ASSESSMENT OF FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE REGARDING CHILD LABOR IN AGRICULTURE: A CASE STUDY OF COTTON GROWERS IN DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR

The work which affects the education, dignity and health of a child is known as child labor. It exists in agriculture sector of Pakistan mostly in the form of hazardous work. The main objective of the study was to investigate the degree of knowledge of cotton growers on child labor issue with special reference to Decent Work of International Labor Organization (ILO). The study was conducted in Bahawalpur district where Decent Work has been implemented by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan since 2013 as a part of its Sustainable Agriculture Program. Three categories of farmers were identified among a total of 388 selected cotton growers i.e. Farmers having high level of awareness, farmers having basic level of awareness and farmers having no awareness of child labor. Farmers were also categorized into three groups on the basis of their land holding i.e. (Category ‘a’) 1-7 acres, (b) >7-20 acres and (c) >20-50 acres. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistical method. Among category ‘a’ 7.5%, 88.7% and 3.7% of the farmers had advance, basic and no awareness, respectively. Among category ‘b’ 7.2%, 88.5% and4.2% farmers had advance, basic and no awareness, respectively. Among category ‘c’ 5.8%, 90.2% and 3.9% farmers had advance, basic and no awareness, respectively. Since there was a large proportion of those farmers who have only basic level of awareness on child labor among all the three land holding categories, therefore, there is a need to educate farmers on preventing child labor at their farms to promote sustainable cotton

The electrokinetic impact on heavy metals remediation of Tasik Chini iron ore mine tailings, at Pahang state, Peninsular Malaysia

The improper disposal of mining tailings is a severe threat to the surrounding environment because it comprises high concentrations of heavy metals contamination. Any precious metal extraction (mining) produces millions of tons of waste; iron ore extraction is common globally, unlike other metals extraction. The iron ore tailings contain heavy metals such as Arsenic (As), Cobalt (Co), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn). This study focuses on extracting hazardous metals such as As, V, and Zn from the disposed waste and improving its geotechnical properties. Nine samples were collected from Tasik Chini Iron ore mine, Pekan district, Pahang State, Malaysia. The initial data were prepared for elemental analysis by following ICP-OES analysis. The results showed that As, Co, Mn, Pb, Cu, and Zn concentrations exceeded the standard guidelines. In recent years, sustainable remediations techniques (EKR) have attracted extensive attention, including the electrokinetic remediation technique. The (EKR) method was applied to extract these metals from iron ore tailings specimens. A comprehensive approach of EKR shows an outstanding result where the highest removal efficiency of As was 68.4 %, Co 64.5%, Mn 67.8%, Pb 67.1%, and Cu was 64.1% and Zn 64.9% with the voltage gradient of 100 and 150 V for 4 and 8 hours constantly. Increasing the voltage gradient could be a cost-effective long-term solution for the remediation of iron ore tailings. The existing method was experienced as an effective and green technique for extracting heavy metals and recycling the mining waste materials

Control of hyperphosphatemia in regular hemodialysis (HDx) patients by calcium acetate (CA) versus calcium carbonate (CC). A double blind crossover prospective study

This study included fourty chronic renal failure patients aged 37-83 years (mean 51.3±7) on thrice weekly HDx for 4-144 month (Kt/V >1.2). Acetate dialysate with calcium concentration of 3 mEq/L was used. All phosphate binders were discontinued for one month. Patients were divided in two groups. Group I (20 cases) received CA, while group II (20 cases) received CC in equimolar dose (10 mmol, of either t.i.d.) for one month. Crossover of treatment was done for another month while keeping patients on the same diet.Serum levels of total calcium (Ca), ionized Ca (iCa), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphates (AP), urea (U), creatinine (Cr), ALT, AST, total proteins (TP) and albumin (Alb) were estimated before, and at the end of each month of CA and CC treatment. Serum Ca and iCa were significantly lower in group I after CA compared to values after CC (p<0.01). Similar results in Ca levels were observed in group II (P<0.05). In group II only serurn P was significantly lower after CA compared to its values after CC (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in AP, U, Cr, ALT, AST, TP and Alb before, and at the end of each month of CA and CC treatment (P>0.05 in all). We excluded 12.5% of cases due to CA intolerance while non of cases had similar intolerance to CC.Conclusion: 1) CA is not very superior to CC in control of hyperphosphataemia. 2) CA can be safely increased without the risk of hypercalcemia. 3) Active Vitamin D and high dialysate Ca can be used to suppress parathyroid activity more safely with CA than with CC. 4) Tolerability to CC is superior

