Repellent properties of white sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt. (Asteraceae)) against rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae (L.)) and lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica (F.))

Call number: LD2668 .T4 GRSC 1987 U44Master of ScienceGrain Science and Industr

Fault Control on Groundwater Flow in An Alluvial Aquifer, Chaman and Khojak Basins, Balochistan, Pakistan

Geological structures such as faults play a critical role in the flow of fluids in a reservoir by affecting its permeability. This study explores the role of the Chaman Fault in the distribution of hydrological division, groundwater separation of the aquifer systems of Khojak and Chaman basins. The Chaman Fault is a left-lateral strike-slip transform plate boundary located at the border city of Chaman, District Killa Abdullah, Balochistan. The Chaman fault plays an important role in the division of groundwater in the subsurface, accommodating the structural compartment of the aquifer system. The studies showed that the strike-slip movement of the fault made the aquifer impervious along the fault line. This assertion may also be confirmed by the drastic change in the water table across the fault. Sharp changes in the groundwater table and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were observed during the study. The Karazes which are an indigenous method of irrigation is present in the eastern foothills of Khojak mountains called Khojak basin. Here the water table is as shallow as ≈ 6 meters in comparison to the western side of the fault, where the water table drops to ≈274 meters towards the valley of Chaman basin. The average TDS level on the eastern side of the fault line is 773 mg/L and 1361 mg/L on the western side. Therefore, the Chaman fault is acting as a groundwater barrier which is feeding the Karezes for centuries

Quantitative assessment and status of ethnomedicinal plants of Sheen Ghar Valley, Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

This study was conducted from March 2017 to August 2018, to enumerate the quantitative attributes and current status of medicinal plants of Sheen Ghar Valley, District Dir Lower, Pakistan. A total of 51 species were documented for their medicinal uses. These plants belonged to 31 families. Results of this study revealed that leaves were the frequently used part (50%), followed by whole plants (only 30%) in curing different ailments. Many plants were found to be having multiple uses. Based on family importance value (FIV), Lamiaceae was the leading plant family (126.30) followed by Violaceae (55.81), while highest relative frequency of citation (RFC) was noted for Viola canescens (0.558) followed by Olea europaea (0.523). Conservation study revealed that 24 species (47%) were vulnerable, 22 species (43%) were rare and 4 species (8%) were noted as infrequent. Following IUCN standards for conservation, one species i.e. Hypericum perforatum was declared dominant. This study recommends immediate ex-situ and in-situ conservation programme for protecting the plant wealth of the locality

Mathematical Model for Image Restoration Based on Fractional Order Total Variation

This paper addresses mathematical model for signal restoration based on fractional order total variation (FOTV) for multiplicative noise. In alternating minimization algorithm the Newton method is coupled with time-marching scheme for the solutions of the corresponding PDEs related to the minimization of the denoising model. Results obtained from experiments show that our model can not only reduce the staircase effect of the restored images but also better improve the PSNR as compare to other existed methods

Genetic diversity in threatened plant species Alnus nitida (Spach.) Endel

Alnus nitida (Spach) Endl. is an ethnobotanically important threatened plant species. The genetic diversity among the 50 different genotypes of Alnus nitida was carried out using sodium dodecyl sulfate poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) characterization. A considerable amount of genetic diversity (90%) was observed among the genotypes of A. nitida. The protein characterization was carried out on 12% gel electrophoresis. A total of 10 protein bands were detected in A. nitida genotypes. SDS-PAGE procedure is a useful method for the investigation of both genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship. Especially, B-5 was monomorphic in A. nitida genotypes and was considered as species specific. All other bands/loci were polymorphic. These polymorphic bands displayed 12, 16, 72, 88, 2, 44, 84, 54 and 12 percent variation respectively. In the present examination, the high intra-specific diversity was observed representing SDS-PAGE is a powerful tool for determining the genetically diverse germplasms in A. nitida. The results obtained by this study could be helpful in the identification and selection of desired genotypes of Alnus nitida for conservation programmes in future. Today, there is still a need to assess genetic variation and protect genetic resources, especially of wild species for prospective benefits in plant conservation programmes

A model for providing 24-hour normal delivery services at Union Health and Family Welfare Centers in Bangladesh

In rural areas of Bangladesh, emergency obstetric care services are available at the upazila level and above. At lower levels, Union Health and Family Welfare Centers (UHFWCs) located in the proximity of women’s homes provide normal delivery services. Recently, the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) undertook an initiative to provide 24-hour normal delivery services in newly upgraded UHFWCs. The Population Council, with financial support from UKaid is providing technical assistance to the DGFP to implement an operations research study to test the effectiveness of this model. This brief presents an overview of the project, describes the implementation of project activities as of December 2015, and summarizes the key findings from the baseline survey

Union Health and Family Welfare Centers in Chittagong and Munshiganj: Are they ready to provide 24-hour normal delivery services?

To date, the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has established approximately 3,900 Union Health and Family Welfare Centers (UHFWCs) in rural areas providing: family planning; menstrual regulation; vaccinations; and general, reproductive, and maternal health services six days a week. About 1,500 UHFWCs have been upgraded with the necessary staff and equipment to provide normal delivery services round-the-clock in rural areas. Yet, Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs) posted at UHFWCs perform only 0.3 percent of deliveries. This means that UHFWCs and FWVs are not optimally utilized to increase the rate of institutional deliveries. The Population Council is providing technical assistance to the DGFP to implement an Operations Research project that tests the effectiveness of a model to provide round-the-clock normal delivery services in 24 UHFWCs in Chittagong and Munshiganj districts. As part of the project, a situation analysis comprising a health facility assessment and provider survey was conducted. This report describes the outcome of this situation analysis activity

Effect of electrolyte (NaCl) and temperature on the mechanism of cetyl trimethylammonium bromide micelles

In the last few decades, surfactants and electrolyte interaction has gained considerable attention of researchers due to their industrial and domestic applications. In this work, the effects of electrolyte (NaCl) on the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the cationic surfactant cetyltrymethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) at different temperatures were investigated through different techniques such as conductometry, surface tensiometer and viscosimeter. The results showed that the values of CMC of CTAB decreased with the increase in temperature as well as with the addition of NaCl. The value of CMC for pure CTAB was calculated 0.98M at 303K, which was observed to decrease as temperature increased and got value of 0.95M at 318K. Moreover the addition of electrolyte NaCl into the surfactant lead to lowering of the CMC and obtained value of 0.90M at 3M of NaCl, indicating significant electrostatic interactions between surfactant and electrolyte. Moreover the degree of ionization(α) calculated for pure cationic surfactant CTAB was 0.219, which tends to increase with the addition of electrolyte, while that of counter ion binding values (β) was observed to decrease from 0.780 to 0.201. Furthermore, the conductivity of charged micelle of surfactant and free ions of electrolyte contributed to electric conductivity of aqueous micellar solution of surfactant. The results can be helpful to develop better understanding about interaction between electrolyte and surfactant