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ABSTRACTRice production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has increaed ten-fold since 1961, whereas its consumption has exceeded the production and the regional self-sufficiency rate is only 48% in 2020. Increase in rice production has come mainly from increased harvested area. Yield increase has been limited and the current average yield in SSA is around 2 t ha−1. This paper aims to provide the status quo of (i) current rice production and its challenges, (ii) selected achievements in rice agronomy research mainly by the Africa Rice Center and its partners, and (iii) perspectives for future research on rice agronomy in SSA. The major problems confronting rice production include low yield in rainfed environments, accounting for 70% of the total rice harvested area. Rainfed rice yields are strongly affected by climate extremes such as water stresses, soil-related constraints, and sub-optimum natural resource management and crop management practices by smallholder farmers including poor water management, and suboptimal use of fertilizers, herbicides, and machineries. For alleviating these constraints, a wide range of technologies have been developed and introduced over the last three decades. These include water conservation technologies in rainfed and irrigated lowland rice, site-specific nutrient management practices, decision support tools such as crop growth simulation models, and labor-saving technologies. We conclude that further research efforts are needed to develop locally adapted agronomic solutions for sustainable intensification, especially in rainfed rice to enhance the resilience to climate change and increase land and labor productivity and sustainability of rice cultivation in SSA.

Abstract Current cross-sectional study was carried out between September 2019 to January 2020 at the Department of Pathology, Mardan Medical Complex (MMC), Mardan, and District Headquarter Hospital North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The objectives of the current study were to determine the prevalence of leishmaniasis and its associated risk factors in selected districts of KP province, Pakistan. Altogether, three hundred and seventy-four (n=374) leishmaniosis patients were included in the current study. Skin specimen from the ulcer border were collected. The slides were stained by Giemsa stain and examined for the presence of amastigote. The prevalence of leishmania infected patients in different region of KP were as follows: North Waziristan region 53.7 (n=201) District Mardan 34.7% (n=130); District Nowshera 6.7% (n=25), District Swabi 1.1% (n=4) and other Districts i.e. Dir, Malakand, Buner and Bajawarr were 3.7% (n=14). The frequency of leishmaniasis were more in male and majority of the infected patients were in the age group of

Abstract The Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip protocol is the most extensively used transformation method for a model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Several useful methods for Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transformations of Arabidopsis are existing, but they are time consuming and with low transformation efficiency. Here, we developed a transgenic Arabidopsis lines TET12p::TET12-RFP in a short period of time and enhanced transformation efficiency by using a modified transformation method by applying drought stress after floral dip. In this protocol, Agrobacterium cells carrying TET12p::TET12-RFP recombinant vectors were resuspended in a solution of 5% sucrose, 0.05% (v/v) silwet L-77 to transform female gametes of developing Arabidopsis inflorescences. Treated Arabidopsis were then applied with different levels of drought stresses to stimulate plants for the utilization of maximum plant energy in seed maturation process. The applied stresses achieved the fast maturation of already treated inflorescences while stopped the growing of newly arising untreated inflorescence, thus decreased the chances of wrong collection of untransformed seeds. Consequently, the collected seeds were mostly transgenic with a transformation frequency of at least 10%, thus the screening for positive transformants selection was more advantageous on a selective medium as compared to a classical floral dip method. Within 2-3 months, two hundred of individual transgenic plants were produced from just 10 infiltrated plants. This study concludes that application of drought stresses in a specific stage of plant is a beneficial strategy for achieving the transgenic Arabidopsis in a short period of time with high transformation efficiency.

This paper explores research in the always already colonized spaces of academia with people in what is now the United States. In research projects, Wilson (2008) reminds us to begin with community relationships. Through ethnographic work, we trouble the idea of beginning research via local powerbrokers, who may privilege particular narratives and individuals. We offer reflections reconsidering power dynamics in community-based ethnographic studies suggesting ways to think about who research relationships are built with.