High Performance Antenna System in MIMO Configuration for 5G Wireless Communications Over Sub-6 GHz Spectrum

This paper presents a high-performance multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) antenna comprising 2 × 2 configuration of radiating elements that is designed for sub-6 GHz applications. The proposed MIMO antenna employs four identical radiating elements. High isolation between the radiating elements and therefore reduced mutual coupling is achieved by spatially arranging the radiating elements in an orthogonal configuration. Also, a novel frequency selective surface (FSS) was employed to increase the gain of the MIMO antenna over a wide bandwidth from 3 to 6 GHz. This was achieved by locating the FSS above the antenna at a certain height. The FSS essentially enhanced the antenna's directivity, reduced back lobe radiation and mutual coupling. The antenna was fabricated on a standard Rogers RT Duroid 5880 dielectric substrate with a 0.8 mm thickness. The overall dimension of the MIMO antenna is 50 × 50 × 12.5 mm3 and it operates from 3.8 to 6 GHz, which corresponds to a fractional bandwidth of 41%. The proposed MIMO antenna has a measured peak gain of 4.8 dBi and inter radiation element isolation >20 dB. Its envelope correlation coefficient is <0.1 and diversity gain >9.9 (dB). These characteristics make the proposed MIMO antenna system suitable for 5G communication systems

Spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks collected from wild animals in Israel

We report molecular evidence for the presence of spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) in ticks collected from roe deer, addax, red foxes, and wild boars in Israel. Rickettsia aeschlimannii was detected in Hyalomma marginatum and Hyalomma detritum while Rickettsia massiliae was present in Rhipicephalus turanicus ticks. Furthermore, a novel uncultured SFGR was detected in Haemaphysalis adleri and Haemaphysalis parva ticks from golden jackals. The pathogenicity of the novel SFGR for humans is unknown; however, the presence of multiple SFGR agents should be considered when serological surveillance data from Israel are interpreted because of significant antigenic cross-reactivity among Rickettsia. The epidemiology and ecology of SFGR in Israel appear to be more complicated than was previously believed. Copyright © 2011 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

A double-blind placebo controlled trial into the impacts of HMB supplementation and exercise on free-living muscle protein synthesis, muscle mass and function, in older adults

