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Risperidone is the first line of treatment for bipolar disorder, atypical depression, and Schizophrenia. We present a 55-year-old male with a history of schizoaffective disorder with bipolar type I presented with aggressive behavior and suicidal ideation. Our patient was treated with low-dose Risperidone; after that, he gradually developed leg pain and edema. His leg pain hampers his ambulation, which is clinically improved after a week of medication discontinuation; however, his leg edema did not resolve completely. In addition, we evaluated our patient's compliance with an empathic verbal interview that shows edema and leg pain hampers his quality of life. We have found that not informing edema as one of the possible side effects increases medication non-compliance in our case. There are several case reports about the side effect of Risperidone (such as leg edema) in combination with other medications, but there is no recommendation about patient counseling of forthcoming leg edema and mobility issues.

Background: Acute chronic liver failure can be defined as a disease that is characterized as spontaneous deterioration of hepatic liver decompensation that was previously suffering from chronic liver conditions along with one or more than one organ failure extra hepatically which will consequently result in a risk of mortality. This study will focus on assessing the clinical and biochemical disease, cause, and outcomes of acute on chronic liver failure. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 acute-on-chronic liver failure patients in the department of Internal Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi and Lahore General Hospital of Pakistan from July 2021 to December 2021. Participants recruited for the study were presented with chronic liver disease with cirrhosis. Participants were divided into two groups, following admission into ward and the ICU. The participants were further divided into three groups according to acute on chronic liver failure. Patients were assessed for clinical outcomes and biochemical profiles of participants. Results: The outcomes of this study showed the primary etiology of chronic liver disease. The majority of participants forming group 2 of ICU had etiology of viral hepatitis C with a prevalence of 90% (n =27). The prevalence of viral hepatitis C etiology among participants was 96.7% with a number of participants being 29 of 30 in group 1. The most common aggravating factor for liver failure was bacterial origin in both ICU and ward with a prevalence of 80% and 76% respectively in both groups (n =24, n =23). The most common aggravating factor was observed to be a spontaneous bacterial infection in group two with a prevalence of 70% (n =21), whereas group one participants showed a prevalence of 63.3% (n= 19). The most common cause of organ failure among acute on chronic failure was most highly seen in the renal system with a prevalence of 60% among group 2 participants (n =18), whereas the incidence in group 1 was seen in 25 participants with a prevalence of 83.8%. Conclusion: The study concludes that the most common cause of the chronic liver disease is hepatitis c virus followed by hepatitis B virus. The most common aggravating factor for acute on chronic liver failure was spontaneous bacterial infection followed by a chest infection. The most common organ failure seen in participants was renal failure followed by cerebral failure. Keywords: Clinical Presentation, Prognosis, Acute-on-chronic liver failure, Intensive care unit

The wild arid and semi-arid plants of desert are used as food and medicine by the people of Desert. In this case study, selected plants were characterized physico-chemically for their nutritional and mineral importance by different analytical methods. Analysis showed that crude fibers and protein dominated in plant samples among all nutrients with an average concentration of 38% and 21% respectively. The edible parts of plants generally showed higher concentration of Ca and Mg as compared to Na and K. Calligonum polygonoides found comparatively rich in total sugars and ash contents. Similarly, crude fibers (45%), crude lipids (16%) and phosphorous (32 ppm) were observed higher in Leptadenia pyrotechnica. However, Prosopis cineraria contained higher contents of moisture and protein (24%) among other plants. The statistical presentation by discrimination analysis showed that arid plant found rich in most of the nutrients and minerals except phosphorous and proteins as compared to semi-arid plants with relatively higher moisture contents

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUARC) harbors almost 50 ethnic groups including the Uyghur (UGR: 45.84%), Han (HAN: 40.48%), Kazakh (KZK: 6.50%), Hui (HUI: 4.51%), Kyrgyz (KGZ: 0.86%), Mongol (MGL: 0.81%), Manchu (MCH: 0.11%), and Uzbek (UZK: 0.066%), which make it one of the most colorful regions with abundant cultural and genetic diversities. In our previous study, we established allelic frequency databases for 14 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) for four minority populations from XUARC (MCH, KGZ, MGL, and UZK) using the AmpFlSTR® Identifiler PCR Amplification Kit. In this study, we genotyped 2,121 samples using the GoldenEye™ 20A Kit (Beijing PeopleSpot Inc., Beijing, China) amplifying 19 autosomal STR loci for four major ethnic groups (UGR, HAN, KZK, and HUI). These groups make up 97.33% of the total XUARC population. The total number of alleles for all the 19 STRs in these populations ranged from 232 (HAN) to 224 (KZK). We did not observe any departures from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in these populations after sequential Bonferroni correction. We did find minimal departure from linkage equilibrium (LE) for a small number of pairwise combinations of loci. The match probabilities for the different populations ranged from 1 in 1.66 × 1023 (HAN) to 6.05 × 1024 (HUI), the combined power of exclusion ranged from 0.999 999 988 (HUI) to 0.999 999 993 (UGR), and the combined power of discrimination ranged from 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 983 (HAN) to 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 997 (UGR). Genetic distances, principal component analysis (PCA), STRUCTURE analysis, and the phylogenetic tree showed that genetic affinity among studied populations is consistent with linguistic, ethnic, and geographical classifications.

