Recent Advancement in Rational Design Modulation of MXene: A Voyage from Environmental Remediation to Energy Conversion and Storage.

Use of MXenes (Ti3 C2 Tx ), which belongs to the family of two-dimensional transition metal nitrides and carbides by encompassing unique combination of metallic conductivity and hydrophilicity, is receiving tremendous attention, since its discovery as energy material in 2011. Owing to its precursor selective chemical etching, and unique intrinsic characteristics, the MXene surface properties are further classified into highly chemically active compound, which further produced different surface functional groups i. e., oxygen, fluorine or hydroxyl groups. However, the role of surface functional groups doesn't not only have a significant impact onto its electrochemical and hydrophilic characteristics (i. e., ion adsorption/diffusion), but also imparting a noteworthy effect onto its conductivity, work function, electronic structure and properties. Henceforth, such kind of inherent chemical nature, robust electrochemistry and high hydrophilicity ultimately increasing the MXene application as a most propitious material for overall environment-remediation, electrocatalytic sensors, energy conversion and storage application. Moreover, it is well documented that the role of MXenes in all kinds of research fields is still on a progress stage for their further improvement, which is not sufficiently summarized in literature till now. The present review article is intended to critically discuss the different chemical aptitudes and the diversity of MXenes and its derivates (i. e., hybrid composites) in all aforesaid application with special emphasis onto the improvement of its surface characteristics for the multidimensional application. However, this review article is anticipated to endorse MXenes and its derivates hybrid configuration, which is discussed in detail for emerging environmental decontamination, electrochemical use, and pollutant detection via electrocatalytic sensors, photocatalysis, along with membrane distillation and the adsorption application. Finally, it is expected, that this review article will open up new window for the effective use of MXene in a broad range of environmental remediation, energy conversion and storage application as a novel, robust, multidimensional and more proficient materials.

Predictions of inter- and intra-lobar deposition patterns of inhaled particles in a five-lobe lung model.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a stochastic five-lobe lung model and to compute particle deposition fractions in the five lobes, considering anatomical as well as ventilatory asymmetry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The stochastic five-lobe lung model was derived from an existing stochastic model for the whole lung, which implicitly contains information on the lobar airway structure. Differences in lobar ventilation and sequential filling of individual lobes were simulated by a stochastic lobar ventilation model. Deposition fractions of inhaled unit density particles in the five lobes were calculated by an updated version of the Monte Carlo deposition code Inhalation, Deposition, and Exhalation of Aerosols in the Lung (IDEAL). RESULTS: Simulations for defined exposure and breathing conditions revealed that the two lower lobes receive higher deposition and the two upper lobes lower deposition, compared to the average deposition for the whole lung. The resulting inter-lobar distribution of deposition fractions indicated that the non-uniform lung morphometry is the dominating effect, while non-uniform ventilation only slightly enhances the lobar differences. The relation between average lobe-specific deposition fractions and corresponding average values for the whole lung allowed the calculation of lobe-specific deposition weighting factors. DISCUSSION: Comparison with limited deposition measurements for upper vs. lower (U/L) and left vs. right (L/R) lobes revealed overall agreement between experimental and theoretical data. Calculations of the L/R deposition ratio for inhaled aerosol boli confirmed the hypothesis of Möller et al. that the right lung is less able to expand at the end of a breath because of the restrictive position of the liver.