Abstract Transplanting time and genotype contribute to improving crop yield and quality of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of foliar applied of triacontanol (TRIA) and eggplant genotypes 25919, Nirala, 28389 and Pak-10927,transplanted on 1 March,15 March, and 1 April on exposure to high air temperature conditions. The experiment was performed according to Randomized Complete Block Design and the data was analyzed by using Tuckey,s test . The TRIA was applied at 10µM at flowering stage; distilled water was used as the control. Rate of photosynthesis and transpiration, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, and effects on antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) were evaluated. The 10µM TRIA increased photosynthesis rate and water use efficiency and yield was improved in all genotypes transplanted at the different dates. Foliar application of 10µM TRIA increased antioxidative enzyme activities (SOD, POD & CAT) and improved physiological as well as biochemical attributes of eggplant genotypes exposed to high heat conditions. Highest activity of dismutase enzyme 5.41mg/1g FW was recorded in Nirala genotype in second transplantation. Whereas, lowest was noted in PAK-10927 (2.30mg/g FW). Maximum fruit yield was found in accession 25919 (1.725kg per plant) at 1st transplantation with Triacontanol, whereas accession PAK-10927 gave the lowest yield (0.285 kg per plant) at control treatment on 3rd transplantation. Genotype, transplanting date and application of TRIA improved growth, yield and quality attributes under of heat stress in eggplant.

Abstract ‘ Kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus nobilis L.× Citrus deliciosa T.) is an important marketable fruit of the world. It is mainstay of citrus industry in Pakistan, having great export potential. But out of total production of the country only 10% of the produce meets the international quality standard for export. Pre-harvest fruit drop and poor fruit quality could be associated with various issues including the plant nutrition. Most of the farmers do not pay attention to the supply of micro nutrients which are already deficient in the soil. Furthermore, their mobility within plants is also a question. Zinc (Zn) is amongst those micronutrients which affect the quality and postharvest life of the fruit and its deficiency in Pakistani soils is already reported by many researchers. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the influence of pre-harvest applications of zinc sulfate (ZnSO4; 0, 0.4%, 0.6% or 0.8%) on pre-harvest fruit drop, yield and fruit quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin at harvest. The treatments were applied during the month of October i.e. 4 months prior to harvest. The applied Zn sprays had significant effect on yield and quality of the “Kinnow” fruit. Amongst different foliar applications of ZnSO4applied four months before harvest, 0.6% ZnSO4 significantly reduced pre-harvest fruit drop (10.08%) as compared to untreated control trees (46.45%). Similarly, the maximum number of fruits harvested per tree (627), fruit weight (192.9 g), juice percentage (42.2%), total soluble solids (9.5 °Brix), ascorbic acid content (35.5 mg 100 g-1) and sugar contents (17.4) were also found significantly higher with 0.6% ZnSO4 treatment as compared to rest of treatments and control. Foliar application of 0.6% ZnSO4 also significantly improved total antioxidants (TAO) and total phenolic contents (TPC) in fruit. In conclusion, foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.6%) four months prior to harvest reduced pre-harvest fruit drop, increase yield with improved quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin fruit.

As an underdeveloped country, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has posed a major risk to the health and economy of Pakistan. The SIR (susceptible–infected–recovered) model of epidemiologic analysis predicts that there should have been more cases since late March 2020 in Pakistan. We therefore sought to investigate COVID-19's prevalence and epidemiologic trends in Pakistan. Research for COVID-19 is still in its early stages, so data were collected from official websites and research journals, then analyzed for the disease's prevalence, epidemiology, mortality and recoveries. The results indicated that a rapid increase had indeed occurred in the number of COVID-19 infections in Pakistan, with the first case reported on 25 February, 2020. From 25 February 25 to April, 2020, COVID-19 infected 11,155 people in Pakistan, with 237 deaths (2.12%) and 2527 recoveries (19.96%). We found a statistically significant positive correlation between the prevalence of COVID-19 and the mortality ratio (r = 0.983, r2 = 0.966; p ≤ 0.05). We concluded that proper management must be undertaken to improve the quarantine system, and the World Health Organization guidelines must be closely followed to cope with COVID-19. There is no vaccine for COVID-19, so antiviral drugs (interferon alfa, ribavirin) may be useful to prevent COVID-19; however, severe control measures implemented in China have significantly mitigated the spread of COVID-19. Suspected and confirmed cases must be treated in separate rooms. Staying home and social distancing are the safe way to proceed.

