Physico-Chemical Properties and Fertility Status of District Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

Physico-chemical properties of soils in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab Province, Pakistan, were determined for better management. A total of 3198 soil samples collected from all tehsils of Rahim Yar Khan district (662 samples from Khan Pur, 800 samples from Liaquat Pur, 866 samples from Rahim Yar Khan and 870 soil samples from Sadiq Abad) were tested in Soil and Water Testing Laboratory, Bahawalpur, Pakistan during 2011-2013. Soil characteristics of Rahim Yar Khan district were evaluated through physical and chemical analyses. Representative soil samples received/collected from farmers fields were analyzed for texture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, organic matter (OM), available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents. Texture of the soils varied from sandy loam to loam. About 53% soils had EC values within the normal range (< 4 dS m-1). The pH values of 92% soils ranged from 7.5 to 8.5 with an average of 8.06 and 7% soils had pH > 8.5. About 93% soils were poor (< 0.86%) in organic matter and only 7% soil samples had satisfactory level of organic matter (0.86-1.29%). About 47% soils were poor( < 7 ppm) in available phosphorus,33 % samples had satisfactory level of  available phosphorus (7-14 ppm) and only 20 % samples had adequate level of  available phosphorus (>14 ppm) contents. The K status of most of soils was in satisfactory (50%) and adequate range (43%). The objective of present study is to assess the soil fertility and salinity status of Rahim Yar Khan district for formulation of optimum fertilizer recommendations for different crops grown in the area. Keywords: Soil Analysis, EC, pH, SOM, P, K, Rahim Yar Kha

Characterization of Halophilic/Halotolerant Bacteria Isolated from the Hypersaline Environment of Khewra, District Jhelum

Background: Khewra salt mine is an extremely saline habitat of Pakistan that provides a suitable environment for salt loving microorganisms, halophiles. Halophiles grow in high salt concentration and are excellent sources of enzymes that perform catalytic reactions competently under extreme conditions.Methods: A total of twenty-five samples (rocks, soil, water, and salt drippings), collected from Khewra salt mine and its vicinity, were checked for growth. Isolates were purified and characterized by Biochemical and Molecular Tests. The isolates were also screened for biotechnological potential.Results: Samples (n=12) did not show growth, while samples (n=13) showed growth on high salt media. Isolates showed growth on 1-29% NaCl concentration, 15oC-40oC temperature and pH 6.5-9.0. Molecular analysis showed that isolate AJS-21y was closely related (98% similarity) to Salinicoccus roseus while isolate AJS-22 belonged to Bacillaceae family and was closely related (99% similarity) to Piscibacillus sp. Both isolates gave extracellular production of amylase.Conclusion: Current study showed the presence of Salinicoccus sp. and Piscibacillus sp. in Khewra salt mine, Pakistan. The ability of isolates AJS-21y and AJS-22 to survive at high salt concentrations and production of extracellular amylase made them highly attractive for industrial applications and synthesizing transgenic crops tolerating high salinity.Keywords: Khewra; Characterization; Halophilic; Halotolerant; Salinicoccus; Piscibacillus   

Long-Term Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty in The Treatment of Small Vessel Coronary Artery Disease

Long-Term Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty in The Treatment of Small Vessel Coronary Artery Disease Objectives: To determine the outcomes in patients with small-vessel disease (SVD) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-coated balloon (DCB) and correlate these adverse outcomes with various risk factors. Methodology: The prospective cohort study was conducted at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) from January 2020 to December 2022. After being approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee, fifty-four patients who presented with SVD were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Written informed consent was obtained from the patients. They were treated with DCB and observed clinically on follow-ups at 15, 30, 60, and 90 days, & later after every 6 months for up to 2 years. Only those patients who presented with symptoms underwent repeat angiography. The outcomes assessed were cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Results: Cardiovascular mortality occurred in 2(3.7%), MI in 3(5.6%) and TLR in 2(3.7%) patients. There was a significant association between cardiovascular mortality, MI, and TLR with diabetes mellitus and BMI. Age was only significantly related to cardiovascular mortality. Conclusion: A drug-coated balloon is an effective and feasible treatment modality for small vessel disease. The incidence of outcomes of cardiovascular mortality, MI, and TLR after DCB is low, making it a safe modality. Advanced age, obesity, and diabetes mellitus alone or with hypertension are the predicting factors of adverse outcomes after DCB in patients with SVD. Keywords: Drug-coated balloon, DCB, Small vessel coronary artery disease, SV

An innovative approach for hyperproduction of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes by consortium of Aspergillus niger MSK-7 and Trichoderma viride MSK-10