First Record of Chaetomium globosum Causing Leaf Spot of Pomegranate in Pakistan.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a non-climacteric and a favorite fruit of tropical, sub-tropical and arid regions of the world. During a survey in autumn 2019, leaf lesions were observed on plants (cv. Kandhari) in different orchards of Muzaffargarh (30°4'27.7572″ N, 71°11'4.7544″ E), a major pomegranate-producing region in Punjab Province. Disease incidence ranged from 17 to 20%. Leaf lesions were initially small (1 to 3 mm in diameter), round, purple or reddish-brown, scattered spots. At later stages, spots increased in size and the centers of mature lesions became dark red or black with fungal sporulation. To isolate the pathogen, samples of leaf (5 × 5 mm) were cut from the junction of diseased and healthy tissue, surface disinfected in 75% alcohol for 30 s, sterilized with 6% sodium hypochlorite for 3 min, washed with sterile distilled water three times, air dried in laminar flow hood, and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). After one week of incubation at 25 ± 2°C with a 12-h photoperiod, fungal colonies developed, which were initially white and became pale yellow with olivaceous green mycelium after 20 days. On PDA, ascomata were olivaceous green, with a papillate ostiole, globose or ovoidal to obovoidal (155 to 220 × 120 to 240 µm, n=50). Terminal and lateral setae were abundant, brown, and tapering toward the tips (4 to 6 µm, n=50). Asci were greenish and lemon-shaped (6 to 8 × 9 to 13.5 µm, n=50). Ascospores were limoniform and olivaceous gray-brown (10 to 11.5 × 7 to 9 µm, n=50). These morphological characteristics were consistent with the morphology of Chaetomium globosum (Lan et al. 2011; Wang et al. 2016). Genomic DNA was extracted from two isolates and identification of the pathogen was confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the partial translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) gene using ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1999) and EF1-983F/EF1-2218R primers (Wang et al. 2016), respectively. The sequences of the PCR products were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers MW522514, MW522352 (ITS), and MW530423, MW530424 (TEF1). BLAST results of the obtained sequences of the ITS and TEF1 genes revealed 100% (513/513 bp) and 99.78% (927/929 bp) similarity with those of C. globosum in GenBank (ITS: KX834823 and KT898637, and TEF1: MG812564 and KC485028). To confirm pathogenicity, inoculum was prepared by harvesting conidia from 10-day-old culture grown in PDA. The surface-disinfected (70% ethyl alcohol, 30 s) leaves of ten 1-year-old seedlings (cv. Kandhari) were sprayed with a spore suspension (1×106 conidia/ml). Leaves of ten seedlings sprayed with sterile distilled water served as controls. All seedlings were covered with plastic bags and placed in a greenhouse at 26°C with 12 h photoperiod. After eight days, symptoms on inoculated leaves were similar to those observed in the orchards; no symptoms were observed on controls. The fungus was reisolated from all symptomatic tissues. C. globosum has been reported on Punica granatum (Guo et al. 2015), Cannabis sativa (Chaffin et al. 2020) and Brassica oleracea (Zhu et al. 2020). This is the first report of C. globosum causing leaf spot on pomegranate in Pakistan. This finding suggests a potential threat to pomegranate production in Pakistan and further studies should focus on effective prevention and control practices of this disease.

First Record of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Causing Anthracnose of Banana in Pakistan.

