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Background Knowledge of the genetic diversity and population structure of germplasm collections is an important foundation for crop improvement. Rice production across a broad range of rice-growing environments results in a diverse array of local rice varieties. Many rice varieties have been lost as a result of biodiversity loss and are now grown in Pakistan. Methods and results To protect the biodiversity of rice varieties, an experiment was carried out to check the genetic and morphological variations between 8 exotic and 7 local rice genotypes, using 5 different SSR markers, i.e., RM3, RM259, RM341, RM520, and RM11943. The analysis of morphological and quality traits of rice observed significant variation across genotypes. The results revealed that genotype Irri-Pak attained the highest plant height and primary branch plant-1, while genotype Mushkan produced a higher number of productive tillers and obtained a higher fertility factor (%). Similarly, the highest value for panicle length was observed for genotype Faker-e-Malakand, 1000-grains weight in genotype Calmochi, and maximum days to maturity was noticed in genotype Swati-2014. Moreover, the genotype Brio attained the highest value of stem diameter, while maximum seed length was noted in the genotype Sug Dasi. The highest number of primary branches plant(-1) in genotype Ibge-I and secondary branches plant(-1) in genotype Calmochi were noticed. A higher concentration of sodium and potassium was observed for the genotype Marte, while the genotype Muskan attained the maximum content of copper. Moreover, the highest concentration of iron in genotype Originario, zinc in genotype JP-5, and cadmium content were noticed in genotype Ibge. Similarly, the dendrogram analysis for quantitative parameters showed three clusters at 74.13% similarities. Whereas all the genotypes of European origin formed a separate cluster. A set of 5 simple sequence repeat primers, covering four chromosomes, amplified a total of 14 alleles and showed 100% polymorphism with an average PIC value ranging from 0.39 to 0.91. The UPGMA cluster analysis separated the 15 rice genotypes into 3 main groups based on 32.5% similarities and the highest genetic distance (45.1%) was observed between two genotypes (Fakher-e-malakand and Musa), having different geographical origins. There was no genetic distance between the genotypes Marte and Brio, irrespective of having the same origin. Conclusions The maximum genetic distances were noted for genotype, Fakhre-e-Malakand and Musa having a different origin, while the minimum genetic distance was shown by genotypes, Marte and Onice, from the same origin.

Salinity is a complex abiotic stress that affects physiology and biochemistry of plants and significantly reduces both crop yield and quality. Considering the global increase in soil salinity, it is required to develop salt-tolerant cultivars for various crops. Solanum lycopersicum L. is an important Solanaceous crop with a diverse level of genotype dependent salt tolerance. However, the evaluation of salt tolerance in tomato genotypes or screening for traits utilized reliably for breeding against salt tolerance is scarcely reported. Thirteen different genotypes of tomato were exposed to salinity with three simulated soil NaCl levels (0, 75 and 150 mM) in a complete randomized design with three pots per treatment. Morpho-physiological traits (fresh and dry weight of shoot and roots, chlorophyll content, Na+ accumulation, K+ content, Na+/K+ ratio, proline content and percent ion leakage) were measured to determine the extent of salt tolerance. Different genotypes, salinity levels and their interaction significantly influenced both the observed morphological and physiological traits of tomato. Fresh weight of shoot and root, dry weight of root and shoot, chlorophyll content, K+ content and proline content were significantly increased by Rio Grande genotype, while higher Na+ content and percent ion leakage was observed in Early King genotype. Among all tested genotypes, Rio Grande and Red Star were found salt tolerant and Early King and Vigo were found the most susceptible tomato genotypes.

