A Short Review on the Development of Salt Tolerant Cultivars in Rice

Rice is staple food for half of the world. With a population of almost 9.6 billion by the year 2050, there is a dire need of developing techniques to improve the crop plants, not only in terms of better yield but also to withstand harsh environmental conditions and stresses like drought, temperature, flood and salinity. Salinity is second to drought stress and hence it is very important to develop crops tolerant to salinity stress. This review discusses the mechanisms of salt tolerance and the recent developments in understanding the complex tolerance phenomena. One way to address the salinity issue is to develop tolerant rice varieties using conventional and modern breeding techniques for which screening the rice germplasm for the varieties with desired traits is critical. Conventional methods to develop tolerant rice varieties are discussed along with modern biotechnology techniques are also discussed. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) are promising techniques. In addition to these modern techniques, some recent developments in the fields of transgenic plants, haploid breeding and Somaclonal variations have also been discussed. The limited knowledge about molecular and genetic mechanisms to tolerate abiotic stresses, however is a barrier to efficiently develop tolerant cultivars. A combination of conventional and modern biotechnology techniques could possibly open up the new ways

Women’s health in developing countries

Healthcare priorities are different in developing and developed countries. A more effective resource allocation, complemented by efforts to implement only those practices that are effective, should be a priority for improving reproductive health services in developing countries. A large burden of gynaecological disease exists in developing countries and it is difficult to envisage serious reforms and improvements without an increase in public-sector spending. However, communities themselves could assume some responsibility for women\u27s health in ways that prioritize women\u27s own perceptions and primary needs. In this chapter we have compiled existing evidence regarding various gynaecological problems faced by women in developing countries. To name a few: sexual health issues, abortion, subfertility, cancer, and genital fistulae. We believe that there is a large knowledge gap in the area of women\u27s health in developing countries, and there is an urgent need to conduct appropriately designed studies

Time-varying transmission between oil and equities in the MENA region: New evidence from DCC-MIDAS analyses

In this paper we use the DCC-MIDAS (Dynamic Conditional Correlation-Mixed Data Sampling) model to infer the association between oil and equities in five MENA countries between February 2006 and April 2017. The model indicates that higher oil returns tends to reduce the long-term risk of the Saudi market, but to increase it in other markets. The risk transfer from oil to MENA equities is found to be weak. The dynamic conditional correlation between oil and equities is not always positive and it unexpectedly changes sign during the sample period. However, the association always strengthens when there is a large draw down in oil prices as well as during periods of high volatility. Finally, we find that short term association occasionally breaks from the longer-term correlation particularly in Egypt and Turkey. These patterns of influence and associations are unique, and have important implications for equity portfolio managers who are interested in investing in energy and MENA equities

Empirical Evidence on Enhanced Mutation Rates of 19 RM-YSTRs for Differentiating Paternal Lineages.

Rapidly mutating Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (RM Y STRs) with mutation rates ≥ 10-2 per locus per generation are valuable for differentiating amongst male paternal relatives where standard Y STRs with mutation rates of ≤10-3 per locus per generation may not. Although the 13 RM Y STRs commonly found in commercial assays provide higher levels of paternal lineage differentiation than conventional Y STRs, there are many male paternal relatives that still cannot be differentiated. This can be improved by increasing the number of Y STRs or choosing those with high mutation rates. We present a RM Y STR multiplex comprising 19 loci with high mutation rates and its developmental validation (repeatability, sensitivity and male specificity). The multiplex was found to be robust, reproducible, specific and sensitive enough to generate DNA profiles from samples with inhibitors. It was also able to detect all contributor alleles of mixtures in ratios up to 9:1. We provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the multiplex to discriminate between male paternal relatives by analyzing large numbers of male relative pairs (536) separated by one to seven meioses. A total of 96 mutations were observed in 162 meioses of father-son pairs, and other closely related male pairs were able to be differentiated after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 meiosis in 44%, 69%, 68%, 85%, 0%, 100% and 100% of cases, respectively. The multiplex offers a noticeable enhancement in the ability to differentiate paternally related males compared with the 13 RM Y STR set. We envision the future application of our 19 RM Yplex in criminal cases for the exclusion of male relatives possessing matching standard Y STR profiles and in familial searching with unknown suspects. It represents a step towards the complete individualization of closely related males

ROLE OF AGILITY AND DYNAMIC BALANCE IN PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF PAKISTAN

The aim of the present study is to measure and highlight the role of agility and dynamic balance in performance of university football players. The sample size (n-250) of football players was randomly selected from universities of district Faisalabad. The age group of subjects was ranged between 17 to 27 years. Data was collected from two diverse scales such as Illinois Agility Test for agility and Bass Test for dynamic balance. Descriptive statistics (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential analysis (chi-squire and t-test) were employed as statistical approaches. The agility test scores revealed that overall universities football players were below the required standards such as approximately 70% of athletes failed to reach satisfactory scores. Findings indicated that the balance and agility among gender revealed significant differences. Results revealed that females attained more agility than males. The balance results exposed that overall university football players were found above average and satisfactory to reach their required level of balance. The findings overall concluded that with agility and dynamic balance, university football players may be competed at their best in national as well as international level competitions

ROLE OF AGILITY AND DYNAMIC BALANCE IN PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF PAKISTAN

The aim of the present study is to measure and highlight the role of agility and dynamic balance in performance of university football players. The sample size (n-250) of football players was randomly selected from universities of district Faisalabad. The age group of subjects was ranged between 17 to 27 years. Data was collected from two diverse scales such as Illinois Agility Test for agility and Bass Test for dynamic balance. Descriptive statistics (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential analysis (chi-squire and t-test) were employed as statistical approaches. The agility test scores revealed that overall universities football players were below the required standards such as approximately 70% of athletes failed to reach satisfactory scores. Findings indicated that the balance and agility among gender revealed significant differences. Results revealed that females attained more agility than males. The balance results exposed that overall university football players were found above average and satisfactory to reach their required level of balance. The findings overall concluded that with agility and dynamic balance, university football players may be competed at their best in national as well as international level competitions