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most widely grown and consumed fruits in Pakistan and all around the world due to their distinct aroma and taste. In 2018, anthracnose symptoms were observed on banana fruit harvested from different plantations of Sindh- a major banana producing Province of Pakistan. Approximately, 25% of banana fruit collected from different plantations were infected. The symptoms consisted of small brown to reddish-brown spots on the fruit surface and then became sunken lesions as the disease progressed. To identify the pathogen, infected tissues (5 mm in diameter) from the margin of the lesions were surface sterilized by dipping in 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) for 2 min, 70% ethanol for 30 s, and then rinsed twice with sterile distilled water, plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 27°C for 5 days with 12 h light and darkness cycle. Colonies with a similar pattern were consistently isolated and all colonies were sub-cultured using the single-spore method. Colonies first appeared with white colored mycelium and later turned to dark gray. Conidia produced in acervuli were cylindric, hyaline, straight, and aseptate, with both ends rounded. Conidia measured 14.0 ± 0.5 × 3.4 ± 0.6 µm. Conidiomata were dark brown and spherical. On the basis of morphological characterization, the pathogen was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. & Sacc. (Weir et al. 2012). Two independent isolates (PDL2031 and PDL2032) were used for further genetic analysis. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1) gene were amplified from genomic DNA using primer pairs of ITS1/ITS4 and CHS-79F/CHS-345R, respectively (White et al. 1990; Damm et al. 2012). The GenBank accession numbers (MW493198, MW504711 for ITS and MW530421, MW530422 for CHS-1) of the sequences exhibited 99% to 100% identity to multiple sequences of C. gloeosporioides. To conduct a pathogenicity test, 10 healthy fruits were selected and surface sterilized with 70% ethanol followed by a wash of sterilized water. The fruits were stabbed with a sterile needle and a drop of 20 µl of spore suspension (106 spores/ml) was placed on each wound independently. Meanwhile 10 fruits inoculated with sterile water were treated as controls. The fruits were incubated at 27°C with 90% relative humidity for 10 days. Inoculated fruits exhibited symptoms similar to the original infection. No visible lesions appeared on control fruit. C. gloeosporioides was successfully reisolated from the inoculated fruit, confirming Koch's postulates. Anthracnose of banana is known to be caused by C. musae, C. gloeosporioides, C. siamense, C. tropicale, C. chrysophilum, C. theobromicola, and C. scovillei (Kumar et al. 2017; Peres et al. 2001; Vieira et al. 2017; Zakaria et al. 2009; Zhou et al. 2017). To our knowledge, this is first report of anthracnose of banana caused by C. gloeosporioides in Pakistan. The new disease primarily reduces the quality and yield of Banana. Effective measures should be taken to manage this disease.

Environmental impact assessment of municipal solid waste management value chain: A case study from Pakistan.

The present study quantified environmental impacts of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) value chain in Pakistan for three consecutive years (2015-2018) using a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Energy potential from municipal solid wastes (MSW) was also predicted till the year 2050. Based on a functional unit of 1.0 tonne of MSW, the study analyzed inputs and outputs data through SimaPro v.8.3 applying CML 2000 methodology and cumulative exergy demand indicator (CExD). LCA revealed that operational activities of RWMC mainly contributed to marine aquatic ecotoxicity, i.e. 8962.83 kg1,4-DBeq t-1 MSW, indicating long-range transport of petrogenic hydrocarbons from the company's fleet gasoline combustion. Similarly, human toxicity potential, global warming potential and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity potential were also found to be significant, i.e. 18.14 kg1,4-DBeq t-1 MSW, 15.79 kgCO2eq t-1 MSW and 6.22 kg1,4-DBeq t-1 MSW, respectively. The CExD showed that company activities consumed 827.14 MJ t-1 MSW exergy from nature, and gasoline used in MSW transport was the most exergy-intensive process, using 634.47 MJ exergy per tonne MSW disposed of. Projections for energy generation potential up to the year 2050 showed that MSW of Rawalpindi city will have the potential to produce 3901 megawatt of energy to fulfill the energy needs of the country. Possible stratagems to reduce environmental impacts from the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) value chain of RWMC include curtailing dependency on petrogenic and fossil fuels in mobile sources, optimization of waste collection methods and dumping routes, inclining attention toward suitable wastes-to-energy conversion technology and opting for a holistic approach of MSWM in Pakistan.

Thermal stability and haemolytic effects of depolymerized guar gum derivatives.

The purpose of current study was to purify and partially depolymerize guar gum by ß-mannanase, HCl, Ba(OH)2 actions and subjected to inspect compositional, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and haemolytic activity. Chemical composition revealed mannose and galactose ratio remained un-altered even after process of purification and hydrolysis. TGA thermograms affirmed initial and final decomposition temperature in various zones. Major decomposition stages apparently revealed partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) exhibited better heat stable properties having more zones of degradation than crude one. Furthermore, all guar fractions (2.5-250 mg/mL) were subjected to haemolysis to evaluate toxic effects during process of hydrolysis. The crude and hydrolyzed guar galactomannans exhibited minor haemolytic activity (1.9 ± 0.03-7.24 ± 0.02%) when compared to 0.1% Triton-X 100 (100% haemolysis) showing no toxic effects to human RBC's. Conclusively, hydrolyzed guar-galactomannans are safe and can be used in food products with improved heat stability.