Foliar application of micronutrients and plant growth regulators (PGRs) is one of the strategies of plant-feeding direct through leaves to allow rapid uptake irrespective of soil condition. This is the best way to enhance nutrient balance and its accumulation in the crops that, in turn, lead to improved crop yield and quality. This research studied the effect of boron (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm) and gibberellic acid (GA3; 0, 20, 40, and 60 ppm) on quality fruit production of pear. Fruit weight, yield (kg/tree), minimum fruit drop (%) and disease incidence (%) were significantly enhanced in fruit sprayed with 75 ppm boron while fruit firmness (kg/cm), total soluble solids (° Brix), fruit juice pH, ascorbic acid content, and minimum titratable acidity (%) significantly increased in pear fruit sprayed with 100 ppm boron. The highest contents of phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants (%) were observed in pear fruit sprayed with 100 ppm of boron and 60 ppm of GA3. Maximum fruit firmness, total soluble solids (° Brix), fruit juice pH, ascorbic acid with minimum titratable acidity (%) were recorded in plants sprayed with 60 ppm GA3. Boron (100 ppm) and GA3 (60 ppm) could be applied at the fruit set stage to obtain the quality fruit production of pear.

Glucose is abundant, renewable and have high energy content. Direct glucose fuel cells (DGAFCs) which can directly use glucose as fuel are promising next-generation energy devices. However, the poor performance of anode catalysts largely limits the practical use of current DGAFCs. In this work, the Ni–Co-rGO composite was synthesized by a facile one-pot water bath method and applied as anode catalyst in a DGAFC. Notably, the Ni–Co-rGO significantly improved the catalytic activity of glucose oxidation compared to Ni-rGO, Co-rGO, and conventional activated carbon electrodes. The DGAFC equipped with a Ni–Co-rGO anode achieved 28.807 W/m2 power density at room temperature, which is twice higher than the fuel cell with a bare activated carbon electrode. The excellent electrochemical performances of Ni–Co-rGO may be attributed to the synergistic effect of Ni, Co, and reduced graphene oxide. The rGO can not only function as a dispersant to prevent the agglomeration of the Ni–Co catalyst, but also facilitate the electron transfer from active sites to the current collector. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of the composite catalyst was characterized by using XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and EDS techniques.

Heavy metal(oid)s (HMs) contamination in soil directly related to food contamination and human health. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of HMs accumulation in eggplant irrigated through different water sources. Water samples were collected from three distinct sources, namely urban and rural sewage, urban and rural canal water, and urban and rural tube well water. A total of 20, 9, and 6 samples were obtained from each respective source. Soil samples were collected, with three replications each, from two layers i.e., 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depth. Results depicted that, in irrigation water samples, turbidity was in this order: sewage water > canal water > tube well samples, while average total dissolved solids TDS) was in this order: canal water > sewage water > and tube well water. The overall HMs concentrations in all three sources of irrigation water samples were above the permissible limits of Punjab Environmental Quality Standards PEQs). The level of HMs in vegetables varies by the ability of plants to selectively translocate from the contaminated soil to the plant’s fruit (eggplant). Overall, the translocation factor of HMs in plant samples was in this order: Cadmium (Cd) > Zinc (Zn) > Nickel (Ni) > Iron (Fe) > Lead (Pb). On the basis of this study, it is concluded that irrigation source, especially sewage, is a major source of heavy metal contamination in eggplant. The study highlights the need for further research on gaps in the implementation of policies for irrigation water quality.

Hutan Rimba Alam (HRA), Putrajaya is an urban forest which is the habitat for various tropical rainforest species. A field survey was undertaken to state the floristic composition, investigate the soil characteristics and identify the relationship between the recorded plant communities and soil characteristics. Six plots sized 10 × 10 m square were established in a lowland area of which 93 individual trees were identified. Moreover, the floristic composition revealed vascular tree communities consisting of 10 botanical families, 15 genera, and 27 species with Dipterocarpaceae as being predominant. Based on the important value index (IVI), Mangifera odorata (Anacardiaceae) was the highest (IVI = 68.80%). Furthermore, large trees such as Koompassia excelsa (Becc.) Taub. (Fabaceae) and Sandoricum koetjape (Burm.f.) Merr. (Meliaceae), with heights ranging from 17 m to 24 m, indicated that HRA is on the way to becoming a mature forest. The soil pH in all plots showed acidic properties, with a mean pH of 4.69 that is considered normal for tropical rainforests. The pH of the soils in HRA, Putrajaya had a positive correlation with the CEC and with nitrogen, but the value was low; however, the correlation was negative with C and P. The CEC had a relatively low correlation with C, N and P. Carbon had a very high correlation with N but low with P. Meanwhile, nitrogen had a very negatively low correlation with P. Extractable phosphorus exhibited a mean of 2.22 mg/kg which is normally used in plants for fruits, roots, and flower development. The present study revealed that plant communities in the urban forest in Putrajaya, meaning the diversity of the plant species belonging to a wide range of families, were established on acid soil, matching with the overall characteristics of tropical forest soils. With regard to the climate change context, which is leading to many altered ecosystems, the authors expect that the outputs of this research will be valued by decision makers for a better management of the forest.