The over reliance on fossil fuels for power generation has resulted in an alarming depletion of petrochemical crude oil reserves, that also is the cause of elevated greenhouse gas effects. Biomass resources are considered potential fuels for the future on account of their renewable and carbon–neutral features. This study presents the physicochemical characteristics and pyrolysis behavior of a novel biomass Ficus natalensis barkcloth (FNB). Physicochemical characterization indicated that the FNB has 74.4% volatile matter contents, a higher heating value (HHV) of 13.8 MJ/kg, and it has 67% cellulose as its main chemical constituent. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that major decomposition occurred at the core devolatization (235℃ to 410 ℃) under inert thermal degradation. Model-free and model-fitting kinetic methods were applied to TGA data to compute the kinetics triplet for FNB biomass. The average activation energy (Ea) of the FNB pyrolysis process was determined to be 168 kJ/mol. The compensation effects between pre-exponential factor (A) and Ea detected a rise in collision intensity for the pyrolysis of FNB at high heating rates. The Criado master plot results showed that the pyrolysis of FNB followed first-order reaction (F1) mechanism. The thermodynamic parameters, such as change in enthalpy (ΔH), Gibbs free energy (ΔG), and entropy (ΔS), were also calculated and compared with kinetics parameters to evaluate the evolution of thermal degradation. Physiochemical and thermo-kinetic analysis of FBN revealed its comparable bioenergy potential with established biomasses.

Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) is an important pest causing significant losses to vegetables worldwide. Insecticides resistance in P. xylostella is a serious issue for scientists since last 30 years. However, deltamethrin and Bt Cry1Ac are commonly used insecticides against P. xylostella but studies involving development of resistance in P. xylostella against these two insecticides at different temperatures are lacking. The current study was aimed to find out the toxicity of deltamethrin and Bt Cry1Ac, and resistance development in P. xylostella. Results showed that the positive correlation between the temperature and toxicities of deltamethrin and Bt Cry1Ac. The results indicated −0.051, −0.049, −0.047, and −0.046 folds of deltamethrin resistance at 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C temperatures, respectively from 1st to 12th generations. The toxicity of Bt Cry1Ac after 24 h was 2.2 and 4.8 folds on 1st generation at 20 °C and 25 °C temperatures, respectively compared to the toxicity recorded at 15 °C (non-overlapping of 95% confidence limits). Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that the temperature has a positive correlation with the toxicity of deltamethrin and Bt Cry1Ac against the larvae of P. xylostella. This study suggests that deltamethrin and Bt Cry1Ac can be included in the management program of P. xylostella on many vegetable crops. The baseline susceptibility data might be helpful to understand the resistance mechanisms in P. xylostella. Keywords: Bt Cry1Ac, Deltamethrin, Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, Temperature coefficient

Salt stress causes nutritional imbalance and ion toxicity which affects wheat growth and production. A population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were developed by crossing Pasban90 (salt tolerant) and Frontana (salt suceptible) for identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for physiological traits including relative water content, membrane stability index, water potential, osmotic potential, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and biochemical traits including proline contents, superoxide dismutase, sodium content, potassium content, chloride content and sodium/potassium ratio by tagging 202 polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Linkage map of RILs comprised of 21 linkage group covering A, B and D genome for tagging and maped a total of 60 QTLs with major and minor effect. B genome contributed to the highest number of QTLs under salt stress condition. Xgwm70 and Xbarc361 mapped on chromosome 6B was linked with Total chlorophyll, water potential and sodium content. The increasing allele for all these QTLs were advanced from parent Pasban90. Current study showed that Genome B and D had more potentially active genes conferring plant tolerance against salinity stress which may be exploited for marker assisted selection to breed salinity tolerant high yielding wheat varieties. Keywords: Genome, Plant attributes, QTLs, Wheat, Salt stress

Biosolids can be effectively recycled and applied as soil amendments for agricultural crops because they contain several important micro and macronutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, manganese. In the current study, we evaluated the effectiveness of seven biosoilds on different growth parameters of wheat crop. The biosolids used were lime stabilized, composted, liquid mesophilic anaerobically digested (liquid MAD), thermally dried mesophilic anaerobically digested (thermally dried MAD), thermally hydrolyzed mesophilic anaerobically digested (thermally hydrolysed MAD), dewatered mesophilic anaerobically digested (dewatered MAD) and thermally dried raw biosolids. We also analysed biosolids for their nutrient contents before application. The results revealed that different types of biosolids differed in nitrogen and phosphorous contents with highest contents observed in dewatered (5.70% nitrogen, 2.32% phosphorous) and liquid biosolids (2.35% phosphorous). The plant height, plant diameter and dry weight yield of wheat was increased with the increase in concentrations of biosolids. Liquid MAD resulted in maximum plant height of 120.35 ± 3.23, 133.2 ± 3.67 and 147.25 ± 3.11 at 3.33, 6.66 and 9.99 tons/ha concentration. The highest plant diameter was recorded (1.05–1.45 cm) where mineral nitrogen was applied. The study will be helpful in replacing the synthetic fertilizer with biosolids to fulfil the nutritional requirements of agricultural crops. Keywords: Agriculture, Cereal crops, Nutritional requirements, Biosolids, Plant growth