Carbon footprint as an environmental sustainability indicator for the particleboard produced in Pakistan.

This study quantified the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan using a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment approach. The system boundary comprised raw materials acquisition, transport, particleboard manufacture and finished product distribution. Primary data were collected through surveys and meetings with particleboard manufacturers. Secondary data were taken from the literature. Greenhouse gas emissions from off-site industrial operations of the particleboard industry represented 52% of the total emissions from the production of 1.0m3 of particleboard in Pakistan. The on-site industrial operations cause direct greenhouse gas emissions and accounted for 48% of the total emissions. These operations included energy consumption in stationary sources, the company-owned vehicle fleet, and the distribution and marketing of the finished product. The use of natural gas combustion in the stationary and mobile sources, raw material transport and urea-formaldehyde resin production chain accounted for the highest emissions from the particleboard production chain in Pakistan. The identification of the major hotspots in the particleboard production chain can assist the wood panel industry to improve their environmental profile. More efforts are needed to investigate the urea-formaldehyde resin production chain and substitution of roundwood with wood and agri-residues to assess the potential improvements. In addition, renewable energy sources should be encouraged to avoid greenhouse gas emissions by substituting fossil energy. This study also provides a benchmark for future research work to formulate comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans, because no previous research work is available on the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan.

Status of heavy metal residues in fish species of Pakistan.

In this review, we evaluate and summarize the available data that addresses the levels of HM that exist in aquatic species, mainly fish, of Pakistan. Data on this topic were collected from the literature of the last two decades (1990-2012). Results revealed that the highest number (>50%) of studies addressing HM-contaminated fish have occurred in the Punjab province, followed by the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Our review disclosed that the HM concentrations in Pakistani fish species varied considerably with location. Generally, the level of HM residues detected in fish species had the following descending order: Fe>Zn>Pb>Cd>Hg>Ni>Cu>Ag>Cr>Mn>As. Fish samples collected from the Kabul River near the Nowshera district, Stretch of Ravi River, Indus River near Mainwali district, and Arabian Sea at Karachi revealed extremely high HM concentrations (range: 0.34-8,381.30 jlg/g), compared to other fresh water bodies, such as the Llyold Barrage, Guddu Barrage, Jinnah Barrage, and Chashma Barrage (0.01-2.13 jlg/g). As a reference point, we also reviewed selected data on HM fish residues that exist in countries that neighbor Pakistan. With the exception of fish collected in India, the majority of fish analyzed for HM residues in neighboring countries displayed lower residues than did fish from Pakistan. We concluded from reviewing the available published data that the most probable sources for the HM contaminants found in Pakistani water and fish were release of domestic sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents. We strongly recommend that action be taken to better control the discharges of unregulated waste that enters the Pakistani aquatic environment, with the intent to mitigate any continuing future damage to the aquatic ecosystem. We also recommend intensifying research programs that address the toxicity of HM to the aquatic environment, so that a better understanding of metal effects on fish can be achieved that will lead to a sustainable ecological harmony in Pakistan.

Greenhouse gas emissions from production chain of a cigarette manufacturing industry in Pakistan.

