Screening of Arabidopsis mutants for functional genomic studies

Eight photosynthetic Arabidopsis mutants were screened for co-segregation of a photosynthetic phenotype with the T-DNA insertion. These mutants were selected from 80 photosynthetic mutants with genetic background of Columbia-0. Two different screening approaches were used to study the T-DNA insertion in the genome of mutant Arabidopsis lines. The sulphonamide sulfadiazine was found to be an effective selective agent and a single copy of sulfonamide resistant gene was found to be completely resistant to the optimal concentration i.e., 5mg mL-1. The maximum number of Arabidopsis mutant plants had confirmed insertions. Some of the plants did not show any amplification with gene specific primer combination, and it was assumed that either they were wild type plants or they had random T-DNA insertion and the insertion was not found in the gene under study but it could be found in any where in the genome. Some mutant plants were morphologically different from the wild type plants e.g., ALP105. These plants grew as small in size and dark green in color. After PCR screening with gene specific and T-DNA border primers all such mutant plants were confirmed as heterozygous T-DNA insertion plants

Call census, habitat suitability modeling and local communities’ perceptions for the conservation of a globally threatened avian flagship species

The Western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is recorded in the IUCN Red List of 2017 as a Vulnerable bird species in Pakistan.  This study was conducted to investigate and resolve the conservation challenges surrounding the species in two major habitat zones - Salkhala Game Reserve and Machiara National Park. The study was arranged in May-June 2020 for the call count census. Local residents’ perceptions and a habitat suitability map were developed for the species using MaxEnt model based on previously recorded occurrence points as well as recorded in the survey. A total of 26 western Tragopans were identified by call count during the sampling period. Results of modeling habitat suitability of the Western tragopan showed that the species suitable habitats are small and patchy in Pakistan. We found that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) with 40.6 percent contribution was the most important variable in shaping the species distribution. Our model identified some new suitable patches which can be the target of future field monitoring for finding new populations of the species. This study provides valuable information for conservation of Western tragopan a globally threatened avian flagship species in Pakistan

Re-Conceptualizing 'Rational Expectancy' Through; Evolutionary Psychology, Anthropology, Behavioral Genetics and Neuropsychology

The basic objective of writing this paper is to re-conceptualize the concept of 'Rational Expectancy' in postmodernism. Based on the convergence of four sources of scientific research this paper will try to re-conceptualize the concept of 'Rational Expectancy': Evolutionary psychology is basically the other name of modern Darwinism, evolutionary psychologists do not argues that all human are alike underneath; Anthropology (Study of past & present) Darwinian anthropologist have identified cultural universals with regards to gender relations, art and ritual, language and thought, and trading and competition; Behavioral Genetics, Scientists have identified several genes thought to control human dispositions including the aspects of temperament and cognitive behavior; Neuropsychology Scientists in this field try to understand which part of brain control emotions and how chemicals in the brain affect thoughts and sensations. In postmodernism evolutionary psychology help us in understanding the dynamics in human behavior and anthropology tells us how hardwired is human behavior. An individual' rational expectancy is based on his composition of behavioral genetics and unique neurological networks& modules. The knowledge management has provided the concept of 'Knowledge Worker', the one who use his 'Heart' 'Head' and 'Hand' not only for the discovery of knowledge but also for the delivery of knowledge. Moreover, the Service Science of IBM uses the concept of 'Actors', the one who use his knowledge and skills for the benefits of others

Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Strategies of Herbal Medicine for Acute Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common gastrointestinal problem characterized by loose watery stool and mild to severe dehydration. Annually, about 1.7–5 billion new cases of diarrhea were reported. In developing countries, it is more common, where young kids have diarrhea approximately three times/year. In 2013, 1.26 million deaths occurred due to diarrhea, whereas in 1990, the figure was slightly higher (2.58 million). In 2012, diarrhea was the second most common reason of death (11%, n = 0.76 million) in children less than 5 years. Although various synthetic drugs are being prescribed as standard therapy for diarrhea, they have side effects. It is possible to prescribe the herbal medicine for diarrhea, which is safe and effective. In this study, medicinal plants discussed are proven to be scientifically active in diarrheal diseases. This study reviews about current medicinal plants used in the treatment of diarrhea. The use of medicinal plants for diarrhea results in improvement of the symptom. Moreover, studies on large scale are needed to characterize the beneficial role of medicinal plants in the treatment of diarrhea