Cereals are staple food for many countries and are grown on millions of hectares of land, but much of the harvest is wasted due to losses by pests. To minimize these losses, many pesticides are used which are damaging to the environment and human health. There are debates to get rid of these chemicals but they are still in use at large scale. An alternative control strategy for insect pests in storage houses is the use of botanicals. In this study, four plant essential oils, two plant extracts, two herbicides, and two insecticides were used against Tribolium confusum and the comparison of toxicity was made by calculating LC50 and LT50 values. LC50 values were higher for abamectin (2.09–10.23 mg/L) and cypermethrin (3.41–11.78 mg/L) insecticides followed by neem essential oil (7.39–19.24 mg/L) and citrus extract (10.14–24.50 mg/L). However, LC50 values were maximum in case of jaman plant extract (22.38–176.42 mg/L) followed by two herbicides, Logran (19.66–39.72 mg/L) and Topik (29.09–47.67 mg/L) However, LC50 values were higher for topic herbicide (24.098 ppm) and jaman essential oil (16.383 ppm) after four days of treatment. Abamectin and cypermethrin insecticides, neem essential oil and citrus plant extract also killed adults of T. confusum quicker as compared other essential oils, extracts and herbicides. Results revealed that botanical formulations being environmentally safe could be used instead of highly hazardous pesticides for stored products’ pests. This study also elaborates the non-host toxicity of herbicides commonly applied in our agroecosystem. Keywords: Tribolium confusum, Stored product pests, Botanicals, Pesticides, Pest mortalities

Purpose In this era of life highly comminuted and multi planar tibial plateau fractures involving the posterior corners are more commonly seen and addressed in the literature than before. Among these several types have not been described in the currently used classification systems. In fact simple classification systems ignore several fracture types and leniently grouped the fractures with different mechanism, morphology, treatment modalities and prognosis in same category. On the other hand, more extensive nature classifications with detailed subdivisions are difficult to remember for clinicians. The clinical reliability of these classifications is another problem. All these issues demand the potential need of a new classification. The aim of this study was to describe a quadrant specific two column classification of tibial plateau fractures and to analyse its inter-observer and intra-observer reliability, clinical assessment and application. Materials and methods From January 2009 to December 2015, 44 patients with tibial plateau fractures were studied retrospectively. The antero-posterior (AP), lateral X-rays and computed tomography (CT) with axial transverse, sagittal, coronal and three dimensional (3D) reconstruction images were performed for all the patients. All of the fractures were categorized according to quadrant specific two column classification and the traditional Schatzker’s classification. The comparative analysis for inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the new classification and the Schatzker’s classification was conducted by four observers. Results Three cases didn’t match any type in the Schatzker’s classification. While on the other hand, all cases were classified by two column classification. The mean kappa values for inter-observer reliability by using the Schatzker’s classification was 0.723 (range, 0.674-0.823), representing substantial agreement, whereas the mean kappa value was 0.939 (range: 0.897-0.974), representing almost perfect agreement according to two column classification. The mean kappa values for intra-observer reliability using the Schatzker’s classification and two column classification were 0.789 (range: 0.590-0.864) and 0.955 (range:0.923-0.948) showing substantial agreement and almost perfect agreement. Conclusion The quadrant specific two column classification is anatomically oriented, CT based and clinically valid. The different fracture types according to anatomic location are represented alphanumerically so that treatment matched to specific fracture type (quadrant specific anatomic fixation) for optimal outcomes. Furthermore, it demonstrates higher inter-observer and intra-observer reliability. This classification can be adopted to strengthen the traditional Schatzker’s classification, particularly in the multi planar and posteriorly extended plateau fractures. It can be used as a reliable research tool. The database can be used to distinguish different fracture types, individual type incidences, specific treatment and also prognosis. Authors suggest a large multi-centre study.

Background Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by reduced hemoglobin synthesis. Aim of our study is to assess the parental knowledge of thalassemia patients and their awareness regarding treatment and preventive measures against thalassemia. Methods It is an observational study done at Ali Zaib Foundation Thalassemia Center in Sahiwal, Pakistan, in May 2019. One hundred parents were enrolled in this study and a subjective questionnaire was used to collect data through direct structured survey method over a period of 30 days. Results There were parents of 62 (62%) male patients and 38 (38%) female patients, with a median age of 8.5 ± 6.2 years. Forty-three (43%) parents were illiterate while eight (8%) parents were highly educated. Sixty-six (66%) patients were born to parents with consanguineous marriages. Eighty-two (82%) parents were aware of thalassemia, 72 (72%) were aware of the risk of thalassemia due to cousin marriages, 76 (76%) parents were aware of the importance of prenatal diagnosis (PND), while 88 (88%) believed that a PND was beneficial. Fifty-two (52%) parents knew about thalassemia treatment, 80 (80%) were aware of the importance of blood screening, and 14 (14%) patients were receiving iron chelation therapy. Seventy-eight (78%) parents were aware of thalassemia prevention. All parents believed that the public requires awareness of the importance of premarital screening and PND. Conclusion Parental awareness regarding β-thalassemia, its treatment and prevention is fair but far from ideal. Premarital screening, provision of accurate information to the public by professionals, and adequate screening and PND of at-risk families can significantly reduce the rates of thalassemias.

