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Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are a major cause of morbidity worldwide and have been described as an important public health problem. The present study aimed to determine the un usual parasitic infection and identification of risk factors among 4-12years old school age children residing in lower dir district, Pakistan from 2018- 2019. Of the 400 children studied in which the overall prevalence rate for intestinal parasitic infections was found to be 71.75%. Children infected with single parasite accounted for 67.94% and 32.05% were detected with poly-parasitism. Shistosoma japonicum (0.69%), Taxocara spp (0.69%) and cryptosporidium (0.69%), were identified in children living in studied areas. We conclude that there is a need for mass scale campaigns to create awareness regarding health and hygiene in children and the need for development of effective poverty control programmes. Resumo As infecções parasitárias intestinais (IPIs) são uma das principais causas de morbidade em todo o mundo e têm sido descritas como importante problema de saúde pública. O presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar a infecção parasitária incomum e a identificação de fatores de risco em crianças de 4 a 12 anos em idade escolar residentes no distrito de Lower Dir, Paquistão entre 2018-2019. Das 400 crianças estudadas em que a taxa de prevalência geral de parasitas intestinais infecções foi de 71,75%, as crianças infectadas com parasita único representaram 67,94%, e 32,05% foram detectadas com poliparasitismo. Shistosoma japonicum (0,69%), Taxocara spp (0,69%) e Cryptosporidium (0,69%) foram identificados em crianças residentes nas áreas estudadas. Concluímos que há uma necessidade de campanhas em grande escala para criar consciência sobre saúde e higiene em crianças e de desenvolvimento de programas eficazes de controle da pobreza.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary fungal metabolites produced by certain types of filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium spp. Mycotoxigenic fungi and their produced mycotoxins are considered to be an important issue in food and feed safety due to their toxic effects like carcinogenicity, immunosuppression, neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity on humans and animals. To boost the safety level of food and feedstuff, detection and identification of toxins are essential at critical control points across food and feed chains. Zero-tolerance policies by the European Union and other organizations about the extreme low level of tolerance of mycotoxins contamination in food and feed matrices have led to an increasing interest to design more sensitive, specific, rapid, cost-effective, and safer to use mycotoxigenic fungi detection technologies. Hence, many mycotoxigenic fungi detection technologies have been applied to measure and control toxins contamination in food and feed substrates. PCR-based mycotoxigenic fungi detection technologies, such as conventional PCR, real-time PCR, nested PCR, reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), in situ PCR, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR DGGE), co-operational PCR, multiplex PCR, DNA arrays, magnetic capture-hybridization (MCH)-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), would contribute to our understanding about different mycotoxigenic fungi detection approaches and will enhance our capability about mycotoxigenic fungi identification, isolation and characterization at critical control points across food and feed chains. We have assessed the principles, results, the limit of detection, and application of these PCR-based detection technologies to alleviate mycotoxins contamination problem in complex food and feed substrates. The potential application of these detection technologies can reduce mycotoxins in complex food and feed matrices.

Tapeworms of zoonotic importance have been described as a leading public health problem. Current research was aim to assess the prevalence of tapeworms among 5-12years school children residing in district Lower Dir, Pakistan from January 2019-December 2019. The wet mount preparation in saline/iodine/methods were used for stool examination. Data was analyzed using appropriate descriptive, static methods. Of the 400 children studied 71.7% were infected with one or more species of intestinal parasites. Single infection of cestode species was found in 69 individuals with 17.2% prevalence and multiple parasitic infections were identified in 19.7% (n=79/400) individuals. The multiple infection were comprised as 10% (n=40) double, 6.75% (n=27) triple and 3% (n=12) quadruple. A total of 9 species of helminths and one species of protozoan infection. Among the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent 33.1% (n=95), Taenia saginata 22.6% (n=65), hookworm 19.8% (n=57), Hymenolepis nana 18.8% (n=54), Enterobius vermicularis and Hymenolepis diminuta 1.39% (n=4each), Trichuris trichura 1.04% (n=3), Toxocara spp 0.69% (n=2) and Schistosoma japonicum 0.34% (n=1) were reported. One protozoan species was Cryptosporidium spp 0.69% (n=2) in current study. In case of A.lumbricoides, hookworm, E.vermicularis, T.trichura, T.saginata, H.nana and H.diminuta the male children of below 8 years of age were highly infected. Other infections are reported in the same prevalence with slight difference if any. We conclude that there is a need for mass scale campaigns to create awareness regarding health and hygiene in children and the need for development of effective poverty control programs because deworming alone is not adequate to control parasitic infections. Resumo As tênias de importância zoonótica têm sido descritas como um dos principais problemas de saúde pública. A pesquisa atual teve como objetivo avaliar a prevalência de tênias entre crianças em idade escolar de 5 a 12 anos que residem no distrito de Lower Dir, Paquistão, de janeiro de 2019 a dezembro de 2019. Os métodos de preparação para montagem úmida em solução salina/iodo foram usados para exame de fezes. Os dados foram analisados usando métodos descritivos e estáticos apropriados. Das 400 crianças estudadas, 71,7% estavam infectadas com uma ou mais espécies de parasitas intestinais. Infecção única de espécies de cestóides foi encontrada em 69 indivíduos com prevalência de 17,2% e infecções parasitárias múltiplas foram identificadas em 19,7% (n = 79/400) indivíduos. As infecções múltiplas foram compostas por 10% (n = 40) dupla, 6,75% (n = 27) tripla e 3% (n = 12) quádrupla. Um total de 9 espécies de helmintos e uma espécie de infecção por protozoários. Entre os helmintos, Ascaris lumbricoides foi o mais prevalente 33,1% (n = 95), Taenia saginata 22,6% (n = 65), ancilóstomo 19,8% (n = 57), Hymenolepis nana 18,8% (n = 54), Enterobius vermicularis e Hymenolepis diminuta 1,39% (n = 4cada), Trichuris trichura 1,04% (n = 3), Toxocara spp 0,69% (n = 2) e Schistosoma japonicum 0,34% (n = 1). Uma espécie de protozoário foi Cryptosporidium spp 0,69% (n = 2) no estudo atual. No caso de A.lumbricoides, ancilostomíase, E.vermicularis, T.trichura, T.saginata, H.nana e H.diminuta, as crianças do sexo masculino com menos de 8 anos de idade estavam altamente infectadas. Outras infecções são relatadas na mesma prevalência, com ligeira diferença, se houver. Concluímos que há uma necessidade de campanhas em massa para criar consciência sobre saúde e higiene em crianças e a necessidade de desenvolvimento de programas eficazes de controle da pobreza, porque a desparasitação por si só não é adequada para controlar infecções parasitárias.