Comparison of Peritonsillar Bupivacaine versus Peritonsillar Dexamethasone in Post-Tonsillectomy Pain Management

Objective: To compare efficacy of Peritonsillar Dexamethasone with Peritonsillar Bupivacaine in managing post-tonsillectomy pain in children. Study design: Randomized Controlled Trial Setting & Period: ENT Department Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH) Rawalpindi from 01-06-2019 to 31-11-2020. Material &Methods: A total of sixty patients of both genders between ages of 5-15 years fulfilling the recognized criteria for tonsillectomy were selected. They were equally divided into two groups; Group A received peritonsillar Bupivacaine while Group B received peritonsillar Dexamethasone. Mean post-tonsillectomy Visual Analogue Score (VAS) at 1st, 2nd and 7th day were recorded in both groups and compared using independent sample ‘t’ test. Results: In group A Mean post-tonsillectomy VAS at 24 hours was 6.73±1.44 SD while in group B it was 5.93±1.26 SD (p-value 0.025). Mean post-tonsillectomy VAS at 48 hours was 5.60±1.25 SD and 4.37±1.03 SD (p-value 0.000) respectively in groups A and B. At 7th post operative day, Mean VAS was noted as 3.27±0.74 SD and 2.30±0.79 SD (p-value 0.000) respectively in group A and B.  Conclusion: Peritonsillar Dexamethasone is more effective than peritonsillar Bupivacaine in controlling post-tonsillectomy pain in children. Statistically significant difference was noted for mean post-tonsillectomy VAS at 1st, 2nd and 7th day. Key Words: Tonsillectomy, visual analogue score, postoperative pain, dexamethasone, bupivacaine

Macroscopic Traffic Flow Characterization at Bottlenecks

Traffic congestion is a significant issue in urban areas. Realistic traffic flow models are crucial for understanding and mitigating congestion. Congestion occurs at bottlenecks where large changes in density occur. In this paper, a traffic flow model is proposed which characterizes traffic at the egress and ingress to bottlenecks. This model is based on driver response which includes driver reaction and traffic stimuli. Driver reaction is based on time headway and driver behavior which can be classified as sluggish, typical or aggressive. Traffic stimuli are affected by the transition width and changes in the equilibrium velocity distribution. The explicit upwind difference scheme is used to evaluate the Lighthill, Whitham, and Richards (LWR) and proposed models with a continuous injection of traffic into the system. A stability analysis of these models is given and both are evaluated over a road of length 10 km which has a bottleneck. The results obtained show that the behavior with the proposed model is more realistic than with the LWR model. This is because the LWR model cannot adequately characterize driver behavior during changes in traffic flow

Hospital-based ultra-sonographic prevalence and spectrum of thyroid incidentalomas in Pakistani population

Introduction: Thyroid incidentalomas (TIs) are clinically asymptomatic nodules found accidentally during imaging studies ordered for some other reasons. Being easily accessible, non-invasive, and inexpensive, thyroid ultrasound (US) is a key investigation in the management of thyroid nodules.Methods: This ultrasound-based cross-sectional study was performed in the radiology department of a major tertiary care hospital. Every second patient visiting the emergency department was a potential candidate for a thyroid ultrasound. Patients having ages greater than 20 years were included in the study.Results: A total of 250 patients were included in the study. Out of these, 175 were female and 75 were male. The majority (54.80%) were in the age group 21-30 years. Nodules were found in 65 (26%) patients and in the majority of cases (67.7%) they were multiple in number. Associated lymphadenopathy was seen in only one patient. Thyroid nodules were more common in females as compared to males (75.38% versus 24.62%). According to Thyroid Imaging and Reporting Data System (TI-RADS) classification, the majority of the nodules were falling in TI-RADS 1 (74%) followed by TI-RADS 3 (9.60%) and 4A (8.80%).Conclusion: The thyroid nodules are more commonly seen in females as compared to males. A significant association is seen between the frequency of thyroid nodules and increasing age. The majority of thyroid nodules fall in TI-RADS 1 category followed by TI-RADS 3 and 4A