Search

Aim: Exacerbating renal function is related to worse results in people hospitalized with heart failure. It is uncertain if HF therapy leads to WRF. The goal of this review was to see if acute therapy for patients with hf who were admitted contributed to WRF. Methods: A paired case-control research was conducted on 435 participants admitted with HF (203 individuals having WRF, characterized as the increase in blood creatinine level 27.6 [0.4], and 232 control patients). The relationship between drugs, water intake/output, weight, and WRF was investigated. Results: On the day of WRF, individuals used more calcium channel blockers and used more loop diuretics (26 percent vs 11 percent for CCB; 198 196 mg vs 147 117 mg for loop diuretics; together P.06). Were here is not any substantial statistical variations in unsolidified production or mass variations among two groups? The usage of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was not linked to WRF. WRF was also predicted by an increased creatinine stage at entry, untreated hypertension, also a past of HF or DM. A decreased risk remained associated with a significantly higher hematocrit level. Vasodilator usage was greater amongst participants a day beforehand WRF (45% vs 34%, P.06), nonetheless, it remained not an autonomous analyst in multiple regression models. Conclusion: Numerous pharmacological interventions, counting usage of CCBs and the greater dosage of loop diuretics, but not ACE inhibitors, appeared linked to an increased risk of WRF. While measurement of in-hospital diuresis remained restricted, WRF in these individuals may not remain attributed to increased fluid damage. Additional research is needed to determine if those same actions are the cause of WRF or are risk factors. Keywords: Exacerbating renal function, heart failure, Therapy.

Traditional methods of pest control are not able to prevent crop damage due to devastating pests. Therefore, through nanobiotechnology nano-bio pesticides and conjugated nanoparticles are produced ...

It has been shown that plant morphology and pomology are shaped by their genotype and respective environmental changes. We hypothesize that climate induces variability in Juglans regia (walnut) landraces growing in the un-explored area of Pakistan. ArcGIS modelling and cartographic functions were performed for the indication of variation in temperature, precipitation, mean diurnal range, humidity and precipitation seasonality. Maxent Modelling techniques were used to determine the most important variables responsible for the current distribution of the species. Among the qualitative traits, Broad elliptic leaf shape and dark green leaf color were dominant traits in all three districts, while Ovate Nut shapes were noted in district Swat and Upper Dir and Broad ovate shapes were recorded in district Lower Dir. For quantitative traits the Pearson correlation revealed that leaf width (LW) showing positive significant correlation with nut volume (NV) (r = 0.24) and nut diameter (ND) (r = 0.199) only in district Swat. Descriptive statistics revealed that nut volume (NV) showed high variation i.e. 32.97% in district Upper Dir & 32.54% in District Lower Dir followed by 10 KW (kernel weight) with 27.26% diversity in district Swat. It was found that, genotypes representing 21.09% nut length (NL) and nut diameter (ND) 10.72% variation while mean value 28.32 and 83.96 respectively with the annual rainfall of 75.15 mm in district Swat, but with gradual increase in rainfall (99.17 mm), genotypes in district Lower Dir contained comparatively smaller nut length (NL) 13.21% and nut diameter (ND) 8.38% variation with mean value 32.93 and 86.38 respectively. Consequently, the genotypes with the smallest nut length (NL) and nut diameter (ND) of 10.71% with the mean value of 30.00 and 7.43% variation with mean value 85.88 respectively were recorded in district Upper Dir where the annual rainfall recorded was 109.75 mm. The regression analysis indicates that rainfall significantly (p ≥ .045 and 0.012) affect the Nut length and Nut diameter with r = −0.99* and r = −1.00*, respectively. It was obvious that, gradual increase in rainfall reduced nut length and nut diameter. The study gives insights in probable effects of environmental variables on the walnut morphology.