Optimum planting arrangement is an important attribute for efficient utilization of available resources and to obtain high yield of cotton. Application of plant growth promoter and retardant on cotton in improved planting density are the innovative techniques in the establishment of more productive cotton crop. Therefore, we planned a field study to assess the role of bio-stimulant and growth retardant in the resource utilization efficiency of cotton cultivars planted under variable row spacing at Agronomic Research Area Bahauddin Zakariya University and Usmania Agricultural Farm Shujabad during Kharif 2012. Experimental treatments consisted of cotton genotypes viz. CIM-573 and CIM-598, cultivated under conventional (75 cm), medium (50 cm) and ultra-narrow row spacing (25 cm) with foliar spray of bio-stimulant (moringa leaf extract) and growth retardant (mepiquate chloride), either sole or in combination, keeping distilled water as a control. Exogenously applied MLE alone and MLE + MC significantly enhanced the number of squares, flowers and green bolls per plant leading to higher cotton seed and lint yield of CIM 598 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. While application of MC alone and MLE + MC produced maximum micronaire value, fiber strength and fiber uniformity ratio of CIM 573 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. The results suggested that application of MLE is a possible approach to enhance the cotton productivity and the use of MC to enhance the fiber quality attributes under conventional row spacing. Resumo A configuração ideal de plantio é um atributo importante para a utilização eficiente dos recursos disponíveis e para obter alto rendimento de algodão. A aplicação de promotores de crescimento de plantas e reguladores de crescimento no algodão em uma densidade de plantio adequada são técnicas inovadoras na obtenção de safras de algodão mais produtivas. Portanto, foi planejado um estudo de campo para avaliar o papel de um bioestimulante e um regulador de crescimento na eficiência da utilização de recursos de cultivares de algodão plantadas com espaçamento variável entre linhas na Área de Pesquisa Agronômica Universidade Bahauddin Zakariya e Usmania Agricultural Farm Shujabad durante Kharif 2012. Os tratamentos experimentais consistiram em genótipos de algodão viz. CIM-573 e CIM-598, cultivadas sob espaçamento convencional (75 cm), médio (50 cm) e ultraestreito (25 cm) e pulverização foliar de bioestimulante (extrato de folha de moringa) e regulador de crescimento (cloreto de mepiquato)), sozinho ou combinado, mantendo a água destilada como controle. O MLE aplicado exogenamente sozinho e o MLE + MC aumentaram significativamente o número de quadrados, flores e cápsulas verdes por planta, levando a um maior rendimento de sementes e fibra de algodão da cultivar CIM 598 cultivada sob espaçamento convencional entre fileiras. Enquanto a aplicação de MC sozinho e MLE + MC produziu valor máximo de micronaire, resistência da fibra e razão de uniformidade da fibra da cultivar CIM 573 cultivada sob espaçamento convencional entre linhas. Os resultados sugeriram que a aplicação do MLE é uma abordagem possível para aumentar a produtividade do algodão e o uso de MC para aprimorar os atributos de qualidade da fibra no espaçamento convencional entre linhas.

Background Oro-facial clefts (OFCs) are formed due to a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors. Treatment is usually extensive and lasts till adult age. The treatment also includes a large portion of dental rehabilitation. Objective This study aims to look at the different dental anomalies associated with OFCs. Methods A total of 100 participants with OFCs were randomly selected from Clap centre Lahore. They were categorized into cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), and both. Dental anomalies were recorded clinically and family history for OFCs was also recorded. Results Out of the 100 participants, 15 had CL only, 37 had a CP, and 48 had both CL and CP. Missing teeth and hypodontia were significantly associated with all OFCs (p-value > 0.05). Supernumerary teeth were only significantly associated with CP (p-value: 0.04). Other dental anomalies were not significant for OFCs. Conclusion OFCs in all its three forms are associated with dental irregularities. They can either be missing teeth or extra teeth. There is a strong need for dentists to be a part of the treatment planning of OFCs and to treat dental anomalies alongside the clefts.

