Purposes to Seek Information Resources by Academicians of the Oldest & Leading University of the Sub-Continent: An Explanatory Study

Major goal of this research was to know the purposes of seeking information resources by the academicians at GC University Lahore. As an allied goal, effort was made to know the role of the university library in meeting information and research needs of the academic faculty. Mixed methods research design was adopted for meeting goals of the research. Explanatory Sequential Design (QUAN + qual) was utilized. Firstly, quantitative data was collected through the instrument of questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS Software. Qualitative data was collected from 30 seasoned academicians working in different departments of the university. Thematic approach was followed to make analysis of the qualitatively driven data. Results of the study show that academicians search information resources for the purposes of preparing lectures, for guiding research scholars and students, for presenting research papers, to keep up with current developments, for writing research articles and enhancing their general knowledge. Findings of the study show that respondents are satisfied with the resources and services of university library. Participants recommend the need of formal training for developing skills to search specific information resources through online sources. Findings of this study are limited to the teaching faculty at GC University Lahore Pakistan, a leading institute of the sub-continent. The study has practical implication for the authorities of the universities and policy-makers of Higher Education Commission, Islamabad to design services in accordance with the needs of faculty members of the university. The study has revealed purposes of seeking information resources by academic faculty of the university, role of the library and practical solutions to meet information and research needs of the teaching faculty members

The role of Jasmonic Acid (JA) and Abscisic Acid (ABA) in salt resistance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Salt stress is a major constraint to crop production. The expansion of young growing leaves is arrested by osmotic problems faced by roots in the first phase of salt stress. The leaf growth of salt-sensitive maize genotype Pioneer 3906 has been shown to be limited due to reduced plasmalemma H+-ATPase proton pumping into the leaf apoplast. This leads to a lower acidification of the cell wall, which according to the acid growth theory decreases the cellwall extensibility and cell elongation. However cell-wall acidification of a newly developed maize hybrid SR 03 does not change and therefore accounts for its resistance during the first phase of salt stress. It has been proposed in some studies that the events that limit leaf growth following osmotic stress are controlled by root-sourced signals. Inhibition of leaf growth by salt stress is a complex mechanism and may involve multiple signals. So it was assumed that the salt resistance of SR 03 may involve a signal distinct from that of salt-sensitive ones or differs in pathway of a common signal. The hormonal signal abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates in plant tissues under salt stress and the maize genotypes differing in salt resistance have shown variations in ABA synthesis. In addition there are also some indications that the stress hormone jasmonic acid (JA) also takes part in osmotic stress signaling. The aims of the current study were to test the hypotheses that I) salt stress stimulates the synthesis of JA in the root and shoot tissues of maize genotypes II) leaf growth and acidification of the leaf apoplast in maize genotypes during the first phase of salt stress are controlled by long-distance signaling of JA and/or ABA; III) differential acidification of the leaf apoplast in maize genotypes in response to salt stress is caused by differential expression of plasmalemma H+-ATPase isoforms; IV) variation of maize genotypes in salt resistance during the first phase of salt stress depends on the type of hormone signal and/or the sensitivity to these signals. The results obtained in this study support the following conclusions: 1. Increased concentrations of JA in root tissues of only salt-sensitive Acoss 8023 showed that JA signaling is different in maize genotypes of variable sensitivity during the first phase of salt stress. JA improved Na+ exclusion at the root surface. 2. The expansion of young leaves was significantly reduced during the first phase of salt stress and the reduction was more pronounced in salt-sensitive Pioneer 3906 as compared to the salt-resistant SR 03. A similar pattern of leaf growth inhibition by exogenous ABA in both maize genotypes supports the hypothesis that leaf growth during the first phase of salt stress is controlled by ABA. In comparison to saltsensitive Pioneer 3906, leaf expansion of salt-resistant SR 03 was less sensitive to ABA-induced inhibition and is responsible for the resistance of SR 03 during the first phase of salt stress. 3. The decrease in cell-wall acidification due to lower plasmalemma H+-ATPase proton pumping during the first phase of salt stress is a major cause of reduction in leaf expansion of salt-sensitive Pioneer 3906. The results reported in this study provide evidence that the partial inhibition of plasmalemma H+-ATPase proton pumping in leaves of Pioneer 3906 under salt stress involves ABA signaling, which downregulates the transcription of MHA3. The data support the conclusion that MHA3 is an efficient isoform of H+-ATPase with higher H+/ATP coupling ratio. Unchanged levels of enzyme concentration in the membranes of the ABA and salt-treated plants show that the ABA-induced down regulation of MHA3 is compensated with the upregulation of an unknown inefficient isoform. 4. In contrast, H+-ATPase proton pumping and cell-wall acidification remained unaffected in leaves of salt-resistant SR 03 during the first phase of salt stress. A differential response of MHA3 transcription to ABA reduced the sensitivity of SR 03 to ABA-induced inhibition of leaf growth and therefore contributed to the salt resistance of SR 03.Salzstress zählt zu den Umweltfaktoren, welche die landwirtschaftliche Produktion weltweit limitieren. In der ersten Phase des Salzstresses nimmt die Pflanzenwurzel osmotische Probleme im Boden wahr, in dessen Folge es zu einer Einschränkung des Wachstums hauptsächlich der jungen, noch nicht vollständig ausgewachsenen Blätter kommt. So zeigte der salzempfindliche Maisgenotyp Pioneer 3906 ein vermindertes Blattwachstum, welches auf eine reduzierte Pumpaktivität der Plasmalemma-H+-ATPase und einer damit einhergehenden verminderten Ansäuerung des Blattapoplasten zurückzuführen ist. Ausgehend von der Säurewachstumstheorie ist diese ausbleibende Ansäuerung der Zellwand verantwortlich für eine verminderte Zellwandextensibilität und Zellstreckung. Im Gegensatz dazu konnte der neu entwickelte Maishybrid SR 03 die Zellwandansäuerung während der ersten Phase des Salzstresses aufrechterhalten, was sich in einem verbesserten Blattwachstum zeigte. Dieses scheint daher eine Möglichkeit zur Ausbildung von Salzresistenz zu sein. In einigen Studien wurde bereits postuliert, dass wurzelbürtige Signale ein wichtiger Vermittler zwischen der Wahrnehmung des osmotischen Stresses und der dadurch vermittelten Hemmung des Blattwachstums darstellen. Für Salzstress ist bekannt, dass die Wachstumshemmung des Sprosses ein komplexer Mechanismus ist, in welchen viele verschiedene Signale involviert sind. Es wird vermutet, dass die bei SR 03 zu beobachtende Salzresistenz einen Signalweg beinhaltet, welcher sich von dem des salzempfindlichen Pioneer 3906 unterscheidet oder aber auf Veränderungen innerhalb der Signalweiterleitung zurückzuführen ist. Unter abiotischen Stressbedingungen wie Trockenheit oder Salinität spielt in diesem Zusammenhang besonders das Phytohormon Abscisinsäure (ABA) eine wesentliche Rolle. Unter Salzstress beispielsweise unterscheiden sich verschiedene Maisgenotypen in Abhängigkeit von ihrem Resistenzeigenschaften in der Stärke der ABA-Synthese und letztlich der ABA-Akkumulation im Pflanzengewebe. Neben der Abscisinsäure gibt es aber auch Hinweise, dass auch das Stresshormon Jasmonsäure (JA) eine wichtige Rolle in der Signalweiterleitung bei osmotischem Stress spielt. Vor diesem Hintergrund war das Ziel dieser Arbeit, für verschieden resistente Maisgenotypen zu überprüfen, ob in der ersten Phase von Salzstress: 1. die Synthese von JA in Wurzel- und Sprossgewebe stimuliert wird, 2. das Blattwachstum und die apoplastische Ansäuerung über Langstreckensignale mittels JA und/oder ABA vermittelt werden, 3. Unterschiede in der Ansäuerung des Blattapoplasten auf eine veränderte Expression unterschiedlicher Isoformen der Plasmalemma-H+-ATPase zurückzuführen sind, 4. Unterschiede in der Salzresistenz von der Art des Signals und der Sensitivität gegenüber diesem Signal abhängen. Abschließend lassen sich die aus dieser Arbeit erhaltenen Ergebnisse wie folgt zusammenfassen: 1. Eine erhöhte Konzentration an JA im Wurzelgewebe konnte nur für den salzempfindlichen Maisgenotypen Across 8023 festgestellt werden. Hieraus kann abgeleitet werden, dass der JA-Signalweg unterschiedlich in den verschieden resistenten Maisgenotypen in der ersten Phase von Salzstress abläuft. Durch Jasmonsäure kam es zwar zu einer verbesserten Natriumexklusion an der Wurzeloberfläche. 2. Das Wachstum der jungen Blätter aller Maisgenotypen war signifikant vermindert in der ersten Phase des Salzstresses. Dabei war das Sprosswachstum des salzempfindlichen Pioneer 3906 deutlich stärker beeinträchtigt als das des resistenteren SR 03. Durch die exogene Behandlung der beiden Maisgenotypen mit ABA konnte eine ähnliche Wachstumshemmung induziert werden. Dieses unterstützt die Hypothese, dass das Blattwachstum in der ersten Phase des Salzstresses durch ABA kontrolliert wird. Im Gegensatz zu Pioneer 3906 reagierte SR 03 auch hier deutlich weniger empfindlich mit einer Wachstumshemmung auf die ABABehandlung, so dass auf eine Beteiligung von ABA an der Ausbildung von Salzresistenz geschlossen werden kann. 3. Die Abnahme der Zellwandansäuerung bedingt durch eine verminderte Pumpaktivität der Plasmalemma-H+-ATPase ist einer der Hauptursachen für das gehemmte Blattwachstum bei Pioneer 3906 in der ersten Phase des Salzstresses. Die gezeigten Ergebnisse lassen darauf schließen, dass eine teilweise Hemmung der Pumpaktivität der Plasmalemma-H+-ATPase in den Blättern von Pioneer 3906 auf eine Beteiligung von ABA zurückzuführen ist. So führte die Applikation von ABA auf Transkriptionsebene zu einer Runterregulation der Isoform MHA3. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse erlauben den Schluss, dass innerhalb der Familie der Plasmalemma H+- ATPasen bei Mais MHA3 eine effiziente Isoform darstellt, welche sich durch eine erhöhte H+/ATP-Kopplungseffizienz auszeichnet. Die unveränderte Enzymkonzentration in der Plasmamembran der mit ABA und Salz behandelten Pflanzen zeigt, dass die ABA-induzierte Runterregulation von MHA3 in Pioneer 3906 durch die Hochregulation einer unbekannten, ineffizienten Isoform kompensiert werden muss. 4. Im salzresistenteren SR 03 blieben in der ersten Phase des Salzstresses die Pumpaktivität der Plasmalemma-H+-ATPase sowie die Ansäuerung des Blattapoplasten unbeeinflusst. Durch die Behandlung mit ABA kam es auf Transkriptionsebene zu einer Hochregulation von MHA3. Hierdurch wurde bei SR 03 die Sensitivität gegenüber der ABA-induzierbaren Wachstumshemmung vermindert, welches zu einer verbesserten Salzresistenz beitrug

Role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of acromegaly

Acromegaly is a rare, indolent disease due to overproduction of growth hormone. Surgery is identified as primary treatment, but has its limitation, thus frequently requiring alternate treatment options as adjunct to surgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been used as adjuvant and alternate therapy in patients with inoperable or residual disease; or those not fit for surgery. It has shown reasonable results for treating macroadenoma and tumours invading cavernous sinuses with significant reduction in tumour size and durable endocrinological remission. Factors favouring better outcomes include time from last resection to SRS, older age, peri-procedural withdrawal of medication, higher margin and maximum dose.Hypopituitarism is the most common side effects and requires yearly screening. With the new advances in the field Fractionated-stereotactic radiosurgery and cyber-knife robotic radiosurgery have been introduced with promising preliminary results.

Role of Head Nurses and Services of Nurses as Front Line against Covid-19 Epidemic

The role of nurses in the health system is like a backbone. The COVID-19 appeared in China in the end of December, 2019 and the epidemic spread around the world. Nurses are risking their lives to work on the front line against the COVID-19. Nurses have always taken risking in performing their duties, but the new epidemic has made their work even more difficult. Nurses are playing a leading role in the fight against Covid-19. The World Health Organization announced the incidence of the coronavirus as an epidemic in March, 2020. The Purpose of the research role of nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic and is to get the front line nurses to known these thought and health issues while talking care of these ablutions

Extra-renal Wilms’ Tumor in a child: A Case Report

 Wilms’ tumor is one of the most common abdominal tumor of childhood, primarily a malignant renal tumor.  Extrarenal wilms’ tumor, however, is a rare disease, more commonly reported in Indian subcontinent. The locations of an extrarenal wilms’ tumor include retroperitoneum, uterus, skin and thorax