Age-related sarcopenia and dynapenia are associated with frailty and metabolic diseases. Resistance exercise training (RET) adjuvant to evidence-based nutritional intervention(s) have been shown as mitigating strategies. Given that \u3b2-hydroxy-\u3b2-methyl-butyrate (HMB) supplementation during RET improves lean body mass in younger humans, and that we have shown that HMB acutely stimulates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and inhibits breakdown; we hypothesized that chronic supplementation of HMB free acid (HMB-FA) would enhance MPS and muscle mass/function in response to RET in older people. We recruited 16 healthy older men (Placebo (PLA): 68.5 \ub1 1.0 y, HMB-FA: 67.8 \ub1 1.15 y) for a randomised double-blind-placebo controlled trial (HMB-FA 3 7 1 g/day vs. PLA) involving a 6-week unilateral progressive RET regime (6 7 8 repetitions, 75% 1-RM, 3 \ub7 wk 121). Deuterium oxide (D2O) dosing was performed over the first two weeks (0\u20132 wk) and last two weeks (4\u20136 wk) with bilateral vastus lateralis (VL) biopsies at 0\u20132 and 4\u20136 wk (each time 75 \ub1 2 min after a single bout of resistance exercise (RE)) for quantification of early and later MPS responses and post-RE myogenic gene expression. Thigh lean mass (TLM) was measured by DXA, VL thickness and architecture (fibre length and pennation angle) by ultrasound at 0/3/6 wk, and strength by knee extensor 1-RM testing and MVC by isokinetic dynamometry (approx. every 10 days). RET induced strength increases (1-RM) in the exercised leg of both groups (398 \ub1 22N to 499 \ub1 30N HMB-FA vs. 396 \ub1 29N to 510 \ub1 43N PLA (both P < 0.05)). In addition, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) also increased (179 \ub1 12 Nm to 203 \ub1 12 Nm HMB-FA vs. 185 \ub1 10 Nm to 217 \ub1 11 Nm PLA (both P < 0.05); with no group differences. VL muscle thickness increased significantly in the exercised leg in both groups, with no group differences. TLM (by DXA) rose to significance only in the HMB-FA group (by 5.8%\u20135734 \ub1 245 g p = 0.015 vs. 3.0% to 5644 \ub1 323 g P = 0.06 in PLA). MPS remained unchanged in the untrained legs (UT) 0\u20132 weeks being 1.06 \ub1 0.08%.d 121 (HMB-FA) and 1.14 \ub1 0.09%.d 121 (PLA), the trained legs (T) exhibited increased MPS in the HMB-FA group only at 0\u20132-weeks (1.39 \ub1 0.10%.d 121, P < 0.05) compared with UT: but was not different at 4\u20136-weeks: 1.26 \ub1 0.05%.d 121. However, there were no significant differences in MPS between the HMB-FA and PLA groups at any given time point and no significant treatment interaction observed. We also observed significant inductions of c-Myc gene expression following each acute RE bout, with no group differences. Further, there were no changes in any other muscle atrophy/hypertrophy or myogenic transcription factor genes we measured. RET with adjuvant HMB-FA supplements in free-living healthy older men did not enhance muscle strength or mass greater than that of RET alone (PLA). That said, only HMB-FA increased TLM, supported by early increases in chronic MPS. As such, chronic HMB-FA supplementation may result in long term benefits in older males, however longer and larger studies may be needed to fully determine the potential effects of HMB-FA supplementation; translating to any functional benefit

Classification and Comparative Study of Routing Techniques in Adhoc Wireless Networks

