutical industry. In this investigation the feasibility of using rice polish as a substrate for the production of GOD by Penicillium notatum in submerged fermentation (SmF) has been evaluated. The intention was to enhance total GOD activity by the selection of economical substrate, microorganism and consecutive optimization of various cultural conditions. Maximum GOD activity of (112±5) U/mL was achieved under optimum growth conditions: rice polish 5 g, incubation period 72 h, buffering agent 3 % (by mass per volume), incubation temperature (30±1) °C and pH=6.0. Addition of carbon and nitrogen sources further enhanced the enzyme yield, indicating an economically attractive process for GOD production.Glukoza-oksidaza je važan enzim koji ima raznovrsnu primjenu u industriji hrane i proizvodnji lijekova. U ovome je radu ispitana primjena otpadaka dobivenih poliranjem riže kao supstrata u proizvodnji glukoza-oksidaze submerznom fermentacijom s pomoću Penicillium notatum. Svrha je rada bila poboljšati ukupnu aktivnost glukoza-oksidaze odabirom ekonomičnog supstrata i mikroorganizma te optimiranjem uvjeta uzgoja. Najveća aktivnost od (112±5) U/mL postignuta je pri optimalnim uvjetima rasta uporabom 5 g otpadaka i 3 % (m/V) puferskog sredstva tijekom 72 h pri (30±1) °C i pH=6. Dodatkom izvora ugljika i dušika još je više poboljšan prinos enzima, čime je potvrđena ekonomska opravdanost ovog procesa za proizvodnju glukoza-oksidaze

Sublethal impacts of heavy metals on antioxidant enzymes and biochemical parameters in rohu (Labeo rohita)

The present research was designed to study and compare the biochemical parameters in Labeo rohita due to exceptional nutritional value of this fish as a protein source in developing countries. The protein and heavy metal (Zn, Cu, Ni) activities were determined spectrophotometrically. The proximate analysis of L. rohita collected from different localities of Pakistan revealed that the protein (19.97%) and ash contents (1.76%) were highest in hatchery L. rohita while the fat (0.84%), carbohydrate (5.39%) and dry matter contents (24.11%), were maximum in the river L. rohita. In comparison to the hatchery and river L. rohita, the moisture contents (81.42%) were the highest in farmed fish. During enzymatic analysis, maximum activities of the peroxidase, α- amylase and mutarotase were recorded in hatchery fish whereas the catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were found to be the highest in farmed fish. The maximum accumulation of Cu and Ni metals were observed in hatchery fish and least in farmed fish and the highest Zn accumulation was observed in river fish. Analysis of variance on catalase, peroxidase, α-amylase activity and metal accumulation showed statistically significant differences at p<0.05 among sampling sites and fish organs and interaction between sampling sites and fish organs

US Print Media Framing of Nuclear Ambiguity: Israel vs. Iran

This research work aims at studying the &ldquo;Nuclear Ambiguity&rdquo; by evaluating the coverage of Israeli and Iranian nuclear issue in the US print media. The main objective of the study was to examine the news stories and editorial treatment of the above mentioned issue with reference to the foreign policies of the related countries. Content analysis was employed to study the two newspapers; The New York Times and The Washington Post. The data was collected by usingcensus approach and the whole population was considered as sample from the time period of January, 2014 to December, 2015. The theoretical framework of the study comprised of Agenda setting and Framing theory that explain how media can &ldquo;play up&rdquo; or &ldquo;play down&rdquo; any issue. To determine the significance of the research hypothesis, statistical test chi square was applied and results approved all the hypotheses. The study concluded that US print media followed their national policies and played up the issue of nuclear ambiguity in case of Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program, while played down the Israel&rsquo;s nuclear program because Israel is a vital ally of American

PSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF USAGE OF ENERGY DRINKS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

ABSTRACTObjective:This study was conducted to determine psychosocial factors leading to energy drinks consumption among medical students.Design:This was observational cross sectional study.Durations and Time:This study was conducted at Services hospital Lahore from July 2017 to December 2017.Materials and Methods:All the students of MBBS or Allied Health Programmes who were enrolled in a medical college were included in our study. The exclusion criteria include all the students who were not registered with the college as medical student of MBBS or any allied health degree. A preformed questionnaire was given to every student.Results:A total of 100 students were recruited for this study. The mean age of the medical students was   22.3+2.2 years with range of 20-25 years. We observed 68(68%) of the students who used energy drinks. Out of these 41 (60.03%) were male and 27(39.07%) were females. 23 (33.82%) students consumed energy drinks for purpose of Energy gaining, 21 (30.88%) for the purpose of reducing sleep 8(11.76%) students consumed energy drinks for purpose of regaining body fluids. All other causes were minimal.Conclusion:We may conclude in our study that the energy drinks consumption is high among medical students.The main purpose of its usage is the regain of energy and to reduce the sleep for study purposes

Socio‐economic and environmental impacts of biomass valorisation:A strategic drive for sustainable bioeconomy

In the late twentieth century, the only cost-effective opportunity for waste removal cost at least several thousand dollars, but nowadays, a lot of improvement has occurred. The biomass and waste generation problems attracted concerned authorities to identify and provide environmentally friendly sustainable solutions that possess environmental and economic benefits. The present study emphasises the valorisation of biomass and waste produced by domestic and industrial sectors. Therefore, substantial research is ongoing to replace the traditional treatment methods that potentially acquire less detrimental effects. Synthetic biology can be a unique platform that invites all the relevant characters for designing and assembling an efficient program that could be useful to handle the increasing threat for human beings. In the future, these engineered methods will not only revolutionise our lives but practically lead us to get cheaper biofuels, producing bioenergy, pharmaceutics, and various biochemicals. The bioaugmentation approach concomitant with microbial fuel cells (MFC) is an example that is used to produce electricity from municipal waste, which is directly associated with the loading of waste. Beyond the traditional opportunities, herein, we have spotlighted the new advances in pertinent technology closely related to production and reduction approaches. Various integrated modern techniques and aspects related to the industrial sector are also discussed with suitable examples, including green energy and other industrially relevant products. However, many problems persist in present-day technology that requires essential efforts to handle thoroughly because significant valorisation of biomass and waste involves integrated methods for timely detection, classification, and separation. We reviewed and proposed the anticipated dispensation methods to overcome the growing stream of biomass and waste at a distinct and organisational scale

Thermal Characterization of Purified Glucose Oxidase from A Newly Isolated Aspergillus Niger UAF-1

An intracellular glucose oxidase was isolated from the mycelium extract of a locally isolated strain of Aspergillus niger UAF-1. The enzyme was purified to a yield of 28.43% and specific activity of 135 U mg−1 through ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme showed high affinity for D-glucose with a Km value of 2.56 mM. The enzyme exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 5.5. Temperature optimum for glucose oxidase, catalyzed D-glucose oxidation was 40°C. The enzyme showed a high thermostability having a half-life 30 min, enthalpy of denaturation 99.66 kJ mol−1 and free energy of denaturation 103.63 kJ mol−1. These characteristics suggest the use of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger UAF-1 as an analytical reagent and in the design of biosensors for clinical, biochemical and diagnostic assays