Recent Advances in Seed Enhancements

Seed quality is vital to sustainable crop production and food security. Seed enhancements include physical, physiological and biological treatments to overcome germination constraints by uniform stands, earlier crop development and better yields. Improved germination rates and seedling vigour are due to reduced emergence time by earlier start of metabolic activities of hydrolytic enzymes and resource mobilization. Nutrient homeostasis, ion uptake, hormonal regulation, activation of antioxidant defence system, reduced lipid peroxidation and accumulation of compatible solutes are some mechanisms conferring biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Several transcription factors for aquaporins, imbibitions, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defence and phenylpropanoid pathway have been identified. However, the knowledge of molecular pathways elucidating mode of action of these effects, reduced longevity of primed or other physical and biological agents for seed treatments and market availability of high-quality seeds are some of the challenges for scientists and seed industry. In this scenario, there is need to minimize the factors associated with reduced vigour during seed production, improve seed storage and handling, develop high-tech seeds by seed industry at appropriate rates and integrate agronomic, physiological and molecular seed research for the effective regulation of high-quality seed delivery over next generations

Salvage of infected non-union of the tibia with an Ilizarov ring fixator.

Abstract PURPOSE: To review outcomes of 24 patients who underwent Ilizarov ring fixation for infected nonunion of the tibia. METHODS: Medical records of 21 men and 3 women aged 13 to 74 (mean, 38) years who underwent Ilizarov ring fixation for infectednon-union of the tibia were reviewed. The mean bone defect was 3.3 (range, 2-5) cm. The mean time from injury to presentation was 11.9 (range, 1-36) months. The mean number of previous surgeries was 2 (range, 0-14). A local flap was used in 2 patients and a free flap was used in one patient. Nine of the patients underwent Ilizarov ring fixation without soft tissue and bony resection, as inadequate stability was the reason for non-union. Patients were assessed using the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for a mean of 11 (range, 8-46) months. Functional outcome was excellent in 8 patients, good in 12, fair in 2, and failure in one, whereas bone union outcome was excellent in 6 patients, good in 14, fair in one, and poor in 2. The mean time to union was 8 (range, 3-31) months. The mean external fixation index was 4.2 (range, 1.5-15.7) cm/month. Complications encountered were pin tract infection (n=5), re-fracture (n=2), soft tissue impingement by Ilizarov rings (n=2), recurrence of wound infection (n=1), mal-union (n=1), and mortality (n=1). CONCLUSION: Ilizarov ring fixation is a viable option for infected non-union of the tibia. Adequate assessment of bone union is crucial before removal of fixator to prevent re-fracture

Use of off-label and unlicensed drugs in pediatric patients: A longitudinal prevalence survey from Lahore, Pakistan

Purpose: To assess the extent of use of unlicensed/off-label drug in the children hospitalized in The Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A prospective prevalence study was carried out in the selected hospital. A total of 1946 pediatric patients were hospitalized during study period. The patients’ demographic data and unlicensed/off-label drug use were noted by the researcher using a structured questionnaire and then analyzed. Results: During the survey period, 102 (5.24 %) pediatric patients received at least one off-label drug/unlicensed drug. The unlicensed drug was administered to 65 patients (63.7 %) while off-label drug was administered to 37 patients (36.3%). Milrinone (23.5%) was the most frequently prescribed unlicensed drug. Conclusion: The administration of unlicensed/off-label drug to treat different diseases in pediatric population is widespread in the health facility studied. These findings will provide guidance to new researchers in clinical trials, especially on cardiovascular drugs, opioid analgesic, antiemetic and anticancer drugs

Development and validation of a spectroscopic method for the simultaneous analysis of miconazole nitrate and hydrocortisone acetate in pharmaceutical dosage form

Purpose: To develop a new analytical method for the quantitative analysis of miconazole nitrate (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA) in pharmaceutical creams.Methods: The study was accomplished in three steps. In the first stage, a spectroscopic method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of miconazole (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA). For this purpose, serial dilutions of both drugs were prepared using ethanol: water (50:50) as the solvent system. All solutions were analyzed for absorbance spectrophotometrically at 205 and 249 nm for MCN and HCA, respectively. The method was validated for linearity, range, accuracy, precision and robustness. A commercial formulation was also assayed by the proposed method.Results: The absorbance data were linear over a concentration range of 1 to 12 μg/mL for MCN and 1 to 40 μg/mL for HCA, with correlation coefficient of 0.9995 and 0.9984, respectively. Limit of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ) of MCN were  0.49 and 1.49 μg/mL, respectively, and for HCA, 1.50 and 4.57 μg/mL, respectively. The assay results for the commercial  formulation were within the limits specified in British Pharmacopoeia.Conclusion: Simultaneous quantification of miconazole (MCN) and hydrocortisone (HCA) by UV spectroscopy provides a simple, reliable and robust method for the characterization of a mixture of the drugs in a dosage form.Keywords: Simultaneous analysis, Miconazole nitrate, Hdrocortisone acetate, UV-visible spectroscopy, Method validatio

Hepatoprotective effect of desi and kabuli cultivars of Cicer arietinum L (chick peas) against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity in rats

Purpose: To determine the hepatoprotective potential of ethanol extracts of desi and kabuli cultivars of Cicer arietinum L. (chick peas). Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats using oral administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The rats were then orally administered different doses of the ethanol extracts of desi and kabuli cultivars of Cicer arietinum L. for 21 days. Oxidative stress parameters and hepatoprotective profiles were determined in serum samples using standard procedures. The effect of the treatments on liver histology was also determined. Results: Administration of extracts of desi and kabuli cultivars of Cicer arietinum L. to CCl4 treated rats at a dose of 300 mg/kg resulted in a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in oxidative stress parameters, whereas catalase activity significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05); on the other hand, ALT and AST levels were decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05), when compared to the control group. Conclusion: High doses of Cicer arietinum L (desi and kabuli cultivars) seem to have hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects on CCl4-induced toxicity in rats. This finding underscores the therapeutic importance of Cicer arietinum L. as a plant with hepatoprotective properties. Keywords: Cicer arietinum, Phenolics, Hepatotoxicity, Chick peas, Catalas