Wireless systems have been in use since 1980s. We have seen their evolutions to first, second and third generation's wireless systems. Wireless systems operate with the aid of a centralized supporting structure such as an access point. These access points assist the wireless users to keep connected with the wireless system, when they roam from one place to the other. The presence of a fixed supporting structure limits the adaptability of wireless systems. In other words, the technology cannot work effectively in places where there is no fixed infrastructure. Future generation wireless systems will require easy and quick deployment of wireless networks. This quick network deployment is not possible with the Infrastructured wireless systems. Recent advancements such as Bluetooth introduced a new type of wireless systems known as ad-hoc networks. Ad-hoc networks or "short live" networks operate in the absence of fixed infrastructure. They offer quick and easy network deployment in situations where it is not possible otherwise. Ad-hoc is a Latin word, which means "for this or for this only." Mobile ad-hoc network is an autonomous system of mobile nodes connected by wireless links; each node operates as an end system and a router for all other nodes in the network. Nodes in ad-hoc network are free to move and organize themselves in an arbitrary fashion. Each user is free to roam about while communication with others. The path between each pair of the users may have multiple links and the radio between them can be heterogeneous. This allows an association of various links to be a part of the same network. A mobile ad-hoc network is a collection of mobile nodes forming an ad-hoc network without the assistance of any centralized structures. These networks introduced a new art of network establishment and can be well suited for an environment where either the infrastructure is lost or where deploy an infrastructure is not very cost effective. The popular IEEE 802.11 "WI-FI" protocol is capable of providing ad-hoc network facilities at low level, when no access point is available. However in this case, the nodes are limited to send and receive information but do not route anything across the network. Ad-hoc networks can operate in a standalone fashion or could possibly be connected to a larger network such as the Internet. An ad-hoc network has certain characteristics, which imposes new demands on the routing protocol. The most important characteristic is the dynamic topology, which is a consequence of node mobility. Nodes can change position quite frequently; the nodes in an ad-hoc network can consist of laptops and personal digital assistants and are often very limited in resources such as CPU power, storage capacity, battery power and bandwidth. This means that the routing protocol should try to minimize control traffic, such as periodic update messages. The Internet Engineering Task Force currently has a working group named Mobile Ad-hoc Networks that is working on routing specifications for ad-hoc networks. This M.Phill thesis evaluates some of the protocols put forth by the working group. This evaluation is done by means of simulation using Network simulator 2 from Berkeley. This work aims at classification of the existing routing protocols of adhoc wireless networks using some definite parameters. After classification of routing protocols of adhoc wireless network, their comparative study was undertaken in order to yield category wise distribution. Furthermore performance evaluation of these protocols was carried out by employing different parameters like fading models, mobility models, traffic patterns etc using the network simulator NS-2 Hence I explore and evaluate different methods for validation of ad hoc routing protocols which are used to set up forwarding paths in spontaneous networks of mobile/Adhoc devices to accomplish the above mentioned comparative study and classification

Novel C8orf37 mutations cause retinitis pigmentosa in consanguineous families of Pakistani origin

Purpose: To investigate the molecular basis of retinitis pigmentosa in two consanguineous families of Pakistani origin with multiple affected members. Methods: Homozygosity mapping and Sanger sequencing of candidate genes were performed in one family while the other was analyzed with whole exome next-generation sequencing. A minigene splicing assay was used to confirm the splicing defects. Results: In family MA48, a novel homozygous nucleotide substitution in C8orf37, c.244–2A>C, that disrupted the consensus splice acceptor site of exon 3 was found. The minigene splicing assay revealed that this mutation activated a cryptic splice site within exon 3, causing a 22 bp deletion in the transcript that is predicted to lead to a frameshift followed by premature protein truncation. In family MA13, a novel homozygous null mutation in C8orf37, c.555G>A, p.W185*, was identified. Both mutations segregated with the disease phenotype as expected in a recessive manner and were absent in 8,244 unrelated individuals of South Asian origin. Conclusions: In this report, we describe C8orf37 mutations that cause retinal dystrophy in two families of Pakistani origin, contributing further data on the phenotype and the spectrum of mutations in this form of retinitis pigmentosa

Subsurface structural investigation based on seismic data of the north-eastern Potwar basin, Pakistan

1258-1268The north-eastern Potwar is present in the foothills of Himalayas on the northern boundary of the Indian Plate and is filled by the Infra-Cambrian to Pliocene sedimentation. The area is affected by the regional structures of the Potwar and the Salt-Range Structures, such as the North Potwar Deformed Zone (NPDZ), the Soan Syncline, the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the Jhelum Fault. Due to complex tectonic-structural framework, it is extremely significant to understand the subsurface structural mechanisms for further hydrocarbons exploration. The 2D seismic data was acquired in the NE-Potwar in the Rawat area is used for this purpose. The current study helps to present rigorous and mechanically feasible structure understanding of the Rawat and associated local structures of the area in the context of the Sub-Himalayas. The study area mainly comprises on the eastern Potwar with tight anticlines and wide synclines with associated thrusts showing collisional regime of the Himalayan Fold and the thrust belt. The structural interpretation and restoration of paleo-section provide a mechanically feasible model for the Rawat area. The interpretation of seismic data shows that this area is associated with conjugate faults and a triangle zone. The results of this study help us to develop understanding in geological history, structural overprint and future leads for hydrocarbons in this geological province