Aim: Meat and its derivatives provide nutrients essential for human health. However, meat consumption, along with excessive fat intake, has been associated with gut inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction and alterations in gut microbiota. Herein, we investigated whether and how these changes in the intestinal barrier system affect the gut liver axis and hepatic injury and eventually lead to the progression of liver syndrome such as NAFLD. Methods: Mice were fed with high fat (60% kcal) or low fat (12% kcal) along with soybean (control), chicken and pork proteins (HFCH, HFP, LFCH, and LFP) for 12 weeks. The biomarkers for liver injury were investigated after meat protein intake along with the high fat. Findings: Greater amount of fat vacuoles visible in the H&E staining increased the inflammatory cell infiltration and disorganized liver structures were observed in the HFP-fed mice. Oil Red O staining revealed that the HFP-fed and HFCH-fed mice showed more lipid droplets, confirming the increased hepatic lipid accumulation. Potential serum markers for NAFLD, ALT and AST were increased in the HF meat diet groups. Key genes responsible for hepatic inflammation and lipogenesis, such as MCP-1, IL1-β and TNF-α were upregulated. HF meat protein diet-fed mice exhibited signs of compromised liver with increased levels of endotoxin in the liver and its binding protein in serum, upregulation of TLRs in the liver, and significant increase in TG, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C concentrations. Significance: Intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction aggravate liver injury and fibrosis due to the intake of HF meat protein diets in mice, which may contribute to the progress of liver injury and associated complications. Gut inflammation may directly contribute to the development of NAFLD, especially of the gut vascular barricade dysfunction.

A total of 198 exotic barley genotypes were collected from the Gene Bank of the Plant Genetic Resource Institute (PGRI), National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan, for the assessment of genetic diversity based on morphological and seed storage proteins. Qualitative and quantitative traits were noted as per IPGRI, 1994 descriptor. Among the quantitative parameters, a high level of genetic variability index was noted in seeds per spike at 79.9% of coefficient of variance followed by biomass per plant which shows 37.4% variance, while minimum variance in quantitative traits was noted in days to germination at 5.4% followed by days to maturity at 3.1% with average mean genetic variation in all quantitative traits at 97.6%. Assay of total seed protein in these exotic accessions was analogue through polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A high level of variation was noted in loci (bands) B26 (0.98%) followed by B25 (0.89%), B24 (0.78%),B23 (0.69%) and B01 (0.52%). A similarly low level of variation was detected in B03 (0.16%) followed by B06 (0.18%), B13 (0.19%), B12 (0.21%), B11 (0.23%), B05 (0.24%), B07 (0.25%), B21 (0.34%), B20 (0.35%), B17 (0.39%). The results indicate that the mean value of variation in these accessions is 97.6%. Further assessments and exploration were suggested for these genotypes in multi-climatic zones to satisfy farmers’ need, breeders’ interest and malt-industrial requirements.

The current study was aimed to investigate the effect of acetylsalicylic acid on pigeon birds. For this purpose healthy pigeons of different weights were randomly selected from Bio-Park University of Malakand and then placed it in different groups on the basis of their weighs. To observe the effect, different doses of acetylsalicylic acid were administered orally to each group of pigeons except one group which was kept as un-medicated (control group). Blood samples were collected from individual pigeon of each group periodically i.e. before medication, during medication and after medication and were analyzed for glucose, cholesterol, alanine amino tranferase (ALT) and uric acid. Blood hematology was also performed for each individual pigeon from all the groups. A significant decrease was observed in glucose and ALT level, while the cholesterol and uric acid level was increased. Likewise to glucose, reasonable increase was observed in total red blood cells count (TRBCs), Hematocrit value (HCT), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular Hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and platelets count, while the Hemoglobin (Hb%) and total leukocyte count (TLC) level was decreased. Overall huge toxic effect of acetylsalicylic acid was recorded in pigeons; therefore it should be used carefully in veterinary medicines especially for the treatment of temperature and pain in game birds.