Anomaly Detection in Traffic Surveillance Videos Using Deep Learning

In the recent past, a huge number of cameras have been placed in a variety of public and private areas for the purposes of surveillance, the monitoring of abnormal human actions, and traffic surveillance. The detection and recognition of abnormal activity in a real-world environment is a big challenge, as there can be many types of alarming and abnormal activities, such as theft, violence, and accidents. This research deals with accidents in traffic videos. In the modern world, video traffic surveillance cameras (VTSS) are used for traffic surveillance and monitoring. As the population is increasing drastically, the likelihood of accidents is also increasing. The VTSS is used to detect abnormal events or incidents regarding traffic on different roads and highways, such as traffic jams, traffic congestion, and vehicle accidents. Mostly in accidents, people are helpless and some die due to the unavailability of emergency treatment on long highways and those places that are far from cities. This research proposes a methodology for detecting accidents automatically through surveillance videos. A review of the literature suggests that convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which are a specialized deep learning approach pioneered to work with grid-like data, are effective in image and video analysis. This research uses CNNs to find anomalies (accidents) from videos captured by the VTSS and implement a rolling prediction algorithm to achieve high accuracy. In the training of the CNN model, a vehicle accident image dataset (VAID), composed of images with anomalies, was constructed and used. For testing the proposed methodology, the trained CNN model was checked on multiple videos, and the results were collected and analyzed. The results of this research show the successful detection of traffic accident events with an accuracy of 82% in the traffic surveillance system videos.publishedVersio

Microbial Extraction of Antimony from Stibnite of Qillah Abdullah

The study involve bioleaching of antimony ore collected from Qillah Abdullah   Balochistan (Pakistan) by using Thiobacillus ferrooxidans isolated from coal mine drainage of district Harnai. Analysis of ore revealed that it has 19.54% antimony along with 42.24% SiO2  as gangue material. Trails for bioleaching were conducted in shake flasks having 10% (w/v) ore and growth medium. Isolated microorganisms were found more efficient for liquification of antimony contents at grain size -150#. Liquefied antimony was recovered as antimony sulphide by  precipitation  with H2S. Parameters affecting the process of bioleaching such as aeration, time period, temperature, grain size of ore and pH were also optimized. Overall recovery of product was estimated as 73% in 120 days. 

Determining the Contribution of Different Structural Layers of Asphalt Pavement System to Rutting Using Transverse Profile Analysis

Abstract Rutting is one of the major distresses which cause hydroplaning and structural failures in a flexible pavement. The extent of damage depends upon the load induced and the strength of each pavement layer. Rutting can occur due to the failure of the subgrade, the base or at the wearing surface/ hot mixasphalt (HMA) layer(s).In order to take remedial measures, it is imperative to be cognizant of the contribution of each layer to ascertain the cause of underlying phenomena of rutting. This research study demonstrates the analysis of the pavement transverse surface profile that could be used to identify the layer responsible for the permanent deformation. Transverse surface profiling techniqueis easier, non-destructive, and economicalas compared to traditional methods of coring and trenching to examine underlying layers. A 300 meter section on National Highway (N-5) was selected exhibiting severe rutting to perform transverse profile analysis. Results of this study suggest that rutting at the selected site is mainly due to the shear failure of HMA layer. These results were also validated by field trenching on the test section. The study concluded that HMA layer should be removed and replaced with appropriately designed high performance mix specifications

Isolation and biochemical characterizations of the bacteria (Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae) associated with red stripe disease of sugarcane

Studies on Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae, associated with red stripe disease of sugarcane was conducted in the Department of Plant Pathology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi during 2009 to 2010, in collaboration with Shakarganj Sugar Research Institute (SSRI), Jhang, Pakistan. Red stripe of sugarcane were recently observed on promising clones of sugarcane planted in autumn 2009 at Ashaba Research Farm of SSRI. Bacteria were isolated from diseased plants. These isolates yielded off white convex colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media at 29°C with 1.7 to 1.9 mm diameter and were yellow on yeast extract dextrose chalk agar (YDC) media at 27°C with 1.8 to 2.0 mm diameter. The bacteria were rod shape measuring 0.5 to 0.6 × 1.4 to 1.6 μm on PDA and 0.6 to 0.7 × 1.5 to 1.7 μm on YDC. Bacterial culture was stored at different temperature levels for 150 days. Reisolation of bacterial culture which was stored at 4°C showed best result on YDC at 27°C after 150 days, whereas it showed positive result after 120 days on PDA at 29°C. Bacteria were gram negative, citrate utilization was positive, oxidase was negative, catalase was positive and urease was negative. Morphological appearance and biochemical characterizations identified the bacteria as A. avenae subsp. Avenae. In vitro screening for the efficacy of various antibiotics to inhibit the growth of A. avenae subsp. avenae on YDC media showed that ampicillin and vancomycin were most effective. Artificial inoculation on sugarcane against red stripe disease was observed. Observations were made upto six weeks for disease development. Out of 27 varieties, 16 were found resistant, four moderately resistant, five moderately susceptible and two susceptible.Key words: Sugarcane, yeast extract dextrose chalk agar (YDC), potato dextrose agar (PDA), Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae, biochemical characterization, antibiotics