Metal nitrides are broadly applicable in the field of electrochemistry due to their excellent electrical properties. In this study, a 3D nanostructured Ni3N–Co3N catalyst was prepared by using a versatile urea glass method, and was tested as an anode catalyst for a glucose fuel cell. The synthesized Ni3N–Co3N exhibits uniform particle dispersion in structure, morphology, and composition, and has a interpenetrating three-dimensional network structure. Notably, the Ni3N–Co3N significantly improved the catalytic activity of glucose oxidation compared to Ni3N, Co3N, and conventional activated carbon electrodes. The superior electrochemical performance could be attributed to its porous structure and unique properties, which provided a fast transport network for charge and mass transfer as well as good synergetic effect. The glucose fuel cell equipped with a Ni3N–Co3N anode achieved 30.89 W m−2 power and 97.66 A m−2 current densities at room temperature. This investigation provides potential directions for the design of cost-effective bimetallic catalysts for a wide range of glucose fuel cell applications.

This paper experimentally examines the effect of hole shape and coolant trajectory on film cooling effectiveness by using PSP measurement technique. Three different density ratios DR = 1, DR = 1.5, and DR = 2 were tested with five blowing ratios ranging from M = 0.5–1.5 with an increment of 0.25. Three different hole geometries (round to slot, round to annulus, and round to annulus2) were used with linear and projectile trajectories. Results obtained agreed with the general trend of shaped holes. In terms of hole shape, the slot-shaped hole resulted in better performance as compared to annulus shaped holes. Particularly, the slot-shaped hole with projectile trajectory results in 30–35% increase in effectiveness as compared to its linear trajectory slot-shaped counterpart. This design is found to have lowest discharge coefficient, but it works best at DR = 2. A correlation was also developed for single row different exit shaped holes helping the designers to calculate the spanwise effectiveness at different conditions.

There is a need to develop an effective data preservation scheme with minimal information loss when the patient’s data are shared in public interest for different research activities. Prior studies have devised different approaches for data preservation in healthcare domains; however, there is still room for improvement in the design of an elegant data preservation approach. With that motivation behind, this study has proposed a medical healthcare-IoTs-based infrastructure with restricted access. The infrastructure comprises two algorithms. The first algorithm protects the sensitivity information of a patient with quantifying minimum information loss during the anonymization process. The algorithm has also designed the access polices comprising the public access, doctor access, and the nurse access, to access the sensitivity information of a patient based on the clustering concept. The second suggested algorithm is K-anonymity privacy preservation based on local coding, which is based on cell suppression. This algorithm utilizes a mapping method to classify the data into different regions in such a manner that the data of the same group are placed in the same region. The benefit of using local coding is to restrict third-party users, such as doctors and nurses, when trying to insert incorrect values in order to access real patient data. Efficiency of the proposed algorithm is evaluated against the state-of-the-art algorithm by performing extensive simulations. Simulation results demonstrate benefits of the proposed algorithms in terms of efficient cluster formation in minimum time, minimum information loss, and execution time for data dissemination.