Plant growth regulators and improved planting density are the innovative techniques in the establishment of more productive cotton crop. A field study was planned to assess the role of growth regulators in the resource utilization efficiency of cotton cultivars under different row spacing at Agronomic Research Area, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan and Usmania Agricultural Farm, Shujaabad during Kharif 2012. The study was comprised of cotton cultivars viz. CIM-573 and CIM-598, cultivated under conventional (75 cm), medium (50 cm) and improved ultra-narrow row spacing (25 cm) and foliar spray of growth regulators viz. moringa leaf extract (MLE) and mepiquat chloride (MC), either alone or in combination, distilled water as a control. The application of MLE alone and in combination (MLE + MC) showed the promoting effect on crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, leaf area index, leaf area duration, sympodial branches and number of bolls leading to higher seed cotton yield of both cotton cultivars grown under conventional row spacing. While application of MC averts the plant growth without considerably improving the productivity. MLE being rich source of growth promoting hormone and nutrients showed its potential to a far greater extent under conventional row spacing in efficient utilization of available resources compared to MC and distilled water. Resumo Reguladores de crescimento de plantas e melhor densidade de plantio são técnicas inovadoras no estabelecimento de culturas mais produtivas de algodão. Um estudo de campo foi planejado com o objetivo de avaliar o papel dos reguladores de crescimento na eficiência de uso de recursos de cultivares de algodão sob diferentes espaçamentos na Área de Pesquisa Agronômica, da Universidade Multil de Bahauddin Zakariya, e na Fazenda Agrícola da Usmania, Shujabad, durante o Kharif 2012. O estudo foi composto de cultivares de algodão CIM-573 e CIM-598, cultivados em espaçamento de linhas convencional (75 cm), médio (50 cm) e superestreito (25 cm) e de pulverização foliar de reguladores de crescimento, a saber, extrato de folhas de moringa (MLE) e cloreto de mepiquat (MC), isoladamente ou em combinação, e água destilada como controle. A aplicação de MLE isoladamente e em combinação (MLE + MC) mostrou efeito promotor na taxa de crescimento da cultura, taxa de assimilação líquida, índice de área foliar, duração de área foliar, ramos simpodiais e número de cápsulas levando à maior produção de algodão nas cultivares com espaçamento de linha convencional. Em contrapartida, a aplicação de MC evitou o crescimento da planta sem melhorar consideravelmente a produtividade. O MLE, por ser uma rica fonte de hormônio promotor de crescimento e nutrientes, mostrou seu potencial em uma extensão muito maior sob o espaçamento convencional entre as linhas no uso eficiente dos recursos disponíveis em comparação com o MC e a água destilada.

AimsTo investigate the impact of subchondral bone cysts (SBCs) in stress-induced osseous and articular variations in cystic and non-cystic knee models using finite element analysis.Materials and Methods3D knee joint models were reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Duplicate 3D models were also created with a 3D sphere mimicking SBCs in medial tibia. Models were divided into three groups. In group A, a non-cystic knee model was used, whereas in groups B and C, SBCs of 4 and 12 mm size were simulated, respectively. Cyst groups were further divided into three sub-groups. Each of sub-group 1 was composed of a solitary SBC in the anterior half of tibia adjacent to joint line. In sub-group 2, a solitary cyst was modeled at a lower-joint location, and in sub-group 3, two SBCs were used. All models were vertically loaded with weights representing double- and single-leg stances.ResultsDuring single-leg stance, increase in subchondral bone stress in sub-groups B-1 and B-3 were significant (p = 0.044, p = 0.026). However, in sub-group B-2, a slight increase was observed than non-cystic knee model (9.93 ± 1.94 vs. 9.35 ± 1.85; p = 0.254). All the sub-groups in group C showed significantly increased articular stress (p < 0.001). Conversely, a prominent increase in peri-cystic cancellous bone stress was produced by SBCs in groups B and C (p < 0.001). Mean cartilage shear stress in sub-groups B-1 and B-2 (0.66 ± 0.56, 0.58 ± 0.54) was non-significant (p = 0.374, p = 0.590) as compared to non-cystic model (0.47 ± 0.67). But paired cysts of the same size (B-3) produced a mean stress of 0.98 ± 0.49 in affected cartilage (p = 0.011). Models containing 12 mm SBCs experienced a significant increase in cartilage stress (p = 0.001, p = 0.006, p < 0.001) in sub-groups C-1, C-2, and C-3 (1.25 ± 0.69, 1.01 ± 0.54, and 1.26 ± 0.59), respectively.ConclusionThe presence of large-sized SBCs produced an increased focal stress effect in articular cartilage. Multiple cysts further deteriorate the condition by increased osseous stress effect and high tendency of peripheral cyst expansion in simulated cystic knee models than non-cystic knee models.

