Assessing Water Consumption of Major Crops in the Command Area of Malwah Distributary, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh.

Soil and water are vital natural resources on which agriculture sector growth and village livelihood depend and having the proper knowledge of the Soil, Plant, and water relationship are extremely important to achieve sustainable agricultural productivity. Pakistan has entered the 21st century with the rising challenge to meet food and fiber requirements for its population for domestic consumption and export. Without having appropriate knowledge about the intense water need of plants, most of the agricultural land in Pakistan is still being irrigated by conventional methods, which in turn produces so many problems and reduces the agricultural productivity putting extra stress on the country’s economy, so to avoid these issues, it is extremely necessary to provide the required quantity of water to plant, which will only be possible by consideration and accurate estimation of Evapotranspiration of plant so to enhance awareness and practice of water-saving agriculture in Pakistan to increase the agricultural commodities. In this study, estimation of Actual Evapotranspiration ( ETa ) of Malwah Distributary located in Shaheed Benazirbad, Sindh was selected from Command area of Rohri Canal, ET of four different crops; Cotton, Fallow, Rice and Sugarcane for the period of Rabi 2019-2020 and Kharif 2020 was estimated by using satellite-based evapotranspiration mapping tool namely METRIC REFLUX. The actual ET for each season was obtained using the Reference ET fraction (ETrf) of satellite data and reference ET(ETr) obtained from the literature. The classified crop mask was obtained using maximum likelihood classification on bands 8,4, and 3 of sentinel-2 images of the year 2020. The overall accuracy obtained is 93% with a kappa coefficient 0.921841. The average Actual Evapotranspiration of different crops namely, banana, cotton, rice, and sugarcane were found to be 1527.2 mm, 536.6 mm, 386.80 mm, and 814.02 m

Impact of Corporate Governance on Firm Performance: Evidence from Sugar Mills of Pakistan

This paper examines the impact of corporate governance mechanisms (Board Size, Board Composition, and CEO/Chairman Duality) on firm performance (Return on Asset) in sugar industry of Pakistan. The data of corporate governance mechanisms (Board Size, Board Composition, and CEO/Chairman Duality) collected from 12 listed sugar mills of Pakistan from 2005 to 2010. Using panel data methodology as a method of estimation Arithmetic mean, ANOVA and t-test applied on data by using SPSS. The results raveled that there is a significant impact of corporate governance on firm performance. Results further reveal that there is a significant impact of board size, CEO/Chairman Duality on ROA, and there is insignificant impact of Board Composition on ROA. Keywords: Corporate governance, Board of director, firm performanc

Development and validation of a chromatographic method for quantification of rasagiline in human plasma

Purpose: To develop a sensitive, reliable and cost-effective bioanalytical method for the pharmacokinetic analysis of rasagiline in human plasma.Method: Rasagiline was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction method and analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a mixture of ammonium acetate (pH 5.8) and acetonitrile (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The separation was performed on a Lichrosphere reverse-phase (RP) C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size) at ambient temperature and rasagiline was detected at a wavelength of 265 nm by ultra-violet UV detection. The method was validated according to European Medicine Agency (EMA) guidelines. Results: The developed method was linear over a concentration range of 0.5 - 20 μg/ml with r2 ≥ 0.999 in human plasma. Run time was 10 min with rasagiline peak appearing at 7 min with no interference. Relative recovery and relative standard deviation (RSD) for accuracy and precision were within the acceptable limits prescribed in EMA guidelines. Rasagiline remained stable in human plasma for 24 h at room temperature, after three freeze and thaw cycles and also for 3 months at -20 °C.Conclusion: A simple and reliable method has been successfully developed and validated for the determination of rasagiline concentration in human plasma.Keywords: Rasagiline, Pharmacokinetics, Validation, Parkinson's diseas