Background; Osteoporosis is one of such disease which causes bone mass reduction by decreased formation of new bones. Low bone mineral density is frequent factor for osteoporosis. Increased osteoclast life span and advanced osteocytes as well as osteoblasts apoptosis is well adopted pathophysiological mechanism for low bone mass. Women are more prone than man. Approximately 200 million women have osteoporosis worldwide. Objective; Therefore, this study is designed to compare efficacy of bisphosphonates and recombinant human Para-thyroid hormone in treatment of osteoporosis. Main outcome measures; The comparison of these two treatment strategies is based upon therapeutic effectiveness, cost of therapy and availability of the drugs. Methods; The total duration of study was 1 year and during the study period a total 60 samples were analyzed randomly. Data was collected using a well-designed questionnaire. Results; rhPTH increase bone mass density (BMD) by 8-9% while bisphosphonates and estrogen therapy increase BMD 3-5% during the same time period. Conclusion; The current study was conducted in local population so that we could offer them the test possible treatment among the two most common treatment therapies available for osteoporosis.

Plants show physiological, morphological and chemical responses to microbial, physical or chemical factors which are known as elicitors. Water deficit stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that affects plant physiological and morphological traits. Chitosan is a natural, less toxic and economical compound that is biodegradable and eco-friendly with various applications in agriculture. The present experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest foliar application of chitosan on quality indices of tomato plant under different water stress conditions. Tomato (Cv. Rio Grande) plants were subjected chitosan concentrations (0, 50, 100,150 mg L-1) and water stress intervals (3, 6, 9 and 12 days) after 15 days of transplantation. Tomato plants treated with 6 days water stress interval recorded maximum fruit firmness, fruit juice content, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content and minimum of fruit juice pH. Similarly, chitosan application @ 100 mg L-1 attained highest fruit firmness, percent juice content, total soluble solid, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content and minimum fruit juice pH. It is concluded that 100 mg L-1 chitosan application along with 6 days water interval had positive impact on quality indices of tomato. Keywords: Chitin, Chitosan; Drought Stress; Quality; Stress tolerance; Tomato http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90143

Metal nitrides are broadly applicable in the field of electrochemistry due to their excellent electrical properties. In this study, a 3D nanostructured Ni

Calcium is present in the primary cell wall and middle lamella in the form of pectic substances of all plant tissues. The gradual penetration of calcium to cell wall results in increasing level of this ion in the cell wall and thus stabilization increases which may protects the fruit from fungal and other microbial attack or contamination. Keeping in view its importance, a post- harvest study was assessed at ARI Tarnab Farm, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to evaluate the effect of Calcium chloride (CaCI2) treatment on physio-chemical quality of pear (Pyrus communis L.) during storage. Fresh and disease free pear fruits were dipped in CaCl2 solution for (3, 6 and 9 minutes) and evaluated at 5 days interval for different physio-chemical attributes. The analysis of data showed that pear fruits dipped in CaCl2 solution for 9 minutes significantly affected the fruit juice pH, ascorbic acid, percent titratable acidity, total soluble solid, reducing sugar, and non-reducing sugar. Similarly, prolonged storage duration resulted a significant increasing trend in fruit juice pH, total soluble solids and non-reducing sugar, while ascorbic acid content, percent titratable acidity and reducing sugar decreased with extension in storage duration from zero to twenty-five days. It was concluded from the results that pear fruits dipped for 9 minutes in CaCl2 solution was effective in retaining quality attributes during storage at ambient temperature (20°C with 65-70% RH). Keywords: CaCl2, Dipping time, Le-Conte, Physiological disorder, Post-harvest loses, Shelf life http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2019.80053

Internet of Things (IoT) systems have seen recent growth in popularity for city and home environments. We report on the design, deployment, and use of the IoT infrastructure for environmental monitoring and management. Working closely with hydrologists, soil scientists, and animal behaviour scientists, we successfully deployed and utilised a system to deliver integrated information across these two fields in the first such example of real-time multidimensional environmental science. We describe the design of this system, its requirements and operational effectiveness for hydrological, soil, and ethological scientists, and our experiences from building, maintaining, and using the deployment at a remote site in difficult conditions. Based on this experience, we discuss key future work for the IoT community when working in these kinds of environmental deployments.