Intestinal parasitism is the main cause of disease all over the world and described as a significant community health problem. The current study intended to find out the occurrence and identification of hazard factors linked with IPIs among 4-12 years aged shool-age children residing in Lower Dir district, Pakistan during 2019 - 2020. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted using a pre-arranged pre-tested survey. Anthropometric data and stool collection were done to obtain the findings. The direct wet mount preparation in saline/iodine/methods was used for stool examination. Data were investigated using the GraphPad Prism 5. A total of 400 children studied (mean age of 8.6±3.6 years) the total incidence rate for the intestinal parasitic disease was established to be 71.75%. Of the 400 children studied, the overall prevalence rate for intestinal parasitic infections was found to 71.75% Ascaris lumbricoides (33.1%), Trichuris trichiura (1.04%), E. vermicularis (1.39%), Hookworm (19.86%) were identified in children living in the study area. We concluded that there is a mass scale campaigns were required to generate alertness about health and sanitation in children and the need for the development of effective poverty control programs because deworming (killing of worm with drugs) alone is not adequate to control parasitic infections.

The lack of red-purple pigmentation in seedlings obtained from crosses between M. cv Baskatong, carrying a dominant homozygous gene for red-purple pigmentation, and other species has been used for the detection of apomictic plants in Malus species. RAPD marker techniques were employed to evaluate the genetic similarity between putative apomictic seedlings and their female parents. From the selected set of 20 (OPA) primers about half were able to detect hybrids from the apomictic seedlings, if present. RAPD analyses confirmed the usefulness of the colour-marker gene in detecting the hybrids in vitro for seedlings of M. toringoides×M. cv Baskatong, but not for crosses involving M. hupehensis×M. cv Baskatong where in vitro colour-based selection was not possible (due to red stems in all cases). The set of primers (OPA-01, 02, 08, 09, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18 and 20) clearly determined the hybrid nature of seedlings and allowed the selection of apomictic ones. Therefore, although cv Baskatong is useful as an indicator, these data show that this technique is not applicable in all cases.

Synthesis of Silicon Nitride thin films is important in the semiconductor industry. The properties of the films make them valuable for oxidation masks, protection and passivation barrier layers, etch stop layer and inter level insulators. In the present study, we prepared silicon nitride films with different refractive index. We used various conditions of PECVD atmosphere with the purpose of obtaining high quality near stoichiometric films. Different deposition routines were employed, including variable flow ratio of silane and ammonia on to a silicon substrate. The quality and stoichiometry of the film was investigated using reflectance measurements. Measured process parameters were the deposition rate, film thickness, refractive index, breakdown voltage, dielectric constant, surface morphology and film composition. The thickness of the film was measured using AFM, DEKTAK and ellipsometer measurements. Fitting of reflectance spectra with WVASE ellipsometric software provided the optical constants for silicon nitride and allowed analysis of the films. A Bruggeman effective medium approximation was utilized to model the refractive index of the films. Reflective measurements were carried out in the range 210 nm-2500 nm.

In most of the existing ground penetration radar (GPR) systems, the major problem is low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the masking of the weaker returns by the strong side-lobes. These twin problems can be minimized to a large extent with the help of Golay sequences. Golay sequences are complementary sequences; the sum of these yield twice the value of the autocorrelation at zero lag and zero elsewhere. In terms of improved SNR and reduced sidelobe levels, the performance of these sequences is considered to be better than that of pseudorandom binary sequences (PRBS), Barker or other maximal length sequences. Some of the results from a bench-top Golay based GPR system using PRBS and Golay codes are presented.

Presents a direct approach to precisely measure changes in refractive index (/spl Delta/n) of GaAs/AlGaAs Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) wave guide structures as a function of applied electric field across the MQW layers. The results of /spl Delta/n(E) are useful for developing electro-optic quantum well devices.