Evaluation of Growth and Yield Attributes of Different Wheat Genotypes Sown under Various Planting Times

Late planting time caused drastic reduction in crop development, growth and yield attributes. Three-year field experiments were conducted at the Field Area of Agronomic Research Station Bahawalpur, Pakistan, to evaluate the performance of six wheat genotypes under different sowing dates starting form 1st Nov. to 21st Dec. with 10 days of intervals in each experimental year. Growth and yield components were determined at the time of physiological maturity. Late sowing of wheat crop drastically decreased the crop development attributes (days taken to booting, heading, anthesis, physiological maturity), growth attributes (germination count m-2, No. of tillers m-2 and plant height) and yield attribute (number of grains spike-1, 1000 grains weight, grain yield). Wheat sown at 11th Nov. followed by 1st Nov. and 21st Nov. reported maximum growth and yield attributes. Maximum reduction in growth and yield of wheat was observed by sowing on 21st Dec. and 11th Dec. Variations among genotypes were also observed. Genotype Aas-11 and Punjab-11 performed better in all the sowing dates while genotype Sehar-06 showed poor growth and yield attributes. Among the years, experimental season of 2012-13 and 2010-11 reported better growth and yield attributes. On overall basis, it may be concluded that wheat sown at 1st Nov. to 21st Nov. appeared to be most desirable sowing time to harvest maximum yield in all tested genotypes. However early as well as late planting of wheat favors for genotypes Aas-11 and Punjab-11. Keywords: Sowing dates, wheat genotypes, late planting, crop development, germination count, anthesis, yield attribute

Effect of Different Phosphorus Levels on Growth and Yield of Wheat under Water Stress Conditions

Water stress and low phosphorus availability are the limiting factors for growth and yield of wheat. Five different phosphorus levels (P = 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 kg ha-1) with three water stress levels (I1 = well-irrigated, I2 = water stress at reproductive stage and I3 = water stress both at vegetative + reproductive stages) were applied to check their effects on growth and yield of wheat. Higher application of phosphorus with optimum irrigation showed significant effect on growth of wheat. Higher phosphorus application rate compensate the effect of water stress conditions both at vegetative and reproductive stages. Drought stress at vegetative + reproductive stages was more drastically affected as compared to stress at reproductive stage. Lower phosphorus application rate with water stress caused maximum reduction in plant height, number of tillers, spike length, number of grains spike-1, 1000 grains weight, grain yield and straw yield. It was concluded that application of phosphorus at higher rate could compensate drastic effect of water stress. On overall performance, application of phosphorus at the rate of 120 kg ha-1 showed better results under water stress conditions as compared to other phosphorus levels. Keywords: - wheat, water stress, phosphorus, growth, yield

Mechanical and comfort properties of Hydroentangled nonwovens from comber noil

Cotton fibre is one of the most important commodity fibre and is widely employed in apparels. At present, the share of natural fibres in production of nonwoven fabrics is low and employed in opt applications. The cotton fibre is conventionally converted into woven and knitted fabrics by short staple spinning methods. The comber noil is short fibre waste during production of combed cotton yarns. The aims of the current study were to employ comber noil for preparation of Hydroentangled cotton nonwovens at varying water jet pressures and conveyor speeds. The effect of these parameters is studied with respect to mechanical and comfort properties of prepared fabrics. The results showed that these variables can help to manufacture fibrous assemblies with engineered properties according to required application area

Central Nervous System Complications in Civilians’ Blast – Induced Head Injuries

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of central nervous system complications in civilians with explosive related head injuries.Material and Methods: This observational study was conducted at Neurosurgery Department, Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar – Pakistan, from January 2009 to December 2011 (3 years). We included all the patients with explosive related head injuries who were hospitalized, of all age groups and both genders, and excluded those patients who died before hospitalization. We also excluded patients with head injuries having neurovascular complications or had neurological deficit.Results: We had total of 191 patients with bomb blast head injuries treated in Lady Reading Hospital. One sixty six (86.9%) patients were male and 25 (13.1%) female with male / female ratio of 6.6:1. Their age ranged from 2 months of 71 years. Almost 65% of the patients were in their 2nd, 3rd and 4th decades of life. The common CNS complications in our patients were infections (12.04%), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak (8.38%), epilepsy (5.2%) and post-traumatic hydrocephalous (3.7%). Mortality rate was 11%.Conclusion: We conclude from this study that central nervous system infections are the common (12.04%) complication of civilian explosive related head injuries followed by cerebrospinal fluid leak, seizures and hydro-cephalous respectively. Over all morbidity is 29.32% and mortality rate is 11% in those head injured patients who reach to hospital

