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Moringa (Moringa oleifera) has excellent nutritional significance as well as medicinal and therapeutic benefits, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. Whole wheat flour (WWF) is associated with a reduced risk of cancer (colon cancer), constipation, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. In this regard, the objective of the study is to determine the chemical composition, nutritional value, and antioxidant activity of moringa leaves and their MLP containing snack food (bread) to make a strong recommendation for their consumption in a balanced diet. The present study was aimed at assessing the effects of dehydrated moringa leaf powder (MLP) supplementation at 0–10% MLP levels on proximate, antioxidant, mineral, and sensory quality attributes of WWF leavened bread. Further, these quality attributes for MLP and WWF were also analyzed individually. As compared to WWF, MLP exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) antioxidant activities, such as DPPH activity (10.38 ± 0.25 μmol TE/g DW), FRAP activity (21.43 ± 0.08 μmol TE/g DW), and total phenolic content (2.33 ± 0.04 mg GAE/100 g DW). MLP-supplemented bread exhibited significantly improved proximate, antioxidant, and mineral profile. It was evident from the proximate and sensory analysis that there was significant improvement in the nutritional composition of MLP-supplemented leavened bread; however, the overall acceptability scores of WWF leavened bread showed gradually decreasing tendency with corresponding rises in the addition levels of MLP. Based on results, it was implied that maximum acceptability was exhibited by the sample T2 supplemented at MLP addition level of 5%. Moreover, the nutritional, mineral profile, and antioxidant profile of the supplemented bread were significantly improved owing to MLP addition, and it may be implied that MLP could be exploited for improving the nutritional status of people in underdeveloped and developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terrestrial landscape architecture, land surface temperature (LST) is a key estimator of local climate, vegetation growth, and urban transition. It also represents the environmental factors that influence the land cover patterns using temperature variation over land use land cover (LULC) classes. In the present study, various geospatial techniques have been implemented to analyze the spatio-temporal trends in temperature among different LULC of an arid Potohar region of Pakistan using Landsat 7 (ETM+) and 8 (OLI & TIRS) and the relationship between different normalized satellite indices and LST. Results of the seasonal fluctuation in winter showed temperature range of 0–57, 0–50, 04–31 and 7–39 °C for the year 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, respectively, while the summer exhibited the temperature range of 24–48, 27–57, 22–48, and 12–41 °C for the year 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, respectively. The analysis established a direct correlation between LST and normalized difference vegetation index and normalized difference water index, and an indirect correlation among LST and normalized difference soil index, normalized difference built-up index and built-up index. The findings are critically important for planning and development division for sustainable use of land resources for urbanization extension projects. Future research will highlight the change in the area occupied by different land featured classes and their impacts on LST over a specified period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted in conjunction with the efforts to study the contact toxicity of some insecticides i.e. acephate, lambda-cyhalothrin, diafenthiuron, profenofos and spirotetramat against adult workers of Apis mellifera L. These insecticides were frequently being used to control different insect pests of major crops in Punjab-Pakistan. The experimentation was performed under laboratory conditions (28±2°C and 65±5% R.H). Four different concentrations (i.e. 50 ppm, 100, 200 and 400 ppm) of each insecticide were evaluated against A. mellifera as derived from their recommended field doses. Mortality of A. mellifera was recorded at 0.5, 3, 6 and 24 hours after exposure to insecticides. To evaluate the toxic impact, median lethal concentration (LC50) of each tested insecticide was determined. The results obtained, revealed that all insecticides were highly toxic after 24 hours of exposure at maximum concentration. Acephate and lymda-cyhalothrin showed the maximum toxicity with their LC50 of 83.96 and 139.07 ppm, respectively while diafenthiuron and profenofos were moderate in toxicity with LC50 values of 150.53 and 169.42 ppm, respectively. Spirotetramat was the least toxic in this experiment with a LC50 of 181.51 ppm after 24 hours of exposure to tested bees at maximum concentration of 400 ppm. After adjusting these results of tested insecticides to their commercial formulated field dose applications, they were causing a potential threat to A. mellifera at their maximum recommended dose except spirotetramat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbivory in insects has conferred remarkable fitness success and suitable host plants pose consequential effects on their biological traits. Spodoptera litura is a serious pest of numerous crops due to its higher fecundity, migrating efficiencies and polyphagous nature. Botanical like Nerium odorum aiton and Parthenium hysterophorus L. (leaf and flower) extracts were used to evaluate their effects on various biological activities of S. litura. 70- 75% larval mortality was recorded when both the plant extracts were applied at 15% concentration in addition to significant antifeeding effect. Insect antifeeding and mortality has direct relation with concentration of plant extracts tested up-to a certain limit and can be used as alternate tool for the control of insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigations were carried out to check the acute contact toxicity of commercial formulated insecticides viz., imidacloprid, acetamaprid, thiamethoxam and spinosad against workers of Apis mellifera L. under laboratory conditions due to their large scale application against different insect pests of crops in Pakistan. Each insecticide was evaluated at four different concentrations. The mortality of honeybees was counted after 3, 6, 12 and 24 hrs post exposure. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of each insecticide was determined for Apis mellifera L. The toxicity of insecticides increased with increase in concentration and exposure time to honeybees. The results obtained were statistically highly significant and indicate that spinosad and imidacloprid were most toxic with LC50 values of 13.5 and 16.6 ppm after 24 hrs post exposure to honeybees. When these results were adjusted to their commercial formulated field dose applications, they were likely to be causing potential impact to honeybees at their maximum recommended dose except acetamaprid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insecticides residues are of serious concern due to their presence in many food stuffs. In the current investigations, an effort was made to evaluate and determine residues of six insecticides (imidacloprid, acetamaprid, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos and endosulfan) in raw honey samples of Apis mellifera L. from the central multi-cropped districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The honey samples were analyzed for insecticides residues using multiresidue analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Ultraviolet detection. The mean recoveries obtained for spiked samples of honey at two fortification levels (0.1 and 0.01 mg/kg) ranged 77-94% with relative standard deviations less than 12%, for most of the insecticides. The residues of imidacloprid were detected in maximum samples, however the overall results for real honey samples showed that residues concentration detected, were below maximum residue limits and did not show a threat for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]