This study quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) production using a life cycle approach. The PTC production chain comprises of two phases: agricultural activities (Phase I) and industrial activities (Phase II). Data related to agricultural and industrial activities of PTC production chain were collected through questionnaire survey from tobacco growers and records from PTC manufacturing units. The results showed that total GHG emissions from PTC production chain were 44,965, 42,875, and 43,839 tCO2e respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Among the agricultural activities, firewood burning for tobacco curing accounted for about 3117, 3565, and 3264 tCO2e, fertilizer application accounted for 754, 3251, and 4761 tCO2e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Among the industrial activities, fossil fuels consumption in stationary sources accounted for 15,582, 12,733, and 13,203 tCO2e, fossil fuels used in mobile sources contributed to 2693, 3038, and 3260 tCO2e, and purchased electricity consumed resulted in 15,177, 13,556, and 11,380 tCO2e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The GHG emissions related to the transportation of raw materials and processed tobacco amounted to 6800, 6301, and 7317 respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. GHG emissions from energy use in the industrial activities constituted the largest emissions (i.e., over 80%) of GHG emissions as PTC relies on fossil fuels and fossil fuel based electrical power in industrial processes. The total emissions of carbon footprint (CFP) from PTC production were 0.647 tCO2e per million cigarettes produced in 2009, 0.675 tCO2e per million cigarettes in 2010 and 0.59 tCO2e per million cigarettes in 2011. Potential strategies for GHG emissions reductions for PTC production chain include energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels in non-mobile sources, adoption of renewable fuels including solar energy, energy from crop residues, and promotion of organic fertilizers.

Response accuracy of ChatGPT 3.5 Copilot and Gemini in interpreting biochemical laboratory data a pilot study.

With the release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, a new era of thinking and technology use has begun. Artificial intelligence models (AIs) like Gemini (Bard), Copilot (Bing), and ChatGPT-3.5 have the potential to impact every aspect of our lives, including laboratory data interpretation. To assess the accuracy of ChatGPT-3.5, Copilot, and Gemini responses in evaluating biochemical data. Ten simulated patients' biochemical laboratory data, including serum urea, creatinine, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-c), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c), in addition to HbA1c, were interpreted by three AIs: Copilot, Gemini, and ChatGPT-3.5, followed by evaluation with three raters. The study was carried out using two approaches. The first encompassed all biochemical data. The second contained only kidney function data. The first approach indicated Copilot to have the highest level of accuracy, followed by Gemini and ChatGPT-3.5. Friedman and Dunn's post-hoc test revealed that Copilot had the highest mean rank; the pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences for Copilot vs. ChatGPT-3.5 (P = 0.002) and Gemini (P = 0.008). The second approach exhibited Copilot to have the highest accuracy of performance. The Friedman test with Dunn's post-hoc analysis showed Copilot to have the highest mean rank. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test demonstrated an indistinguishable response (P = 0.5) of Copilot when all laboratory data were applied vs. the application of only kidney function data. Copilot is more accurate in interpreting biochemical data than Gemini and ChatGPT-3.5. Its consistent responses across different data subsets highlight its reliability in this context.

Habitat suitability modelling of Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha) in moist temperate forest.

The decreasing status of on IUCN of Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha) belongs to the family Phasianidae and the order Galliform needs the attention of researchers. The species with habitats as low as 6,000 feet and as high as 11,000 feet certainly cover a broad variety of habitats, such a wide altitude range embraces a diverse range of habitats. Insufficient research has been conducted on the suitability of moist temperate forests as a potential habitat for the Koklass pheasant. Therefore, this study was carried out to explore habitat suitability in 15 different sites which were located in the 4 districts of Hazara Division using GIS data science and environmental variables. A random sampling technique was used for laying out the transect. Overall, 45 line transects (Length 2-4 km, Width 10-30 m) were laid out in study sites. The size of sample plots for trees was 10x10m, for shrubs (4 x4m), and herbs and grasses 1x1m. The other habitat parameters like elevation, slope, cover, and frequency of plant at each point were also considered. We found the uneven distribution of Koklass pheasant in the Hazara Division. There were 59 occurrence points identified and highlighted the distribution of Koklass pheasant in the study area. Although all environmental variables were preferred by Koklass pheasant in its habitat statistical analysis proved that slope, level of disturbance, tree and shrub frequency of habitat contributed mostly to the presence of Koklass in each study site except the contribution of soil and herbs. The potential suitable habitat of Koklass pheasant was estimated to be 439.6 km2 areas starting from Abbottabad to Mansehra in the Hazara division. Awareness and enforcing legal protection are recommended for the conservation of Koklass Pheasant in Moist temperate forest.