The present work describes the production of cellulolytic enzymes (CMC-ase, FP-ase, β-glucosidase) and hemicellulolytic enzyme (xylanase) along with total extracellular protein by Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma viride using submerged fermentation. Among seven different kinds of experiments, secretion rate of protein and enzymes was investigated by mono- and co-cultures of A. niger and T. viride using wheat bran as substrate with the supply of Eggins and Pugh salt medium. Co-culture of A. niger and T. viride (when both were mixed together simultaneously) gave 30-50% higher production of total protein (0.58 mg/ml) and enzymes; CMC-ase (2.79 U/ml/min), FP-ase (1.75 U/ml/min) and xylanase (189.7 U/ml/min) than mono-cultures and all other combinations. Biosynthesis of β-glucosidase was found higher i.e., 4.66 U/ml/min in co-culture of A. niger and T. viride (when T. viride was mixed with 24 hours old culture of A. niger). Simultaneous co-culture of A. niger and T. viride was further optimized with fermentation rate, different carbon sources, incubation temperature and different pH of fermentation media.Key words: Strain compatibility, co-culture, mono-culture, fermentation

Face Recognition Based on Facial Features 1

Abstract: Commencing from the last decade several different methods have been planned and developed in the prospect of face recognition that is one of the chief stimulating zone in the area of image processing. Face recognitions processes have various applications in the prospect of security systems and crime investigation systems. The study is basically comprised of three phases, i.e., face detection, facial features extraction and face recognition. The first phase is the face detection process where region of interest i.e., features region is extracted. The 2 nd phase is features extraction. Here face features i.e., eyes, nose and lips are extracted out commencing the extracted face area. The last module is the face recognition phase which makes use of the extracted left eye for the recognition purpose by combining features of Eigenfeatures and Fisherfeatures

Application of Gene Expression Programming (GEP) for the prediction of compressive strength of geopolymer concrete

For the production of geopolymer concrete (GPC), fly-ash (FA) like waste material has been effectively utilized by various researchers. In this paper, the soft computing techniques known as gene expression programming (GEP) are executed to deliver an empirical equation to estimate the compressive strength of GPC made by employing FA. To build a model, a consistent, extensive and reliable data base is compiled through a detailed review of the published research. The compiled data set is comprised of 298 experimental results. The utmost dominant parameters are counted as explanatory variables, in other words, the extra water added as percent FA (), the percentage of plasticizer (), the initial curing temperature (), the age of the specimen (), the curing duration (), the fine aggregate to total aggregate ratio (), the percentage of total aggregate by volume (), the percent SiO2 solids to water ratio () in sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution, the NaOH solution molarity (), the activator or alkali to FA ratio (), the sodium oxide (Na2O) to water ratio () for preparing Na2SiO3 solution, and the Na2SiO3 to NaOH ratio (). A GEP empirical equation is proposed to estimate the of GPC made with FA. The accuracy, generalization, and prediction capability of the proposed model was evaluated by performing parametric analysis, applying statistical checks, and then compared with non-linear and linear regression equations

Sugar Cane Bagasse Pretreatment: An Attempt To Enhance The Production Potential Of Cellulases By Humicola Insolens TAS-13

Pretreatment of the cellulosic substrate has miracle effect on the enhancement of cellulase production by fungal strains. A thermophilic strain of Humicola insolens TAS-13 was locally isolated and was tested for cellulases production under solid-state fermentation conditions using sugar cane bagasse as substrate. The cultural conditions for the H. insolens were also optimized for the higher rate of cellulase secretion. In order to enhance the production rate of heterogenous cellulosic proteins, bagasse was pretreated with NaOH, H2SO4, H2O2 and H2O2+1.5%NaOH. The pretreatment of bagasse with 2.0% H2O2 along with 1.5% NaOH enhanced the biosynthesis of cellulases by H. insolens. Production rate was also optimized with different parameters like thickness of fermentation medium, initial pH, incubation time and temperature. The thickness of the fermentation medium of 0.8 cm (10 g) with pH range of 5.5 was found to be better for enhanced production at 50\ub0C. The yield of the enzyme was reached maximum with CMC-ase (18.98 U/g/min), FP-ase (13.63 U/g/min), \u3b2-glucosidase (19.54 U/g/min) 72 h after inoculation

Microbial Contamination in Drinking Water of Saggiyan-Lahore, Pakistan

The present study was carried to evaluate the physico-chemical parameters and microbial contamination of drinking water in the area of Saggiyan, Lahore. The tested water samples (S1-S30) were found to contain 199.6-402 mg/L TDS, 196-260 ppm EC, 196-260 ppm Hardness, 0.8-17 NTU turbidity, 169-290 mg/L alkalinity, 0-0.1 ppb arsenic and 0-0.1 ppm fluoride contents. 95% of the water samples were found contaminated with fecal coliforms while 27% of the samples had shown the presence of E. coli. Though the physico-chemical parameters of most water samples were found in the safe limits of WHO, however, the presence of microbial contamination rendered it non-suitable for drinking purposes