Different fixation modalities are available for fixation of posterior malleolar fractures (PMFs), but the best method is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to carry out a comparative biomechanical analysis of three commonly used fixation constructs for PMFs using experimental and finite element analysis (FEA). 15 human cadaveric ankle specimens were randomly divided into three groups. Specimens in group-A were fixed with two anteroposterior (AP) lag screws, group-B with two posteroanterior (PA) lag screws, and for group-C, a posterior plate was used. Each model was subjected to axial load. Outcomes included loads for 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm vertical displacements of posterior fragments were noted. 3D FE models were reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images and subjected to vertical loads. The model’s stress, fracture step-off, and resultant strains in implants were also studied in 3D FE models. Significantly higher amounts of mean compressive loads were observed to cause the same amount of vertical displacements in plate group (265 ± 60.21 N, 796 ± 57.27 N, 901.18 ± 8.88 N, 977.26 ± 13.04 N) than AP (102.7 ± 16.78 N, 169.5 ± 19.91 N, 225.32 ± 15.92 N, 269.32 ± 17.29 N) and PA (199.88 ± 31.43 N, 362.80 ± 28.46 N, 431.3 ± 28.12 N, 541.86 ± 36.05 N) lag screws respectively (P

Extensive research has been conducted on controlling carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in recent years with increasing environmental awareness. The primary contributor to climate change is the exponentially growing anthropogenic CO2, NOx, and SOx in the air from various energy and industrial sectors. Hence, several pre-combustion and post-combustion processes to mitigate these gases have been introduced and implemented. Despite the benefits of CO2, SOx, and NOx abatement technologies, researchers still have major challenges to deal with. While the removal efficiencies, operational costs, and resulting byproducts of conventional removal technologies are being improved, new technologies are also emerging. As it is evident from the current abundant reserves of coal that it will continue to be in a significant position among the principal sources of energy for more than a decade, the research for the reduction of CO2, NOx, and SOx is inevitable to save future generations from the harmful impacts of these pollutants. This review paper summarizes the progress of different emission control technologies at the plant level and introduces emerging technologies that are environment friendly.

Purpose Appropriate fixation method for the posterior malleolar fractures (PMF) according to the fracture size is still not clear. Aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of the different fixation methods used for fixation of PMF by finite element analysis (FEA) and to compare the effect of fixation constructs on the size of the fracture computationally. Materials and methods Three dimensional model of the tibia was reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images. PMF of 30%, 40% and 50% fragment sizes were simulated through computational processing. Two antero-posterior (AP) lag screws, two postero-anterior (PA) lag screws and posterior buttress plate were analysed for three different fracture volumes. The simulated loads of 350 N and 700 N were applied to the proximal tibial end. Models were fixed distally in all degrees of freedom. Results In single limb standing condition, the posterior plate group produced the lowest relative displacement (RD) among all the groups (0.01, 0.03 and 0.06 mm). Further nodal analysis of the highest RD fracture group showed a higher mean displacement of 4.77 mm and 4.23 mm in AP and PA lag screws model (p = 0.000). The amounts of stress subjected to these implants, 134.36 MPa and 140.75 MPa were also significantly lower (p = 0.000). There was a negative correlation (p = 0.021) between implant stress and the displacement which signifies a less stable fixation using AP and PA lag screws. Conclusion Progressively increasing fracture size demands more stable fixation construct because RD increases significantly. Posterior buttress plate produces superior stability and lowest RD in PMF models irrespective of the fragment size.

We studied the influence of lava meal, zeolite and top layer of sandy soil as bedding additives on gaseous C and N losses from a sloping-floor barn of naturally ventilated animal housing. We selected four barn units where eight young bulls’ group was reared in each barn. Chopped straw of wheat and barley applied daily at the rate of 5 kg per livestock unit (LU) in bedding areas where one LU consisted of 500 kg body mass of live bulls. Zeolite, lava meal and sandy soil (18% clay + silt) applied in barn at the rate of 10, 20 and 30% of straw dose, respectively. Static flux chamber was used to measure gases emissions from the barn unit and mass balance calculation was used to calculate straw manure total N (TN) losses during housing phase. On an average, all bedding additives decreased 85% of the NH3 emission compared to control; however, they did not influence CH4 emission. Zeolite decreased CO2 (35%) and N2O (37%) emission rates. Subsequently, lava meal, sandy soil and zeolite decreased 23, 37, and 50% of TN losses from barn manure, respectively. Overall, measured N emissions through NH3-N and N2O-N from the barns was 11% of calculated TN losses while remainder 89% was most probably attributed to di-nitrogen (N2), a harmless gas. Hence, in straw-based cattle housings, zeolite could be a promising additive for reduction of CO2, N2O and NH3 emissions and sandy soil can be considered as cheap and readily available resource for reducing NH3 emission.