A comprehensive examination of temporal-seasonal variations of PM1.0 and PM2.5 in taiwan before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

COVID-19 has been a significant global concern due to its contagious nature. In May 2021, Taiwan experienced a severe outbreak, leading the government to enforce strict Pandemic Alert Level 3 restrictions in order to curtail its spread. Although previous studies in Taiwan have examined the effects of these measures on air quality, further research is required to compare different time periods and assess the health implications of reducing particulate matter during the Level 3 lockdown. Herein, we analyzed the mass concentrations, chemical compositions, seasonal variations, sources, and potential health risks of PM1.0 and PM2.5 in Central Taiwan before and during the Level 3 lockdown. As a result, coal-fired boilers (47%) and traffic emissions (53%) were identified as the predominant sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM1.0, while in PM2.5, the dominant sources of PAHs were coal-fired boilers (28%), traffic emissions (50%), and iron and steel sinter plants (22.1%). Before the pandemic, a greater value of 20.9 ± 6.92 µg/m3 was observed for PM2.5, which decreased to 15.3 ± 2.51 µg/m3 during the pandemic due to a reduction in industrial and anthropogenic emissions. Additionally, prior to the pandemic, PM1.0 had a contribution rate of 79% to PM2.5, which changed to 89% during the pandemic. Similarly, BaPeq values in PM2.5 exhibited a comparable trend, with PM1.0 contributing 86% and 65% respectively. In both periods, the OC/EC ratios for PM1.0 and PM2.5 were above 2, due to secondary organic compounds. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of PAHs in PM2.5 decreased by 4.03 × 10-5 during the pandemic, with PM1.0 contributing 73% due to reduced anthropogenic activities.

Substitution of fishmeal: Highlights of potential plant protein sources for aquaculture sustainability.

High protein content, excellent amino acid profile, absence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), high digestibility and good palatability of fishmeal (FM), make it a major source of protein in aquaculture. Naturally derived FM is at risk due to an increase in its demand, unsustainable practices, and price. Thus, there is an urgent need to find affordable and suitable protein sources to replace FM. Plant protein sources are suitable due to their widespread availability and low cost. However, they contained certain ANFs, deficiency of some amino acids, low nutrient bioavailability and poor digestibility due to presence of starch and fiber. These unfavourable characteristics make them less suitable for feed as compared to FM. Thus, these potential challenges and limitations associated with various plant proteins have to be overcome by using different methods, i.e. enzymatic pretreatments, solvent extraction, heat treatments and fermentation, that are discussed briefly in this review. This review assessed the impacts of plant products on growth performance, body composition, flesh quality, changes in metabolic activities and immune response of fishes. To minimize the negative effects and to enhance nutritional value of plant products, beneficial functional additives such as citric acid, phytase and probiotics could be incorporated into the plant-based FM. Interestingly, these additives improve growth of fishes by increasing digestibility and nutrient utilization of plant based feeds. Overall, this review demonstrated that the substitution of fishmeal by plant protein sources is a plausible, technically-viable and practical option for sustainable aquaculture feed production.

Effect of eco-friendly probiotics-supplemented rapeseed meal-based diet on the performance of Catla catla fingerlings.