Bioavailability of the colloidal particles is of great concern. It is because about 40% of the newly discovered colloidal agents are poorly water soluble and thus poorly bioavailable. Various colloidal technologies have been adopted to enhance the bioavailability of such drugs. In this review, advanced colloidal technologies are discussed to understand the mechanism of bioavailability enhancement of drugs, coding latest references from the literature. Additionally, advantages and disadvantages of the concerned colloidal technologies are discussed to understand the potential usage of each process. All these colloidal technologies effectively enhance the bioavailability of poorly bioavailable drugs, either by protecting them from the environment of the gastrointestinal or by prolonging their intended therapeutic effect. Furthermore, complexation of the drug molecule with potential carries, particle size reduction to nanoscale, co-crystallization and self-emulsifying drug delivery system are also discussed which not only enhance the bioavailability but also reduce the potential toxicities of the loaded drugs. It is therefore important to understand the vital colloidal technologies with their recent advancements, potential applications and future challenges, which is discussed in this review. Finally, this article concludes that the advanced colloidal technologies, including freeze-dried liposome, solid lipid nanoparticle, polymeric nanoparticle (polymeric micelles), dendrimers and solid emulsifying drug delivery systems, have the potential to achieve improved bioavailability and targeted drug delivery.

Thiol groups are extensively present across biological systems being found in range of small molecules (e.g. Glutathione, Homo-cysteine) and proteins (e.g. albumin, haemo-globin). Albumin is considered to be a major thiol containing protein present in circulating Plasma. Albumin contains a single thiolate group located at cysteine-34(cys-34) at its active site. Albumin also binds a wide variety of metals and metals complexes at various sites around the protein. Usually heavy metals are preferentially attached with the thiol group of albumin. The binding of heavy metals at cys-34 provides a mechanism by which the residence time of potentially toxic species in the body can be increased. In this research we have assessed the oxidative modification of and metal binding capacity of cys-34 with heavy metals Palladium and Vanadium to investigate the ease with which it is possible to effect disulfide-thiol exchange at this sites/or remove a metal bound at this position. Both the metals were treated with albumin and then the albumin metals (Pd and V) complexes were treated with small thoil molecules like Glutathione, Cysteine and D-Penicillamine. Our finding showed that the albumin thiol group retained the metals with itself by forming some strong bonding with the Thiols group, it is concluded from this finding that if by chance both the metals enter the living system; strongly disturb the chemistry and physiological function of this bio-molecule.

Nanotechnology has recently gained increased attention for its capability to effectively diagnose and treat various tumors. Nanocarriers have been used to circumvent the problems associated with conventional antitumor drug delivery systems, including their nonspecificity, severe side effects, burst release and damaging the normal cells. Nanocarriers improve the bioavailability and therapeutic efficiency of antitumor drugs, while providing preferential accumulation at the target site. A number of nanocarriers have been developed; however, only a few of them are clinically approved for the delivery of antitumor drugs for their intended actions at the targeted sites. The present review is divided into three main parts: first part presents introduction of various nanocarriers and their relevance in the delivery of anticancer drugs, second part encompasses targeting mechanisms and surface functionalization on nanocarriers and third part covers the description of selected tumors, including breast, lungs, colorectal and pancreatic tumors, and applications of relative nanocarriers in these tumors. This review increases the understanding of tumor treatment with the promising use of nanotechnology.

s Microbial fuel cells are an emerging bio-battery that has attracted much attention due to its integration of power generation and wastewater treatment. However, the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction hinders its practical application. It is necessary to develop a high-performance catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. Here, we report single iron atoms loaded on activated carbon as active centres used in microbial fuel cell that shows a maximum power density of 2264 ± 46 mW m−2, which is 156% higher than that of the bare activated carbon and comparable to commercial Pt/C. In addition, the higher exchange current density (16.069 × 10−4 A cm−2) and the efficient 4-electron pathway also verify its remarkable catalytic property. Moreover, we employ the aberration-corrected high-resolution high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to directly identify the single iron atoms on the carbon material and observe the morphology of catalyst, respectively. Besides, its large specific surface area (339.8 m2 g−1) and co-existence of microporous and mesoporous can promote the oxygen mass transfer and stabilize the single Fe atoms. In summary, the activated carbon-supported single iron atoms material can be a promising and highly efficient catalyst for future application.