Assessment of endophytic fungi cultural filtrate on soybean seed germination

Soybean seeds have high amount of isoflavones but its germination is often confronted with a variety of environmental problems resulting in low germination rate and growth. To overcome this in eco-friendly manner, we investigated the influence of cultural filtrate (CF) of gibberellins-producing endophytic fungi on soybean seed germination. Three endophytic fungi namely: Chrysosporium pseudomerdarium, Aspergillus fumigatus and Paecilomyces sp. were previously isolated from the roots of soybean plants. The culture filtrate application of the three endophyte resulted in significantly higher rate of soybean seed germination, germination percentage, relative seed germination percentage, peak value, germination value, shoot and root length, germination index and vigour index. Among the endophytes, A. fumigatus significantly increased the rate of germination, shoot and root length and vigour index. Same trend was noted in germination percentage and relative seed germination percentage for all the endophytic fungi. However, C. pseudomerdarium was the only one that enhanced germination index. The enhanced soybean seed germination by endophytes can be used for seed priming and hence improved crop plant growth under extreme environmental conditions.Key words: Chrysosporium pseudomerdarium, Aspergillus fumigatus, Paecilomyces sp., soybean, seed germination

A sensor placement approach using multi-objective hypergraph particle swarm optimization to improve effectiveness of structural health monitoring systems

In this paper, a novel Multi-Objective Hypergraph Particle Swarm Optimization (MOHGPSO) algorithm for structural health monitoring (SHM) systems is considered. This algorithm autonomously identifies the most relevant sensor placements in a combined fitness function without artificial intervention. The approach utilizes six established Optimal Sensor Placement (OSP) methods to generate a Pareto front, which is systematically analyzed and archived through Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Fuzzy Decision Making (FDM). This comprehensive analysis demonstrates the proposed approach’s superior performance in determining sensor placements, showcasing its adaptability to structural changes, enhancement of durability, and effective management of the life cycle of structures. Overall, this paper makes a significant contribution to engineering by leveraging advancements in sensor and information technologies to ensure essential infrastructure safety through SHM systems

Indoleacetic acid production and plant growth promoting potential of bacterial endophytes isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds

Bacterial endophytes from the phyllosphere and rhizosphere have been used to produce bioactive metabolites and to promote plant growth. However, little is known about the endophytes residing in seeds. This study aimed to isolate and identify seed-borne bacterial endophytes from rice and elucidate their potential for phytohormone production and growth enhancement. The isolated endophytes included Micrococcus yunnanensis RWL-2, Micrococcus luteus RWL-3, Enterobacter soli RWL-4, Leclercia adecarboxylata RWL-5, Pantoea dispersa RWL-6, and Staphylococcus epidermidis RWL-7, which were identified using 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. These strains were analyzed for indoleacetic acid (IAA) production by using GC-MS and IAA was found in the range of 11.50 ± 0.77 μg ml−1 to 38.80 ± 1.35 μg ml−1. We also assessed the strains for plant growth promoting potential because these isolates were able to produce IAA in pure culture. Most of the growth attributes of rice plants (shoot and root length, fresh and dry biomass, and chlorophyll content) were significantly increased by bacterial endophytes compared to the controls. These results show that IAA producing bacterial endophytes can improve hostplant growth traits and can be used as bio-fertilizers

Probiotics: mechanism of action, health benefits and their application in food industries

Probiotics, like lactic acid bacteria, are non-pathogenic microbes that exert health benefits to the host when administered in adequate quantity. Currently, research is being conducted on the molecular events and applications of probiotics. The suggested mechanisms by which probiotics exert their action include; competitive exclusion of pathogens for adhesion sites, improvement of the intestinal mucosal barrier, gut immunomodulation, and neurotransmitter synthesis. This review emphasizes the recent advances in the health benefits of probiotics and the emerging applications of probiotics in the food industry. Due to their capability to modulate gut microbiota and attenuate the immune system, probiotics could be used as an adjuvant in hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases. Considering the functional properties, probiotics are being used in the dairy, beverage, and baking industries. After developing the latest techniques by researchers, probiotics can now survive within harsh processing conditions and withstand GI stresses quite effectively. Thus, the potential of probiotics can efficiently be utilized on a commercial scale in food processing industries

