Implementation of Quality Improvement Tools In Brass Industry To Improve Quality & Enhance Productivity

Significance of quality with increased productivity at an affordable cost is out of question. In this regard, applications of Statistical Quality Tools go a long way not only to improve the quality of a product but also to eliminate the causes, which gave birth to Non – Conforming units. In engineering production units where workforce is unaware to Quality Management system (QMS) it is very difficult to manage production with in acceptable quality standard. Heavy input costs at shrunk/ reduced outputs are no longer sustainable. In most of the production units the rejection of components is never analyzed and resultantly factors causing these high rejection percentages are not rooted out. The focus of study here has been Brass Industry with special emphasis on reducing rejection percentage to a lower possible limit in 70:30 Brass strip and Gilding Metal Claded Steel (GMCS Strip). Initially, data regarding rejection in Brass and GMCS Strip was collected for complete analysis. The process of applying relevant Statistical Quality Tools was started in order to find out the major defects and the root causes of the same. The analysis made so far revealed that existing rejection percentage in Brass and GMCS Strip has been in the range of Fifteen percent (15%) and Twenty one percent (21%) respectively, which is an alarming situation. The ultimate end of the study was to reduce the existing rejection percentage to a range of 8 – 10 % in Brass, and 12 – 14 % in GMCS, and thereby improve the quality, savings, enhance productivity and hence to reduce the wastages. Keywords: Quality improvement tools, brass industry, productivity and qualit

In-vitro Susceptibility of FMD Virus Serotype A Endemic in KPK, Pakistan

Foot and Mouth Disease virus (FMDV) serotype A is considered to be antigenic ally diverse among various geographical locations leading to diverse patterns of resistance and sensitivity. This phenomenon is posing high risks to global trade. This is the first study to quantify the effects of different physical factors (temperature, pH, UV and gamma irradiation) affecting the infectivity of FMDV serotype A.The infectivity of virus was calculated in term of tissue culture infectivity dose-50 (TCID-50) and plaque forming units (PFU). Virus in suspension (6×106 particles/ml) was treated using Cobalt-60 source in BHK-21 cell line grown in 96 well plates. The virus showed complete inactivation on 3, 5, 9 and 11 pH and 10kGy dose of gamma irradiations.The results revealed that increase in temperature (both moist and dry heat) and UV light as well as increase in time of exposure with same dose of UV irradiations significantly decreased the infectivity of virus (p<0.05). These physical factors are a better alternate for virus inactivation than chemicals, which are toxic for the health and accumulate in the animal products. It is recommended that viral strains should be analyzed for their susceptibility to these physical methods. They could also be combined with thermal inactivation to further improve virus inactivity to obtain virus free products.

Analyzing the Role of Great Powers in Creating the Durand Line and Its Impact on Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

The existence of countries based on borders is the product of the second half of the nineteenth century, and Afghanistan is the first country to be established on this basis. Afghanistan's current political borders are imposed, largely influenced by the political struggles and rivalries of the British and Tsarist Russia in the 19th century and during the Great Game to prevent a direct confrontation between the two powers in Central Asia. They set up a barrier between themselves and established the country's political borders through several treaties. Meanwhile, the Durand Line and the issue of Pashtunistan are very important, because the developments in Afghanistan after the signing of the Durand Line entered a new phase, and with the passage of time and some major changes such as Britain's withdrawal from the subcontinent and India's independence, not only failed, but the advent of Pakistan and the conflict of interests between the two neighboring countries has led to the complexity of events which has been on the rise and continues to this day. The present study, using descriptive-analytical methods and citing reliable library sources, seeks to examine the role of major powers such as Britain and Russia in shaping Afghanistan's political borders, especially the Durand Line, and its negative consequences for Afghanistan and its role in creating differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The results show that regional and supra-regional powers, especially Britain, played a role in shaping Afghanistan's borders, and Durand's mystery is one of the leftovers of British-Indian colonialism, which has now become a source of discord between Afghanistan and Pakistan and its negative consequences to Afghanistan includes land closures and lack of access to open waters, support and rise of political instability in Afghanista

In-Depth Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Five K+ Transporter Gene Families in Soybean Confirm Their Differential Expression for Nodulation

Plants have evolved a sophisticated network of K+ transport systems to regulate growth and development. Limited K+ resources are now forcing us to investigate how plant demand can be satisfied. To answer this complex question, we must understand the genomic and transcriptomic portfolio of K+ transporters in plants. Here, we have identified 70 putative K+ transporter genes from soybean, including 29 HAK/KT/KUP genes, 16 genes encoding voltage-gated K+ channels, 9 TPK/KCO genes, 4 HKT genes, and 12 KEA genes. To clarify the molecular evolution of each family in soybean, we analyzed their phylogeny, mode of duplication, exon structures and splice sites, and paralogs. Additionally, ortholog clustering and syntenic analysis across five other dicots further explored the evolution of these gene families and indicated that the soybean data is suitable as a model for all other legumes. Available microarray data sets from Genevestigator about nodulation was evaluated and further confirmed with the RNA sequencing data available by a web server. For each family, expression models were designed based on Transcripts Per Kilobase Million (TPM) values; the outcomes indicated differential expression linked to nodulation and confirmed the genes' putative roles. In-depth studies such as ours provides the basis for understanding K+ inventories in all other plants

Redox and Ionic Homeostasis Regulations against Oxidative, Salinity and Drought Stress in Wheat (A Systems Biology Approach)

Systems biology and omics has provided a comprehensive understanding about the dynamics of the genome, metabolome, transcriptome, and proteome under stress. In wheat, abiotic stresses trigger specific networks of pathways involved in redox and ionic homeostasis as well as osmotic balance. These networks are considerably more complicated than those in model plants, and therefore, counter models are proposed by unifying the approaches of omics and stress systems biology. Furthermore, crosstalk among these pathways is monitored by the regulation and streaming of transcripts and genes. In this review, we discuss systems biology and omics as a promising tool to study responses to oxidative, salinity, and drought stress in wheat

Humic Substances: Determining Potential Molecular Regulatory Processes in Plants

Humic substances (HSs) have considerable effects on soil fertility and crop productivity owing to their unique physiochemical and biochemical properties, and play a vital role in establishing biotic and abiotic interactions within the plant rhizosphere. A comprehensive understanding of the mode of action and tissue distribution of HS is, however, required, as this knowledge could be useful for devising advanced rhizospheric management practices. These substances trigger various molecular processes in plant cells, and can strengthen the plant’s tolerance to various kinds of abiotic stresses. HS manifest their effects in cells through genetic, post-transcriptional, and post-translational modifications of signaling entities that trigger different molecular, biochemical, and physiological processes. Understanding of such fundamental mechanisms will provide a better perspective for defining the cues and signaling crosstalk of HS that mediate various metabolic and hormonal networks operating in plant systems. Various regulatory activities and distribution strategies of HS have been discussed in this review