Salt stress causes nutritional imbalance and ion toxicity which affects wheat growth and production. A population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were developed by crossing Pasban90 (salt tolerant) and Frontana (salt suceptible) for identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for physiological traits including relative water content, membrane stability index, water potential, osmotic potential, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and biochemical traits including proline contents, superoxide dismutase, sodium content, potassium content, chloride content and sodium/potassium ratio by tagging 202 polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Linkage map of RILs comprised of 21 linkage group covering A, B and D genome for tagging and maped a total of 60 QTLs with major and minor effect. B genome contributed to the highest number of QTLs under salt stress condition. Xgwm70 and Xbarc361 mapped on chromosome 6B was linked with Total chlorophyll, water potential and sodium content. The increasing allele for all these QTLs were advanced from parent Pasban90. Current study showed that Genome B and D had more potentially active genes conferring plant tolerance against salinity stress which may be exploited for marker assisted selection to breed salinity tolerant high yielding wheat varieties.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of age and duration of symptoms on the outcomes of scrotal explorations for acute scrotal pain at our institution. STUDY DESIGN Case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, from January 2006 to December 2017. METHODOLOGY Retrospective data was collected from electronic case records of the patients who required scrotal exploration for suspected torsion of the testis. Group difference between continuous variables (age and duration of symptoms) were assessed by Kruskal Wallis and independent samples Mann-Whitney U-tests. The Fisher Exact and Chisquare tests were used to analyse relationships between categorical data. RESULTS In total, 502 patients required scrotal exploration. The median age (years) and duration of symptoms (hours) were 16.4 years (1.3 - 77) and 4 hours (1 - 336), respectively. Torsion of the testis was found in 231 (46%), torsion of the testicular appendix in 126 (25%), epididymal inflammation in 46 (9.2%), and no cause identified in 99 (19.7%). Immediate orchidectomy for non-viable testis performed in 34 (14.7% of TT group and 6.8% of the overall cohort). Duration of symptoms was significantly associated with risk of orchidectomy in torsion patients 4 vs. 27 hours (p

The effects of exogenously applied Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE), nitrogen and potassium were studied on the productivity and quality of two cotton cultivars (CIM-573) and transgenic Bt cotton (CIM-598). The Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) factorial experiment was conducted at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan (30.2639 &deg, N, 71.5101 &deg, E, 123 m asl), during 2016 and 2017, with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed the significance of cotton cultivars and foliar applications for the majority of traits studied, in both years. The CIM-573 had superiority for most of the traits studied in 2016 and 2017 trials, while the CIM-598 cultivar had significantly higher record for chlorophyll content, seed cotton yield, mean boll weight, and seed index in 2016 and sympodial branches per plant in 2017. Foliar application of Moringa Leaf Extract (MLE) and synthetic fertilizers showed significant differences for the traits studied compared to the distilled water. Exogenous application of MLE has a positive effect on photosynthetic and enzymatic activities that improve the efficiency of nutrients that are utilized, thereby improving the growth, seed cotton yield and quality of cotton cultivars tested. All the interaction effects had a significant influence on the traits studied, except ginning percentage in 2016. The interaction between the conventional cotton cultivar (CIM 573) and exogenous application of MLE + nitrogen + potassium had significantly higher effect on plant height, cotton yield, staple length, fiber maturity, and fiber strength for the 2017 trial and was superior for the quality parameters in 2017. The interaction of the Bt cotton cultivar (CIM 598) and the foliar application of MLE + nitrogen + potassium had superiority in cotton yield, yield components and the quality parameters in the 2017 trial. Both the CIM 573 and CIM 598 cotton cultivars had consistent expressions for all quality traits studied, although they did fluctuate in their expression to these agronomic traits between the field trials of 2016 and 2017. Additive gene effects could be the explanation for the unstable effects of yield and the related traits in the different environmental conditions of the field trials in the two years. Our results suggest that the exogenous application of MLE alone and in combination with nitrogen and potassium could be used to improve the productivity and the quality of these cotton cultivars. The correlation coefficients indicate strong associations between the agronomic and quality traits, indicating that one or more yield parameters could be used as selection criteria to improve the productivity and quality of cotton.

Concerns over climate change are necessitating the need for alternative greener fuel. Biodiesel is widely considered to be a key contributor to alleviating this concern. At present the biodiesel sector faces a number of challenges including technical challenges such as improving the quality of biodiesel to match that of crude oil derived diesel. One of the key challenges in the quality arena is improving the cold flow properties to enable wider geographic and seasonal operability. This review discusses in depth the various options which can be deployed to address this issue in an efficient and effective manner, with heterogeneous catalysis offering fascinating prospects.

The global navigation can be provided by GNSS satellite constellations such as GPS, GLONASS, and the recently emerging BEIDOU and GALILEO in medium and higher earth orbits. Generally speaking, those GNSS satellites, that are in the altitudes of about 20,000 km, move around the Earth with an orbital speed of approximately 3.88 km/s relative to the Earth. According to the Doppler Effect, the relative movement of GNSS satellites and GNSS receivers lead to a Doppler shift in the GNSS signals frequency on the receiver. It would be even worse if the GNSS receiver also has a high velocity relative to the GNSS satellites. A GNSS receiver in space, especially in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), suffers from the high dynamics. A satellite in the altitude of 550 km travels in an orbital speed of approximately 7.58 km/s which leads to a high Doppler frequency shift of about ±60 kHz. That is why tracking the GNSS signals for LEO satellites is always of a great challenge. In this paper, it is attempted to suggest and analyze a suitable method which can surmount the difficulty of high dynamic GNSS signal tracking in LEO. Vector tracking is the method which is selected for this purpose and its performance is analyzed regarding the requirements. It is shown that compared with FLL tracking loop, vector tracking increase the dynamics by at least 200%.