Ethylene terephthalate fabric has been used to strengthen the unsaturated polyester resin. The macroscopic, microscopic and spectroscopic studies of the surface modified polyester fabric, bentonite and unsaturated polyester are comparatively investigated by tensile and flexural testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Strong fabric and matrix adhesion is governed by surface modification of polyester fabric with alkali treatment. Compared with neat polyester resin, the tensile strength of chemically modified polyester fabric filled unsaturated polyester composites is 47% increase at 3 wt.% of clay and the flexural strength is increased up to 72%. In order to know the delamination tendency, composites broken in mechanical testing are analyzed by SEM. It indicates that delamination tendency, fiber pullout, fiber de-bonding and fiber bridging are reduced in the composites with modified fabric. XRD patterns show that lattice of 3D knitted fabric and MMT composite is body centered cubic

The acquisition of high-resolution and high-fidelity seismic data opens the possibility of precision reservoir characterization, particularly for those formations that do display a very pronounced Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) response. In a traditional approach, the integration of seismic and well data information is driven by the ideas and view of the geologist, whose ideas and views might introduce bias in reservoir representation. It is undeniable that the guidance of the model construction by the geologist is an absolute requirement where seismic data limitations (quality, fidelity or accuracy) does not allow extracting a high-resolution reservoir description as an input to the static model construction. This is evolving: Where AVO effects at reservoir level are significant, the grade of both seismic data and petrophysical measurements now available allow a very precise description of the reservoir, in terms of reservoir geometry and reservoir property distribution. In the study area, AVO response in the Upper Miocene turbiditic deposits, offshore Angola are suitable for detail reservoir characterization. In this paper, we shall demonstrate through a real case how the results of seismic inversion and attribute analysis have been used for the characterization of depositional elements and the modeling of reservoirs. We shall present first how seismic inversion results have been integrated with facies defined from logs, and how this was used to confirm and identify fluid type and contacts verified at wells, as well as for the delineation of structural and stratigraphic reservoir boundaries. A systematic approach to constructing the 3D static model was applied. The top reservoir was picked in detail, allowing for the channel geometries to be sculpted out using seismic inversion results. The integration of qualitatively and quantitatively delineated sand-body architecture, geometry and orientation from seismic data. Sequential Indicator Simulation method, using well data, allows the facies to be modeled hierarchically through a combination of deterministic and stochastic approaches. The advantages of this methodology are: (i) integrating fully facies characterization and geological concepts with seismic response, (ii) reducing uncertainty on reservoir distribution and extent and, (iii) constructing of a coherent reservoir description fit for dynamic model even with limited number of wells.

Background This study aimed to assess the extent of knowledge and understanding of rabies disease in rural and urban communities of Pakistan. It also identified malpractices after suspected dog bite that might pose a risk for humans contracting rabies. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted (n = 1466) on people having different age groups and educational levels in four different geographic regions of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in Pakistan. Knowledge, attitude, and practices of people were assessed using a structured questionnaire. We used a bivariate and multivariate analysis to study the association between rabies related mortalities in near or extended family members and different risk behaviors. Results Our results demonstrate that the majority of the juvenile population (less than 18 years of age) were not aware of the clinical signs of rabies in animals. 75% of the total respondents were not vaccinated against rabies, 60% did not seek a doctor’s advice after a suspected animal bite, and 55% had inadequate health care facilities for rabies patients in local hospitals. Respondents that had pets at home had not vaccinated (38%; p p p < 0.05; odds ratio 1.97), which may had resulted in more deaths (65%; p < 0.05; odds ratio 1.73) of someone in their near or extended family due to rabies. Conclusions Lack of knowledge about the nature of rabies disease and prophylaxis has contributed to increase of rabies related deaths. Inadequate health care facilities and poor attitude of not seeking medical attention after suspected dog bite are the major reasons of rabies related deaths. These findings could help in devising a targeted management strategy and awareness program to control and reduce the incidence of human rabies related deaths in Pakistan.