Incidence of Infection and Causative Organisms in Patients with Ventriculoperitoneal Shunting for Hydrocephalus

Objective: To determine about the incidence of infection and causative organisms in patients with Ventriculoperitoneal shunting for hydrocephalus. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, from Jan 2012 to Dec 2013 (one year). The medical record of all cases operated in last one year was checked from record room. Documentation was done according to Performa designed indicating age, sex, clinical features and type of microorganism. All patients of either sex and age with Previous Ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery and Signs and symptoms suggestive of shunt infection were included in the study. While patients of previous Ventriculoperitoneal shunt with no signs and symptoms were excluded from the study. All the data were analyzed by SPSS 20 and results were represented in the form of graphs / tables. Results: Total 82 patients were included in the study in which males were 50 (60.97%) and females were 32 (39.02%). All the patients were in the age range of 6 months to 75 years having mean age of 37.75 years ± 5 SD. 58 (70.73%) were in pediatric age group and 24 (29.26%) were adults. Regarding etiology congenital acquiductal stenosis was the leading cause in children’s having 22/58 (37.93%) and CNS tumors were the most common cause in adults having 10/24 (41.66%). Fever and vomiting were the most common mode of presentation with 66 (80%) cases. overall incidence of shunt infection was 12 (14.63%) in which the most common microorganism was coagulase negative staphylococci having 6/12 (50%) cases. Conclusion: Shunt infection most commonly occur in children’s and coagulase negative staphylococci is the most common causative organism. Abbreviations: CSF: Cerebrospinal Fluid

Synthesis, characterization, molecular modeling and anti-algal activities of a Schiff base and its m+2 complexes

In present work Four new complexes of 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde -N-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-3H-indol-3-ylidene)hydrazine have been synthesized with some transition metals, i.e. Ni+2, Cu+2 , Co+2 and Zn+2 in non-aqueous medium. Complexes were characterized by magnetic moment, conductance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and spectroscopic investigations including infrared, ultraviolet-visible and atomic absorption spectroscopy. To support experimental characterization, quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations were performed. Experimental results with the support of QM and MM computations highlighted the proposition about the ligand to be bound to the metal ions in a tridentate manner through its phenolic oxygen, azomethine nitrogen and carbonyl group (C=O). On the basis of experimental and computational results, tetrahedral geometry is proposed for Cu+2 complex and distorted tetrahedral geometry is proposed for Zn+2 complex while octahedral geometries are proposed for Co+2 and Ni+2 complexes. For all compounds, anti-cyanobacterial (algicidal) activity was evaluated against three marine cyanobacteria i.e. Pseudoanabaena lonchoides, Lyngbya contorta, and Spirulina major. It was found that the metal complexes are more potent anti-cyanobacterial agents than the ligand

Zinc Essentiality, Toxicity, and Its Bacterial Bioremediation: A Comprehensive Insight

Zinc (Zn) is one of the most abundantly found heavy metals in the Earth’s crust and is reported to be an essential trace metal required for the growth of living beings, with it being a cofactor of major proteins, and mediating the regulation of several immunomodulatory functions. However, its essentiality also runs parallel to its toxicity, which is induced through various anthropogenic sources, constant exposure to polluted sites, and other natural phenomena. The bioavailability of Zn is attributable to various vegetables, beef, and dairy products, which are a good source of Zn for safe consumption by humans. However, conditions of Zn toxicity can also occur through the overdosage of Zn supplements, which is increasing at an alarming rate attributing to lack of awareness. Though Zn toxicity in humans is a treatable and non-life-threatening condition, several symptoms cause distress to human activities and lifestyle, including fever, breathing difficulty, nausea, chest pain, and cough. In the environment, Zn is generally found in soil and water bodies, where it is introduced through the action of weathering, and release of industrial effluents, respectively. Excessive levels of Zn in these sources can alter soil and aquatic microbial diversity, and can thus affect the bioavailability and absorption of other metals as well. Several Gram-positive and -negative species, such as Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., and Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., and Enterobacter sp., respectively, have been reported to be promising agents of Zn bioremediation. This review intends to present an overview of Zn and its properties, uses, bioavailability, toxicity, as well as the major mechanisms involved in its bioremediation from polluted soil and wastewaters

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes