Study on genetic diversity in Pakistani wheat varieties using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

Common wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is a grass species, cultivated world wide. Globally, it is the most important human food grain and ranks second in total production as a cereal crop behind maize. Genetic diversity evaluation of germplasm is the basis of improvement in wheat. In the present study genetic diversity of 10 varieties of wheat (T. aestivum) were analyzed using 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer sets. To estimate the genetic diversity among the genotypes, bivariate data matrix was generated and genetic distances were calculated using unweighted pair group of arithmetic mean (UPGMA) procedure. A high degree of genetic polymorphism was observed among the wheat varieties with average genetic distances ranged from 16 to 67%. SSR primer gdm-3, gdm-19, gdm-61, gdm-62, gdm-64, gdm-86, gdm-88, gdm 93-2a, 93-4b, gdm-13 and gdm-115 amplified 3, 2.9, 4.1, 4.7, 3, 1.7, 2.7, 3.7, 5.8, 4.1 and 1.4 loci per variety, respectively. Most diverse varieties of wheat were identified (Punjab-81 and Indus-79) and recommendations were made to utilize these varieties in future breeding program

Integration of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility with Other Key Anchors of Success

Corporate Social Responsibility is a firm’s moral obligation towards its customers. Usually CSR is seen in the context of buyers, customers and society outside the organization scenario. The present study examines strategic corporate social responsibility from employees’ perspective mediated by human resource development in relation to employee engagement and emotional intelligence. A structured questionnaire is used to collect the data from the employees serving private and foreign banks. Findings reveal a positive and significant impact of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Resource Development on Employee Engagement and Emotional Intelligence. Keywords: Strategic corporate social responsibility, emotional intelligence, employee engagement, human resource development, banking sector, Pakista

Joint optimization of Age of Information and Energy Efficiency in IoT Networks

Age of information (AoI) refers to the freshness of data generated by a status-update system. It is a crucial metric in networks such as Internet of things (IoT), specially when the underlying application demands fresh update. In environmental monitoring and smart agriculture, apart from the importance of AoI, energy efficiency (EE) becomes inevitable owing to network longevity. This paper studies an IoT network where the end devices transfer their information to a central gateway residing on a moving platform such as a tractor, which collects information from a large number of sensors in an agri-field. An optimal trajectory of the mobile reader is proposed using a modified nearest neighbor algorithm to gather the information from randomly distributed sensors. A clustering algorithm is also used to cluster the data in such a way that the overall EE of the network is maximized keeping a desired AoI and outage probability

Air quality in Mecca and surrounding holy places in Saudi Arabia during Hajj: initial survey.

The Arabian Peninsula experiences severe air pollution, the extent and sources of which are poorly documented. Each year in Saudi Arabia this situation is intensified during Hajj, the Holy Pilgrimage of Islam that draws millions of pilgrims to Mecca. An initial study of air quality in Mecca and surrounding holy sites during the 2012 Hajj (October 24-27) revealed strongly elevated levels of the combustion tracer carbon monoxide (CO, up to 57 ppmv) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) along the pilgrimage route-especially in the tunnels of Mecca-that are a concern for human health. The most abundant VOC was the gasoline evaporation tracer i-pentane, which exceeded 1200 ppbv in the tunnels. Even though VOC concentrations were generally lower during a follow-up non-Hajj sampling period (April 2013), many were still comparable to other large cities suffering from poor air quality. Major VOC sources during the 2012 Hajj study included vehicular exhaust, gasoline evaporation, liquefied petroleum gas, and air conditioners. Of the measured compounds, reactive alkenes and CO showed the strongest potential to form ground-level ozone. Because the number of pilgrims is expected to increase in the future, we present emission reduction strategies to target both combustive and evaporative fossil fuel sources

Effects of Triticale-Based Diets fed in Deep-Bedded Hoop Barns on Finishing Pig Performance and Pork Quality

Triticale is a synthetic small grain that results from an intergeneric cross between durum wheat and rye. Triticale has shown potential as a feedstuff in swine diets. Producers who may find this to be an attractive crop may also raise swine in an alternative swine production system. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of triticale-based diets on pork quality and finishing pig performance of pigs reared in deep-bedded hoop barns

Development of RAPD based markers for wheat rust resistance gene cluster (Lr37-Sr38-Yr17) derived from Triticum ventricosum L.

Rust diseases are the major cause of low yield of wheat in Pakistan. Wheat breeders all over the world as well as in Pakistan are deriving rust resistance genes from alien species like Triticum ventricosumand introducing them in common wheat (Triticum aestivum). One such example is the introgression of rust resistance gene cluster Lr37-Sr38-Yr17 derived from T. ventricosum chromosome 2NS into thecommon wheat. A basic prerequisite to introduce alien rust resistance gene (like those present on 2NS segment) in locally adapted varieties is availability of a suitable marker system which can be used tokeep track of presence of newly added gene in the old background. In this present study, one hundred and fifty Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to detect polymorphismbetween two near isogenic lines NILs (Anza and Anza+2NS) of wheat and to develop RAPD based molecular markers for rust resistance gene cluster derived from T. ventricosum. Polymerase chainreactions were carried out using standard protocols. All the amplification products were in the range of 250 to 1000 bp. Thirteen molecular markers (RAPDs) out of a total of 150 (approximately 8.6%) were developed for rust resistance gene cluster Lr37-Sr38-Yr17 and recommendations have been made to utilize these markers in Pakistani wheat breeding programs aimed at establishing rust resistantgermplasm