Globally, urinary tract infection (UTI) is considered a major public health concern and the second most common bacterial infection affecting individuals of different ages. Bacteria are responsible for about 95% of UTIs. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in uropathogens may lead to poor treatment outcomes in individuals with UTIs. The knowledge of the microorganism involves and antibiograms are important for the empirical treatment of UTIs. A cross-sectional study was carried out over 7 months (January to July 2019) with a focus on the identification of bacterial pathogens causing UTI and the evaluation of their antibiogram. In total, 804 urine samples were collected from individuals with suspected UTIs and inoculated on recommended media. Isolation and identification of the bacterial strains were performed using standard microbiological protocols. Antibiotic susceptibility was carried out following CLSI recommended guidelines. Among the tested specimens, 290 (36.1%) had significant bacterial growth and 147 (50.7%) of the strains were isolated from female patients. The frequently identified isolates were Escherichia coli (68.9%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (6.7%). The highest percentages of resistance have been observed against tested antibiotics. The majority of the isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers (85.2%) and multidrug-resistant (98.3%). We observed that Gram-negative bacteria were the main cause of UTIs where the predominant microorganism was E. coli.

This paper contributes to the ongoing efforts aimed at enhancing Outcome-Based Education (OBE) assessment methodologies by addressing some critical gaps and exploring new solutions. Our work focuses on two main areas: firstly, this study proposes an improved assessment method for OBE. It refines traditional approaches by classifying course materials according to their relevance to learning outcomes, weighting them by importance, connecting these outcomes to student goals and assigning difficulty levels to modules. All modules are directly assessed through a final exam with a consistent rubric, and student success is measured by a holistic score that considers the weighted attainment levels across all learning outcomes and modules. Secondly, this paper provides theoretical guidance for integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies into OBE assessment. It examines the potential impact of these technologies at various assessment stages, laying the groundwork for practical implementation.

ABSTRACT: Plant growth regulators are an immense group of substances that have the ability to alter growth pattern of plants and can be used for improving plant growth and productivity. A study was conducted in the Xilin Gol grassland of Inner Mongolia, China, to ascertain the growth and biomass production of Stipa krylovii in response to exogenous application of different growth regulators at various concentrations viz. naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), brassinosteroid (BR), sodium nitrophenolate (SNP) and forchlorfenuron, and gibberellic acid (GA3). Application of growth regulators significantly enhanced the growth and biomass production of S. krylovii. The height of vegetative shoot was enhanced mostly by the application of 100 mg L-1 GA3, while, height of reproductive shoot was increased by 25 mg L-1 6-BA, 100 mg L-1 SNP + 5 mg L-1 forchlorfenuron and 50 mg L-1 SNP + 2.5 mg L-1 forchlorfenuron as compared to control. Fresh biomass was enhanced by the application of 0.02 mg L-1 BR, 10 mg L-1 SNP + 0.5 mg L-1 forchlorfenuron and 50 mg L-1 SNP + 2.5 mg L-1 forchlorfenuron. Application of 5 mg L-1 6-BA and 50 mg L-1 SNP + 2.5 mg L-1 forchlorfenuron proved to be more beneficial in improving dry biomass of S. krylovii, as compared to control. In conclusion, exogenous application of different growth regulators improved growth and biomass production of S. krylovii. Furthermore, application of SNP + forchlorfenuron and 6-BA was more effective.

Iterative channel decoders such as Turbo-Code and LDPC decoders show exceptional performance and therefore they are a part of many wireless communication receivers nowadays. These decoders require a soft input, i.e., the logarithmic likelihood ratio (LLR) of the received bits with a typical quantization of 4 to 6 bits. For computing the LLR values from a received complex symbol, a soft demapper is employed in the receiver. The implementation cost of traditional soft-output demapping methods is relatively large in high order modulation systems, and therefore low complexity demapping algorithms are indispensable in low power receivers. In the presence of multiple wireless communication standards where each standard defines multiple modulation schemes, there is a need to have an efficient demapper architecture covering all the flexibility requirements of these standards. Another challenge associated with hardware implementation of the demapper is to achieve a very high throughput in double iterative systems, for instance, MIMO and Code-Aided Synchronization. In this paper, we present a comprehensive communication and hardware performance evaluation of low complexity soft-output demapping algorithms to select the best algorithm for implementation. The main goal of this work is to design a high throughput, flexible, and area efficient architecture. We describe architectures to execute the investigated algorithms. We implement these architectures on a FPGA device to evaluate their hardware performance. The work has resulted in a hardware architecture based on the figured out best low complexity algorithm delivering a high throughput of 166 Msymbols/second for Gray mapped 16-QAM modulation on Virtex-5. This efficient architecture occupies only 127 slice registers, 248 slice LUTs and 2 DSP48Es.