Traditional techniques for identifying the red cotton bugs Dysdercus koenigii and Dysdercus cingulatus (Pyrrhocoridae: Hemiptera) depend on phenotypic and morphological data. These methods are suitable when species have well-defined structures and when huge taxonomic knowledge is at hand. In this study, the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene was selected for the molecular identification of D. koenigii and D. cingulatus. The sequence data showed that one species of the red cotton bug sample was identified as Dysdercus koenigii with 35-100% similarity to other Dysdercus species present in the NCBI database, while the other species was identified as Dysdercus cingulatus with 88-94% similarity to other red cotton bugs species present in the NCBI database. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that our D. koenigii Seq (>180319003-A02-102-DK-.ab1) shares the same cluster with four D. koenigii isolates (ZSI/SRC_I.28B, ZSI/SRC_I.28, GQ306227.1, KJ459924.1). While the D. cingulatus Seq (>180319003-A02-103-DC-.abl) shares a cluster with D. cingulatus voucher (RO_DC2015). This is the first molecular identification of red cotton bugs (D. koenigii and D. cingulatus) reported in Pakistan. Thus, in the current study, molecular identification has been accepted as a reliable method for the identification of these agriculturally important insect pests., {"references":["Ahmad, J. N., Jafir, M., Javed, M. W., Maqsood, S., & Ahmad, S. J. (2019). Molecular identification and sequence analysis of dusky cotton bug, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Hemiptera: Lygaiedae) infesting cotton field in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 51(2), 789-792. Ahmad, J. N., Mushtaq, R., Ahmad, S. J. N., Maqsood, S., Ahuja, I., & Bones, A. M. (2018). Molecular identification and pathological characteristics of NPV isolated from Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 50, 2229-2237. Atwal, A., & Dhaliwal, G. (2015). Agricultural pests of South Asia and their management: Kalyani Publishers, 487 pp. Bakhsh, K., Hassan, I., & Maqbool, A. (2005). Factors affecting cotton yield: a case study of Sargodha (Pakistan). Journal of Agriculture & Social Sciences, 1(4), 332-334. da Silva, V. C. P., Bertin, A., Blin, A., Germain, J.-F., Bernardi, D., Rignol, G., Botton, M., & Malausa, T. (2014). Molecular and morphological identification of mealybug species (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Brazilian vineyards. PloS one, 9(7), e103267. Folmer, O., Black, M., Hoeh, W., Lutz, R., & Vrijenhoek, R. (1994). DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotechnology, 3(5), 294-299. Gullan, P., Downie, D., & Steffan, S. (2003). A new pest species of the mealybug genus Ferrisia Fullaway (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from the United States. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 96(6), 723-737. Habeeb, S., Kumar, S., Sanjayan, K., Anuradha, V., & Praveena, A. (2011). Comparative evolutionary analysis of insects using mitochondrial genes. International Journal of Current Research, 3(11), 66-73. He, Y. B., Zhan, R. L., Sun, G. M., Wu, J. B., & Zhao, Y. L. (2015). Phylogeography of pink pineapple mealybugs, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) reveals the history of pineapple introduction and cultivation in China. Genetics and molecular research: GMR, 14(3), 9890-9897. doi:10.4238/2015.August.19.23 Hebert, P. D., Cywinska, A., Ball, S. L., & Dewaard, J. R. (2003). Biological identifications through DNA barcodes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270(1512), 313-321. Holm, L., Pancho, J. V., Herberger, J. P., & Plucknett, D. L. (1979). A geographical atlas of world weeds: John Wiley and Sons, 391 pp. Jaleel, W., Saeed, S., Naqqash, M. N., & Zaka, S. M. (2014). Survey of Bt cotton in Punjab Pakistan related to the knowledge, perception and practices of farmers regarding insect pests. International Journal of Agriculture and Crop Sciences, 7(1), 10. Khan, S. M., Ali, S., Nawaz, A., Bukhari, S. A. H., Ejaz, S., & Ahmad, S. (2019). Integrated pest and disease management for better agronomic crop production. In Agronomic Crops (pp. 385-428). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9783-8_19 Malausa, J., Blanchet, A., Bon, M., Cheyppe-Buchmann, S., Groussier-Bout, G., Jones, W., Pickett, C., Ris, N., Roche, M., & Thaon, M. (2010). Introduction of the African parasitoid Psyttalia lounsburyi in south of France for the classical biological control of Bactrocera oleae: will hybridization affect establishment and population growth? International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants (OIBC/OILB), West Palaearctic Regional Section (WPRS/SROP) Dijon France, 53, 49-55. Mills, N. J., & Kean, J. M. (2010). Behavioral studies, molecular approaches, and modeling: methodological contributions to biological control success. Biological Control, 52(3), 255-262. Nagoshi, R. N., Paraiso, O., Brambila, J., & Kairo, M. T. (2012). Assessing the usefulness of DNA barcoding to identify Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Hemiptera: Oxycarenidae) in Florida, a potentially invasive pest of cotton. Florida Entomologist, 95(4), 1174-1182. Natarajan, K., Rajendran, T., & Rathinavel, K. (2005). Pest management in cotton in DUS experimentation. DUS testing in cotton. All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project, Central Institute for Cotton Research Regional Station, Coimbatore, India, 124-135. Pandey, J., & Tiwari, R. (2011). Neem based insecticides interaction with development and fecundity of red cotton bug, Dysdercus cingulatus Fab. International Journal of Agricultural Research, 6(4), 335-346. Park, D.-S., Suh, S.-J., Hebert, P. D., Oh, H.-W., & Hong, K.-J. (2011). DNA barcodes for two scale insect families, mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and armored scales (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). Bulletin of entomological research, 101(4), 429-434. Stouthamer, R., Hu, J., van Kan, F. J., Platner, G. R., & Pinto, J. D. (1999). The utility of internally transcribed spacer 2 DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal gene for distinguishing sibling species of Trichogramma. BioControl, 43(4), 421-440. Tamura, K., & Nei, M. (1993). Estimation of the number of nucleotide substitutions in the control region of mitochondrial DNA in humans and chimpanzees. Molecular biology and evolution, 10(3), 512-526. Wang, X.-g., & Messing, R. H. (2003). Intra-and interspecific competition by Fopius arisanus and Diachasmimorpha tryoni (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), parasitoids of tephritid fruit flies. Biological Control, 27(3), 251-259. Zhu, Y. C., & Williams, L. (2002). Detecting the egg parasitoid Anaphes iole (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) eggs by using a molecular approach. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 95(3), 359-365."]}