D-dimer trends elaborate the heterogeneity of risk in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A multi-national case series from different waves

IntroductionVariable D-dimer trends during hospitalization reportedly result in distinct in-hospital mortality. In this multinational case series from the first and second waves, we show the universality of such D-dimer trends.MethodsWe reviewed 405 patients with COVID-19 during the first wave admitted to three institutions in the United States, Italy, and Colombia, and 111 patients admitted to the U.S. site during the second wave and 55 patients during the third wave. D-dimer was serially followed during hospitalization.ResultsDuring the first wave, 66 (15%) patients had a persistently-low pattern, 33 (8%) had early-peaking, 70 (16%) had mid-peaking, 94 (22%) had fluctuating, 30 (7%) had late-peaking, and 112 (26%) had a persistently-high pattern. During the second and third waves, similar patterns were observed. D-dimer patterns were significantly different in terms of in-hospital mortality similarly in all waves. Patterns were then classified into low-risk patterns (persistently-low and early-peaking), where no deaths were observed in both waves, high-risk patterns (mid-peaking and fluctuating), and malignant patterns (late-peaking and persistently-high). Overall, D-dimer trends were associated with an increased risk for in-hospital mortality in the first wave (overall: HR: 1.73) and stayed the same during the second (HR: 1.67, p < 0.001) and the third (HR: 4.4, p = 0.001) waves.ConclusionD-dimer behavior during COVID-19 hospitalization yielded universal categories with distinct mortality risks that persisted throughout all studied waves of infection. Monitoring D-dimer behavior may be useful in the management of these patients

Exploring the potential of halotolerant bacteria from coastal regions to mitigate salinity stress in wheat: physiological, molecular, and biochemical insights

Salinity stress, a significant global abiotic stress, is caused by various factors such as irrigation with saline water, fertilizer overuse, and drought conditions, resulting in reduced agricultural production and sustainability. In this study, we investigated the use of halotolerant bacteria from coastal regions characterized by high salinity as a solution to address the major environmental challenge of salinity stress. To identify effective microbial strains, we isolated and characterized 81 halophilic bacteria from various sources, such as plants, rhizosphere, algae, lichen, sea sediments, and sea water. We screened these bacterial strains for their plant growth-promoting activities, such as indole acetic acid (IAA), phosphate solubilization, and siderophore production. Similarly, the evaluation of bacterial isolates through bioassay revealed that approximately 22% of the endophytic isolates and 14% of rhizospheric isolates exhibited a favorable influence on seed germination and seedling growth. Among the tested isolates, GREB3, GRRB3, and SPSB2 displayed a significant improvement in all growth parameters compared to the control. As a result, these three isolates were utilized to evaluate their efficacy in alleviating the negative impacts of salt stress (150 mM, 300 mM, and seawater (SW)) on the growth of wheat plants. The result showed that shoot length significantly increased in plants inoculated with bacterial isolates up to 15% (GREB3), 16% (GRRB3), and 24% (SPSB2), respectively, compared to the control. The SPSB2 strain was particularly effective in promoting plant growth and alleviating salt stress. All the isolates exhibited a more promotory effect on root length than shoot length. Under salt stress conditions, the GRRB3 strain significantly impacted root length, leading to a boost of up to 6%, 5%, and 3.8% at 150 mM, 300 mM, and seawater stress levels, respectively. The bacterial isolates also positively impacted the plant’s secondary metabolites and antioxidant enzymes. The study also identified the WDREB2 gene as highly upregulated under salt stress, whereas DREB6 was downregulated. These findings demonstrate the potential of beneficial microbes as a sustainable approach to mitigate salinity stress in agriculture