Introduction: Tractor drivers are continuously exposed to whole body vibration during driving that, this may cause disorders in the system of musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory and occupational diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate exposed to whole body vibration among tractor driver. .Material and Method: In this study, whole-body vibration parameters such as root mean square (rms) of acceleration , total equivalent acceleration, vibration dose value (VDV) and crest factor (CF) were separately compared in three directions (x, y, and z) , in 3 Massey Ferguson Model 165 Tractor it was done during 3 different modes of transport (without trailer, with empty trailer and with a trailer load of soil) , plowing the land and loading trailer in working conditions with various gear according to the guidelines of ISO 2631 standard. . Result: The results showed that in all measuring points, exposure to whole body vibration was higher than permissible level and the risks of disorders exist. Exposure to vibration were as with empty trailer (43.11m/s2). The maximum of crest factor was obtained for transportation mode of empty trailer with 3 gear (10.7), then plowing (7.35) and loading soil(6.50). The maximum of vibration dose value was eventuated for transportation mode with empty trailer with 4 gear (189.92 m/s1.75) and 3 gear (108.15m/s1.75). In all measuring modes exposure with vibration in Y direction was greater than X and Z axes. . Conclusion: This study shows that the need to provide intervention , controlling and managing measures to eliminate or reduce exposure to whole body vibration among tractor drivers its necessary. And, preventing main disorder Including musculoskeletal disorders, discomfort and early fatigue is of circular importance. More studies are also necessary to identify the sources of vibration among various of tractors.

Introduction: The power tiller is a multipurpose hand tractor designed primarily for rotary tilling and other farm operations. Vibration, transmitted from the handles of the tiller to the operators’ body, causes many injuries such as, pain, musculoskeletal disorders and white finger syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hand-arm vibration exposure in the operators of tiller model HT900, as the most frequently used model of tillers. .Material and Method: In this study, 40 operators tiller of model HT900 in the city of Kashmar, Khorasan Razavi were examined. Hand-arm vibration measurement was done according to ISO 5349-1 and ISO 5349-2 in three different modes including, static and neutral (mode), transition to the ground mode and plowing the land mode in different gears. In order to measure the vibrations, human response vibration meter of B and K model 2512 was utilized.. Result: Results of the present study indicated that in all measured situations, exposure to hand arm vibration was higher than the standard limit suggested by Iranian occupational health committee and there was risk of vibration-induced disorders. The maximum exposure to vibration is in plowing ground. Exposure to hand arm vibration in three modes of plowing, transmission and natural, were respectively 16.95, 14.16 and 8.65 meters per second squared. Additionally, in all situations, vibration exposure was highest in the X-axis in comparison with Z- and Y-axes. .Conclusion: This study emphasizes on the need to provide intervention and controlling and managing strategies in order to eliminate or reduce vibration transmitted from tiller to operators hand and arm and also prevent to serious problems including neurovascular disorders, discomfort and white finger syndrome. Meanwhile, more studies are necessary to identify the sources of vibration on different models of tiller.

Synchronization and channel decoding are integral parts of each receiver in wireless communication systems. The task of synchronization is the estimation of the general unknown parameters of phase, frequency and timing offset as well as correction of the received symbol sequence according to the estimated parameters. The synchronized symbol sequence serves as input for the channel decoder. Advanced channel decoders are able to operate at very low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). For small values of SNR, the parameter estimation suffers from increased noise and impacts the communication performance. To improve the synchronization quality and thus decoder performance, the synchronizers are integrated into the iterative decoding structure. Intermediate results of the channel decoder after each iteration are used to improve the synchronization. This approach is referred to as code-aided (CA) synchronization or turbo synchronization. A number of CA synchronization algorithms have already been published but there is no publication so far on a generic hardware implementation of the CA synchronization. Therefore we present an algorithm which can be implemented efficiently in hardware and demonstrate its communication performance. Furthermore we present a high throughput, flexible, area and power efficient code-aided synchronization IP core for various satellite communication standards. The core is synthesized for 65 nm low power CMOS technology. After placement and routing the core has an area of 0.194 mm2, throughput of 207 Msymbols/s and consumes 41.4 mW at 300 MHz clock frequency. The architecture is designed in such a way that it does not affect throughput of the system.