In plants, soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA) play an indispensable role in inorganic pyrophosphate hydrolysis. However, the expression and the evolutionary history of PPA gene family remain unclear in pear and Rosaceae species. In this study, thirty-nine PPA genes were identified from five Rosaceae species including pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), apple (Malus domestica), peach (Prunus persica), strawberry (Fragaria vesca) and Japanese apricot/mei (Prunus mume). Based on the structural characteristics of the genes and phylogenetic analysis, members of PPA gene family were classified into two main subfamilies (A and B). Whole-genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed gene duplication were the main force, which drove the expansion of PPA gene family in pear and other Rosaceae species. Purifying selection played a dominant role in the evolution of PPA genes. Subcellular localization analysis demonstrated that pear PPA genes located in the cytosol, chloroplasts or near the nuclear envelope. PPA genes showed multiple expression patterns in different pear tissues. Several members of PPA gene family presented particularly higher expression level in only one of the six tissues, such as PbrPPA2, PbrPPA5 and PbrPPA8. Expression analysis showed that five PPA genes were involved in the growth of pear pollen tube, meanwhile four PPA genes could respond to excess of PPi in pear pollen tube. Overall, we established a comprehensive landscape in the functional characterization and evolution of PPA gene family in pear and Rosaceae species, and provided gene expression data for exploring the functional roles of PPA genes in the growth of pear pollen tube.