Livestock manure is a valuable source of nutrients for plants. However, poor handling practices during storage resulted in nutrient losses from the manure and decrement in its nitrogen (N) fertilizer value. We explored the influence of divergent storage methods on manure chemical composition, carbon (C) and N losses to the environment as well as fertilizer value of storage products after their application to the wheat. Fresh buffalo manure (FM) was subjected to different storage operations for a period of ∼6 months, (i) fermentation by covering with a plastic sheet (CM) (ii) placed under the roof (RM) (iii) heap was unturned (SM) to remain stacked at an open space and (iv) manure heap turned monthly (TM) to make compost. During storage, 8, 24, 45 and 46% of the initial Ntotal was lost from CM, RM, SM, and TM, respectively. The respective C losses from these treatments were 16, 34, 47 and 44% of the initial C content. After stored manures application to the wheat crop, mineral N in the soil remained 27% higher in CM (14.1 vs. 11.1 kg ha−1) and 3% (10.8 vs. 11.1 kg ha−1) lower in SM compared to FM treatment. In contrast, microbial biomass C and N was 35 (509 vs.782 mg C kg−1 soil) and 25% (278 vs.370 mg N kg−1 soil) lower in CM than FM treatment, respectively indicating lower N immobilization of CM in the soil. These findings could result in the highest grain yield (5166 kg ha−1) and N uptake (117 kg ha−1) in CM and the lowest in SM treatments (3105 and 61 kg ha−1, respectively). Similarly, wheat crop recovered 44, 15 and 13% N from CM, TM and SM, respectively. Hence, management operations play a critical role in conserving N during storage phase and after stored manure application to the field. Among the studied operations, storing animal manure under an impermeable plastic sheet is a much better and cheaper option for decreasing N losses during storage and improving wheat yield when incorporated into the soil. Therefore, by adopting this manure storage technique, farmers can improve the agro-environmental value of animal manure in Pakistan.

Objective: To know infective endocarditis frequency and its echocardiographic, clinical and microbiological status. Study Design: A Retrospective Study. Place and Duration: In the Cardiology Department, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore for 3 years duration from February 2013 to February 2016. The patients who were drug abusers and suspected of Infective endocarditis were hospitalized and selected for the study. Methodology: The medical records of 323 patients who were addicted to intravenous drug use (IDU) were reviewed and 33 cases that met Duke's diagnostic criteria were selected for this study. Microbiological findings, Clinical findings, co morbidities and echocardiographic data was studied in details. Data obtained from non-IE and IE patients were compared in SPSS chi-square test and using t test. Findings: 32 patients with IE were men and with 26.2 mean age. 288 males were Non-IE patients and two females also with an average age of 38.01 years. HIV was positive in 19 of our patients. There were major statistically variations between HIV-negative and Positive patients. Fever and Weight loss were the most common clinical manifestations. The most common organism (24.2%) causing IE is Staphylococcus aureus and most were methicillin resistant staphylococcal coagulase negative (15.1%). In 33.3% of cases Tricuspid valve was involved. Conclusion: Among intravenous drug users (IDU), infectious endocarditis (IE) incidence is greater than those reported in previous studies. IE risk increases with HIV infection. The most common organism is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The most common cardiac valve involved is Tricuspid. Key words: Injectable drug users, infective endocarditis.

Rice is a delicious food for all the tiers of society in most of the states around the world. Billions of people eat rice for at least once a day to fulfill their dietary needs

Introduction: According to estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there were 14.1 million new cancer cases in 2012 worldwide, of which 8 million occurred in economically developing countries, which contain about 82% of the world’s population. Objectives of the study: This study was designed to evaluate the status of macronutrients such as Ca and Fe and micronutrients such as Cu, Zn and Se in brain tumor patients. Methodology of the study: The study was conducted at THQ Hospital Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, Pakistan during 2016 to 2017. This study was done with the collaboration of AKU hospital and SKM hospital laboratory. The patient who were come at hospital for treatment, selected for this study. Results: The analysis of blood micro and macro nutrients shows that there is a huge difference in control group and patients. Conclusion: It is concluded that quality of life is very much important in brain tumor therapies. The level of nutrients become decreases due to tumor that’s why it is necessary to maintain the normal values of nutrients. So that patient may survive better quality life. Key words: Brain, Micro nutrients, Macro nutrients

Background: People with addictive habits are prone to both infectious and non-infectious diseases. Conflicting results have been reported about propensity of these individuals for development of autoimmune diseases. Therefore, a study was planned to determine the frequency of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-dsDNA (dsDNA) antibody in the serum of habitual smokers, paan (areca nut) chewers and other oral addictive habits as compared to subjects without such addictive habits. Methods: Blood samples from 90 subjects (45 with addictive habits and 45 without any addiction) were taken by random sampling after getting written informed consent. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test the sera for ANA and anti dsDNA. Results: One subject in the addictive group had ANA and dsDNA antibodies, whereas in the control group, two subjects had anti dsDNA while none of them had ANA. No significant association of these antibodies was observed between the two groups. Conclusions: Addictive habits do not predispose the subjects to develop autoimmune diseases.

This brief note addresses the comparison between conventional ELISA and a slightly newer, equally sensitive, specific, less time consuming and cost effective version of its “Paper based ELISA,” which have a few major benefits on the conventional ELISA.