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The sudden outbreak of the novel Coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) resulted in significant challenges to global health systems. One of the primary challenges is rapid, reliable, and accurate detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) virus among the suspected COVID-19-infected individuals. At present, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a widely used diagnostic method. However, it requires expensive instruments and expertise in the interpretation of results. These constraints reflect the significant need for the development of alternative diagnostic options. This study will validate the use and efficiency of the reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay as a potential alternative for the detection of COVID-19. For this purpose, a cohort of 297 suspected COVID-19 patients was tested using both the RT-LAMP assay and the conventional RT-PCR method. For the RT-LAMP assay, three genes (orf-1ab, N, and S) were identified as the target sites for the detection of COVID-19. Based on a comparative assessment, 117 out of 124 positive COVID-19 cases were observed using the RT-LAMP technique with an overall 91.45% sensitivity. Interestingly, where a consensus on 163 individuals free of SARS-Cov-2 was observed, RT-LAMP specificity was 90%. Based on these findings, the robustness of the technique, and the reduced dependency on expensive instrumentation, RT-LAMP-based COVID-19 detection is strongly recommended as a potential alternative assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulp and paper production is a highly energy intensive process and improvement of energy efficiency in this process is considered as promising measures for reducing industrial greenhouse gases emissions (GHG). This study focuses the Pakistan's pulp and paper industry which consumes around 7% of the country's industrial energy and contributes to over 317,269 tonnes of CO 2 emissions. With rising demands for fuels and consequently as harp increase in CO 2 emissions due to the growth of the paper sector in Pakistan, this article aims to analyse the energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions reductions potential through the incorporation of cogeneration technologies. The cogeneration technologies studied are agas turbine, steam turbine and combined cycle and are evaluated from the energetic and economic point of view to propose a best suitable technology for each paper mill. The proposed cogeneration technologies are selected on the basis of high energy utilisation factor, as implepayback period of five years or less with least Annualised life cycle cost. The result shows that a theoretical energy saving potential equivalent to 16.9% of the actual thermal energy requirement of mills can be achieved through cogeneration which will lead to 14.3% reduction of the present carbon emissions levels in Pakistan's paper sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulp and paper production is a highly energy intensive process and improvement of energy efficiency in this process is considered as promising measures for reducing industrial greenhouse gases emissions (GHG). This study focuses the Pakistan's pulp and paper industry which consumes around 7% of the country's industrial energy and contributes to over 317,269 tonnes of CO2 emissions. With rising demands for fuels and consequently as harp increase in CO2 emissions due to the growth of the paper sector in Pakistan, this article aims to analyse the energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions reductions potential through the incorporation of cogeneration technologies. The cogeneration technologies studied are agas turbine, steam turbine and combined cycle and are evaluated from the energetic and economic point of view to propose a best suitable technology for each paper mill. The proposed cogeneration technologies are selected on the basis of high energy utilisation factor, as implepayback period of five years or less with least Annualised life cycle cost. The result shows that a theoretical energy saving potential equivalent to 16.9% of the actual thermal energy requirement of mills can be achieved through cogeneration which will lead to 14.3% reduction of the present carbon emissions levels in Pakistan's paper sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently approved variety of sugarcane CPF-248 was grown at agriculture farms of Fatima Sugar Mills, Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. The experiment site was located at Latitude 30°17′52.58″N and Longitude 70°57′44.31″E. This experiment was conducted to sort out a suitable fertilizer timing schedule being practiced in the area. This promising variety was evaluated for inorganic N, P and K at different growth stages throughout the year. Each fertilizer treatment had 60 m long 3 rows at random. Center to center distance of each row was 1.35 m which makes total plot size of 1215 m 2 . Three budded cane sets were prepared and dipped in 0.25% solution of Thiophinate methyl. After hot water treating at 52 °C for 30 min cane sets were sown in 8 in. deep furrows and buried with almost 1 in. thin layer of soil. There were 5 treatments and each treatment had 3 replications, the experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Qualitative and quantitative parameters i.e. germination% age, no. of tillers, stem elongation rate, stem girth, sucrose contents and yield were recorded and periodic trend of these traits were plotted. Significant ( P ⩽ 0.05) differences of fertilizer treatments on yield and yield contributing factors were validated. Studied variety responded significantly not only from miller’s and breeder’s point of view but also from sugarcane grower’s point of view. T 2 was comparatively least significant while T 4 was 2nd and T 5 was 3rd most suitable treatments when comparative analysis was done with T 1 (control). By evaluating all the studied parameters and value cost ratio (VCR) treatment T 3 was most suitable timing schedule of NPK fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]