Background This study contributes to the current ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Swat Valley, Pakistan. District Swat possesses remarkable biodiversity owing to its varied topographical and climatic conditions, prompting a distinct human-plant association. Our hypothesis is that the presence of such a great biodiversity has shaped into a formal ethnobotanical culture in the area transmitted through generations. We suspect that the versatility of some plant species has greater influence on the culture. Therefore, the prime objective of the study is to understand this unique human-plant relationship in the valley and to create scientific roots for the selection and practice of herbs in the ethnobotanical domain of the district. Methods Primary data were collected using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with the locals. The data collected were used for calculating some important indices, i.e. relative frequency of citation (RFC), participant agreement ratio (PAR), frequency of citation (FC), Smith’s Salience Index (SI), Relative Importance Index (RII), Cultural Value Index (CVI) and a newly proposed, Ali’s Conservation Priority Index (CPI). Index scores were used as key identifier of the ethnobotanically important plants of the area. Results Residents of the Swat Valley have listed plant uses in 15 use categories. Around 9% of the respondents have a common consensus on the selection and use of plants for the treatment of evil eye with similar results for body cuts (8.2%) followed by psychological/neural ailments (8.0%). Respondents agree that Berberis lyceum Royle. dominates in all five indices. Skimmia laureola Franch. also constitutes one of the central plants of the ethnobotanical domain, ranking second in the SI, fifth in the RII, seventh in CVI, and third in the Cultural Importance Index. It holds the thirty-fifth position in the CPI. Over 80% of the population treat different diseases with herbal remedies. In the common ethnobotanical domain of the area, plants like Mentha longifolia L., Berberis lyceum, and Skimmia laureola are very important and have high salience and importance values, thus suggesting these plants are versatile for their uses in the study area. Conclusion In conclusion, only some plant species are prioritised for their use in the ethnobotanical domain of the community. Medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) usage is widespread in the Swat Valley. The ethnobotanical knowledge could be used as a tool to understand the adaptability of a specific taxon in the area and the possible conservation risk to their existence.

The prime objective of the research was to list the important ethnomedicinal plants of Nawagai village, District Buner. During the survey, 44 plant species from 27 families were observed and collected from the targeted area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Lamiaceae members were the most dominant (54%) followed by members of Asteraceae (30%), Poaceae (18%) and Solanaceae (12%). Relevant information such as field data, GPS coordinates family names, local names, therapeutic uses and plant habits were recorded for each species. For preservation purposes, specimens were mounted on herbarium sheets, and identified with the help of flora of Pakistan, flora of Australia and other relevant floristic records. During this research work all the collected specimens were preserved in the (BG&H, UOM) Botanical Garden and Herbarium, the data were also provided to the Department of Botany, University of Malakand Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Intra-specific genetic variation was studied in 28 genotypes of Cleome viscosa L. growing in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was found that genotypes showed the utmost allelic variation for leaf upper and lower surface with emerald green (75%), and yellow green (75%) respectively, other leaves lower and upper surfaces were (25%) green and yellow green (26%) respectively. The majority of C. viscosa genotypes were (50%) yellow flowers while others were with (29%) white yellow colour and (21%) dull yellow. Most of the seeds were with black (46%). The protein profiling was carried out on 12% gel electrophoresis; seven reproducible bands with molecular weight ranges from 180 to 10 KDa were detected in C. viscosa, the locus contribution toward genetic disagreement (LCTGD) of C. viscosa was 57%. Notably, L-3, L-4 L-5, was monomorphic in C. viscosa and was treated as species specific. L-1, L-2, L-7 were polymorphic. These bands showed 79%, 4%, 14% and 79% variation respectively. In the current investigation the intra-specific variation was observed limited and alone SDS-PAGE did not determine the high level of intra-specific variation; however, diverse germplasm were suggested to be acquired from various sources.