Gastroprotective potential and mechanisms of action of Hedera nepalensis

Hedera nepalensis (H. nepalensis) , belonging to the family Araliaceae, is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat stomach problems. The current study investigated the gastroprotective potential and the mechanism of action of H. nepalensis in diclofenac-and ethanol-induced ulcer models. Anti-oxidant and lipid peroxidation inhibitory prospects of H. nepalensis were checked out by free radical scavenging assay and UV spectrophotometer respectively. Effect of H. nepalensis on the pH, gastric total acidity of gastric juice and protective effects of H. nepalensis against ulcer models have been examined. Histopathological studies have been carried out. The aqueous methanol extract of H. nepalensis (100 µg/mL) showed anti-oxidant (83.55%) and lipid peroxidation inhibitory (70.88%) potential at 1000 µg/mL; the extract had no buffer potential. The extract (400 mg/kg) significantly (81.12% and 63.46%) showed gastroprotective effect in diclofenac and ethanol-induced rat ulcer models respectively. Histopathological studies confirmed the biochemical findings. FTIR analysis showed the presence of carboxylic acid, alkanes, conjugated alkanes, aldehydes and alkyl-aryl ethers. Gallic acid, M-coumaric acid and quercetin were found by HPLC analysis. H. nepalensis exhibited significant protection against diclofenac and ethanol induced gastric damage by anti-oxidant and lipid peroxidation suppression effects suggesting potential broad utility in treatment of diseases characterized with gastric damage

Precise Computation of Energy Levels and Radiative Lifetimes in the s, p, d, and f Sequence of Hydrogen Isotope, with Natural Line Widths

Energy levels and Radiative lifetimes in Deuterium for the following: ns 2S1/2(n≥2), np2Po(1/2,3/2)(n≥2), nd 2D(3/2,5/2)(n≥3), and nf 2Fo(5/2,7/2)(n≥4) sequence have been  evaluated with uncertainties in energies caused due to uncertainty principal. Theoretical calculations performed utilizing the Weakest Bound Electron Potential Model Theory (WBEPMT). Both sets of data show quite an excellent agreement with the experimental data listed at NIST.  This theoretical computation is also a continuation of the work by Raza. S. et al. in Neutral Hydrogen. The high ‘n’ (principal quantum number) values for both sets  of data are presented very first time by utilizing WBEPMT. Keywords: Energy levels, Radiative lifetimes, Quantum defects, Weakest bound electron, Natural line width. DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-10-07 Publication date:May 31st 201

Passive immunization against highly pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) strain H7N3 with antiserum generated from viral polypeptides protect poultry birds from lethal viral infection

Our studies were aimed at developing a vaccination strategy that could provide protection against highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV), H7N3 or its variants outbreaks. A purified viral stock of highly pathogenic H7N3 isolate was lysed to isolate viral proteins by electrophresing on 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), followed by their elution from gel through trituration in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Overall, five isolated viral polypeptides/proteins upon characterization were used to prepare hyperimmune monovalent serum against respective polypeptides independently and a mixture of all five in poultry birds, and specificity confirmation of each antiserum through dot blot and Western blotting. Antiserum generated from various group birds was pooled and evaluated in 2-week old broiler chicken, for its protection against viral challenge. To evaluate in-vivo protection of each antiserum against viral challenges, six groups of 2-week old broiler chicken were injected with antiserum and a seventh control group received normal saline. Each group was exposed to purified highly pathogenic AIV H7N3 strain at a dose 105 embryo lethal dose (ELD50). We observed that nucleoprotein (NP) antiserum significantly protected birds from viral infection induced morbidity, mortality and lowered viral shedding compared with antiserum from individual viral proteins or mixed polypeptides/proteins inclusive of NP component. The capability of individual viral polypeptide specific antisera to protect against viral challenges in decreasing order was nucleoprotein (NP) > hemagglutinin (HA) > neuraminidase (NA) > viral proteins mix > viral polymerase (PM) > non-structural proteins (NS). Our data provide proof of concept for potential utilization of passive immunization in protecting poultry industry during infection outbreaks. Furthermore conserved nature of avian NP makes it an ideal candidate to produce antiserum protective against viral infection

Vibration Characteristics of Fluid-Filled Functionally Graded Cylindrical Material with Ring Supports

Vibration analysis of fluid-filled functionally graded material (FGM) cylindrical shells (CSs) is investigated with ring supports. The shell problem is formulated by deriving strain and kinetic energies of a vibrating cylindrical shell (CS). The method of variations of Hamiltonian principle is utilized to change the shell integral problem into the differential equation (DE) expression. Three differential equations (DE) in three unknown for displacement functions form a system of partial differential equations (PDEs). The shells are restricted along the thickness direction by ring supports. The polynomial functions describe the influence of the ring supports and have the degree equal to the number of ring supports. Fluid loaded terms (FLT) are affixed with the shell motion equations. The acoustic wave equation states the fluid pressure designated by the Bessel functions of first kind. Axial modal deformation functions are specified by characteristic beam functions which meet end conditions imposed on two ends of the shell. The Galerkin method is employed to get the shell frequency equation. Natural frequency of FGM cylindrical shell is investigated by placing the ring support at different position with fluid for a number of physical parameters. For validity and accuracy, results are obtained and compared with the data in open literature. A good agreement is achieved between two sets of numerical results