The camel is one of the typical and the best adopted animals of the desert, capable of enduring thirst and hunger for days and is the most patient of land animals. For desert nomads of Pakistani Cholistan, it is a beloved companion, a source of milk and meat, transport facility provider and a racing/dancing animal, thus, playing an important role in the socioeconomic uplift of the local community. Camels of Marrecha or Mahra breed are mainly used for riding and load carrying but may be trained for dancing or racing. Berella is another heavy and milch breed of camel famous for milk production and can produce upto 10-15 liters of milk per day. This breed is also suitable for draught purpose, though comparatively slow due to heavy body. The present paper also describes the traditional camel rearing system used by nomads of Cholistan desert. Some aspects of camel health, production, feeding, socio-economic values, marketing and some constraints and suggestions are also given so that the policy makers may consider them for the welfare of this animal.

A trial was conducted to measure the dry matter intake by sheep fed basal and basal + corn stover treated with different nitrogen sources. The diets were: 1) basal, 2) basal + untreated corn stover, 3) basal + 3% NH3-treated stover, 4) basal + 50% poultry litter treated stover, 5) basal + 5.8% urea-treated stover, and 6) basal + 5.8% urea + 10% cattle waste-treated stover. Thirty-six crossbred (1/2 Dorset x ¼ Finn x ¼ Rambouillet) wethers were assigned according to the initial body weight into six equal blocks and the sheep within blocks were randomly allotted to the experimental diets. The animals were kept in individual pens with free access to feed and water. Dry matter intake was higher (P

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to measure urinary sodium and potassium as a measure of sodium and potassium intake concerning the knowledge, attitude and practice towards sodium intake among a group of healthy residents in the UAE. Design: A cross-sectional study on a sample of healthy adults in the UAE. In addition to the knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire, sodium and potassium excretions and food records were taken. Setting: The UAE. Participants: A sample of 190 healthy individuals aged between 20 and 60 years. Results: The mean (± s d) age of the sample was 38·6 (± 12·5) years, and 50·5 % were females. The mean urinary sodium and potassium intake were 2816·2 ± 675·7 mg/d and 2533·3 ± 615 mg/d, respectively. The means were significantly different compared with the WHO recommendation of sodium and potassium (P < 0·001). About 65 % of the participants exceeded the WHO recommendations for salt intake, and participants’ knowledge classification for health-related issues was fair, while food-related knowledge was poor (P = 0·001). A two-stage stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that knowledge, attitude and practice scores were negatively associated with urinary sodium excretion (r = –0·174; P = 0·017) and those older participants and females had lower urinary sodium excretion (P < 0·001). Conclusions: These findings may suggest an increase in the risk of hypertension in the UAE population. Moreover, these findings emphasise the need to establish education and public awareness programmes focusing on identifying the sodium contents of foods and establishing national regulations regarding food reformulation, particularly for staple foods such as bread.

This study was aimed to show the changes of some blood parameters by the effect of biological and chemical treatment of rice straw,It was conducted at The Ruminant Research Station in Abu Ghraib / Directorate of / Agricultural Researches / Ministry of Agriculture, for the period from June 1, 2021 until August 27, 2021 (preceded by the preliminary period 14 days), The study included 12 Iraqi buffalo calves aged 5 - 6 months. the calves were randomly divided into three equal groups (4 calves / group), kept in individual pens and distributed among group.T1 (the control group) in which the calves were fed on untreated rice straw T2 the calves were fed on rice straw treated with urea at a rate of 3% T3 the calves were fed on rice straw treated with Trichoderma harzianum at a rate of 0.1%. The triglycerides concentration were decreased significantly (p≤0.05) in the T2 (11.28 mg/dL) and T3 (11.32 mg/dL) compared with T1 (20.79 mg/dL). similarly, the level of very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL) was decreased 2.25, 2.26, 4.16 mg/dL for T2, T3, and T1, respectively. The creatinine concentration in T2(87.19 mmol/L) was significantly decrease than that of T1(177.8 mmol/L) and T3(176.75 mmol/L). Also, ALP concentration increased in T2 (238.93 IU/liter) compared with T1. (151.82 IU/liter), while it did not differ significantly with T3( 205.83 IU/liter) Also T3 did not differ significantly from T1. The differences in the concentration of lipid profile, protein fractions and enzymes activity among groups lacked significance, feeding of rice straw treated biologically and chemically had no negative effect on buffalo calves health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]