This hospital-based study was conducted in THQ (Tehsil Headquarter) Hospital Khwazakhela, district Swat in April 2018, to determine the incidence of various diseases among patients in general and the cases attended in the OPD (out patients department) in particular. One year of data was taken from April 2017 to March 2018, of all the patients who attended the THQ Hospital to check the frequency of individual diseases, month wise, gender wise, age wise as well as, case wise. Information on patients attending OPD with respiratory, gastro intestinal, urinary tract diseases and other communicable diseases were compiled. A total of 219,056 patients attended Civil Hospital Khwazakhela during that period, with an average of 18,254.66 patients per month. This comprised 104,349(47.63%) males and 114,707 (52.36%) females. Most patients were in the age group of 15 to 59 years which comprised a total of 109,217 (49.85%) patients. In this age group 42,713 (39.10%) were males and 66,504 (60.89%) were females. A total of 77,286 patients attended OPD having respiratory, gastro intestinal, urinary tract diseases and communicable diseases. Among these patients, about 28,115 (36.37%) had respiratory diseases, 23,045 (29.81%) had gastro intestinal diseases, 18,060 (23.36%) had urinary tract diseases and 8,066 (10.43%) had other communicable diseases. Respiratory diseases were the most common in our study. The ratio of female cases was higher than males. Most of the patients were in the age group of 15-59 years. The emerging challenges for health practitioners are to prevent respiratory diseases that pose a major healthcare burden in the region.

Understanding of the interactions of the CO2 molecules with pore structure and surface functionalities during natural gas purification provides significant knowledge about potential adsorbent materials. This study reports the oxygen-rich surface functional groups attachment on MWCNTs followed by characterization, low-pressure selective CO2/CH4 adsorption behavior, the impact of temperature, isotherms analysis, mechanism study, thermodynamic behavior, turnover frequency, and turnover number analysis. The FESEM and TEM analysis revealed some negligible defect on MWCNTs surface. The MWCNTs surface roughness was observed after ultra-sonication with the attachment of oxygen functionalities without opening ends of MWCNTs. Structural sustainability and thermal instability were observed due to the early decomposition of (-COOH) groups at

Fluidized bed combustion behavior of coal and biomass is of practical interest due to its significant involvement in heating systems and power plant operations. This combustion behavior has been studied by many experimental techniques along with different kinetic models. In this study, SO2 emissions have been studied out in a pilot scale test facility of Circulating Fluidized Bed combustor (70 KW) under fast fluidized bed conditions burning coal with Pakistani wheat straw. One dimensional Mathematical model is being developed to predict the SO2 emissions under different operating conditions like bed temperature, Ca/S molar ratio, solids circulation rate, excess air ratio and secondary to primary air ratio. These parameters are varied to validate the model and encouraging correlation is found between the experimental values and model predictions.

The successful and economical design, scale up and operation of a fluidized bed reactor depends upon the true prediction of its bed hydrodynamics. The present research has been carried out to study the hydrodynamics behavior of bed of semolina particles in liquid solid fluidization. The prime objective of this research work is to study the effect of liquid superficial velocity and variation in static bed height on the minimum fluidization velocity and pressure drop. Liquid-solid fluidization is characterized by the uniform expansion of bed particles; therefore, it is known as particulate fluidization. In liquid, solid fluidization, there is no bubbling phase, that is the main cause of uniform bed expansion. Liquid-solid fluidization has extensive field of applications, i.e., in hydrometallurgy, waste water treatment, biochemical processing and food technology. Minimum fluidization velocity and pressure drop are important hydrodynamic parameters in the design and scale up of fluidized bed reactors. The experimental work was carried out in a column made up of acrylic having 60 mm outer diameter and 2 mm wall thickness and was 1000 mm long. Manometers were used to observe the pressure drop variations across the bed. The minimum fluidization velocity was found to be 0.404 mm/sec. It has been found that the minimum fluidization velocity is not affected by the variations in the initial static bed height. Semolina particles being sticky solids offer slightly greater pressure drop. Pressure drop becomes constant when fluidization is achieved.

The subject Gas Field is located in the Sulaiman Fold Belt (SFB) in Pakistan. A realistic 3D static model was constructed for the challenging multiple reservoirs in the Field which included both clastics and carbonates. Four main reservoir horizons were modeled. The steps involved in the Reservoir engineering analyses were: analyze PVT, well test, Static Pressure Data, and Core. The static pressure analysis helped define hydraulic compartmentalization in the field. WHFP measurements were not available in the desired accuracy and density. A surface network model was used with plant inlet pressure as the primary constraint in order to obtain the required information. Satellite based elevation information was used to establish an accurate model with respect to pressure drop due to liquid hold up in pipelines. The History Match in the field was performed on a Zone by Zone basis. In the absence of a 3D seismic cube, many of the faults in the field could not be interpreted, yet their presence was predicted by a closely matching Sand Box Model. This was an important clue which led to a useful approach regarding the location of simulation faults distributed in the entire field. An innovative approach was used in order to calibrate the size of sand lenses in one of the zones. The final step was the forecasting and development of Optimal Scenario using Economic analysis. Many scenarios were tested, and the optimal scenario was identified. Maximum use was made of existing wellbores through re-completion, and new drilling was minimized. Furthermore, the impact of increasing the currently low Gas Price was tested. It was concluded that doubling of the gas price of the field would increase the NPV 3 times delay abandonment by 6 years.

Wireline formation testers are now in their third generation of development. These tools are used to measure formation pressure andpermeability, and to take fluid samples from the reservoir. Technological developments over the years have resulted in a modular tool that can obtain a clean formation fluid sample with minimal contamination. Sampling time varies from a few minutes to many hours depending upon different parameters i.e. depth of invasion, flow rate, formation permeability, anisotropy, porosity and the viscosity of the involved fluids including mud filtrate and formation fluids. Total pumpout time required to obtain a clean sample is always of interest to both the operator and service company owing to economics, well stability and other factors. An approach is required that is flexible and that requires few parameters to estimate the pumpout time and the time for first formation fluid slug. In this study a new polynomial model is developed to better estimate the time to first slug. The new model was tested for different pumpouts from different wells and history matching was performed to test the accuracy of the model. A number of pumpouts were considered and all of those showed close matches. Software was developed to quickly calculate the total pumpout time at real time. Also in this study the previous model was tested and with the limited available data the new model showed much improved results over the previous model.

Thailand's oil and gas industry has been successful in finding and recovering hydrocarbon reserves in the Gulf of Thailand since last three decades and have currently installed over 200 fixed offshore structures. Some of these installations are now reaching the end of their economic productive lives and will need to be decommissioned soon. There are complex issues in terms of legislation, environment, safety, costs, technical feasibility and public acceptability. This paper describes the issues relevant to decommissioning in Thailand and proposes appropriate decommissioning solutions developed over the past few years. The proposed decommissioning solutions are intended to support Thailand's oil and gas industry and its regulators in ensuring compliance with international decommissioning guidelines, balancing economics, safety, practicality and technical feasibility of operations with the environmental benefits and also satisfying needs of the key decommissioning stakeholders in Thailand so as to achieve conflict-free process of decommissioning. Technical aspects of offshore removal process primarily relates to the lifting of modules and sub-sea structural cutting methods. Lifting techniques range from conventional crane barges used in installation to specialized decommissioning vessels. Basically cost, technical feasibility and safety are major drivers in selection of appropriate lifting method. Sub-sea cutting include explosives and cold cutting techniques, for which cost and environment are the major decision making factors. Environmental aspects of decommissioning can be categorized into short term and long term. Short term environmental impacts are primarily related to the decommissioning methodology whereas the long term environmental impacts are related to the chosen disposal scenario i.e., final destination of each component of an offshore facility. Key recommendations regarding environmental solutions are in the form of Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) framework, which helps determining balanced disposal scenario as well as suitable decommissioning methodology. Increased energy demands have currently resulted in rapid growth of number of offshore installations in the Gulf of Thailand. At the same time, the old disused installations need to be timely and appropriately decommissioned, which is not possible without having acceptable decommissioning solutions in hand. Such solutions need to be in compliance with applicable international decommissioning guidelines while adopting best practical environmental option hence assuring conflict-free decommissioning process. Therefore, development of such decommissioning solution are significant in assuring "RESPONSIBLE PERFORMANCE: TO DO THE BEST WE CAN" in order to help attain sustainable benefits for further development of Thailand's oil and gas industry.