Ever-increasing human population compels the researchers to search for alternative food sources such as fish meat. For increase of fish growth and proper feed utilization, probiotics were added in rapeseed meal-based diet in current trial for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients in fish and ultimately higher growth with lower aquatic pollution. Fish gut microbiota is important for the feed utilization and absorption in body for higher growth. A 70-day study was conducted to investigate the effects of probiotics-supplemented rapeseed meal-based diet on growth performance, digestibility of nutrients, and absorption of minerals in Catla catla fingerlings with lowering water pollution level. Six test diets were prepared by using different levels of multi-strain probiotics i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 g/kg (0.0-0.5%) in rapeseed meal-based diet. At the rate of 4% of live wet weight, Catla fingerlings were fed two times a day and faeces samples from each tank were collected. According to the results, it was observed that probiotics supplementation (@2 g/kg) in rapeseed meal-based diet resulted with improvement in nutrient digestibility (CP, 72%; fat, 75% and GE, 70%), mineral absorption (Ca, 72%; Na, 76%; K, 70% and P, 70%), specific growth rate (SGR, 1.55), improved feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.22) and weight gain percentage (WG%, 303%) of fingerlings. It was also noticed that probiotics supplementation decreased the discharge of minerals and nutrient through faeces, as compared to control diet; hence, it plays a significant role in reducing water pollution. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that probiotics inclusion at level of 2 g/kg was useful to formulate the cost effective and eco-friendly fish feed with the maximum improvement in growth and fish health by using rapeseed meal-based diet, as compared to control and other test diets.

To Compare Efficacy Between Cryotherapy And Mitomycin Microneedling For The Treatment Of Plantar Warts.

BACKGROUND: Cryotherapy is a common destructive treatment modality for treating plantar warts that results in blistering and scarring. Mitomycin an antitumor drug with antiviral property is a safe, better and a promising option for treating plantar warts. Objective was to compare efficacy of cryotherapy and mitomycin microneedling in the management of plantar warts. It was a randomized controlled trial conducted at the Skin Department CMH Abbottabad from 1st May to 31st December 2021. METHODS: The study included 60 patients with plantar warts. Each group with 30 patients. Random tables were used to determine the distribution of patients within each group. Group A received mitomycin microneedling (1u/ml) repeated every 3 weeks. Group B was prescribed liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. The freeze-thaw cycle was 20 secs and repeated every 2 weeks. Both groups were treated for 4 months duration. For analysis of data, SPSS version 21.0 was used. Efficacy was compared by the application of Chi-square test between the two groups. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mitomycin microneedling completely cured 76.7% of patients, while cryotherapy was effective for only 56.7%. Complete remission was observed after two to three sessions of mitomycin microneedling while average of 4 sessions of cryotherapy were required for complete remission. In general, microneedling with mitomycin had better tolerance, pain being the commonest adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS: Plantar warts can be effectively treated with mitomycin microneedling. Treatment of plantar warts with this method is more effective, requires fewer sessions, and may take less time to complete.

Triaxial bearing vibration dataset of induction motor under varying load conditions.

Rotating machines as core component of an industry can effectively be monitored through vibration analysis. Considering the importance of vibration in industrial condition monitoring, this article reports and discusses triaxial vibration data for motor bearing faults detection and identification. The data is acquired using a MEMS based triaxial accelerometer and the National Instruments myRIO board. The bearing conditions include healthy bearing, bearings with inner race faults, and bearings with outer race faults. For each faulty bearing condition, the three-phase induction motor is operated under three different load conditions. The dataset can be used to assess performance of newly developed methods for effective bearing fault diagnosis. Mendeley Data. http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/fm6xzxnf36.2.

Identification of suitable habitat for Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow in moist temperate forest using maxent modelling technique.

Conservation of any species necessitates knowledge of its biology and natural history, as well as prospective locations or newer adaptive landscapes where the species can survive and thrive. This study presents habitat suitability and local conservation status of Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow in moist temperate forest of Hazara division, Pakistan. Data was collected through field surveys based on 363 samples from field, topographical and bioclimatic variables. In the present study, we employed the MaxEnt model exclusively for each tree species along with 23 independent or environment variables (19 bioclimatic and 4 topographic). The jackknife test was used to demonstrate the significance of variables with the highest gain, and it was found that overall tree cover, annual temperature range was the factors with the highest gain, while slope was amongst the least important. The MaxEnt model produced high accuracy for each tree species, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC), area under the curve (AUC), training mean testing values for Taxus wallichiana was 0.966 followed by 0.944 for Abies pindrow. Local conservation status of Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow was evaluated using IUCN criteria 2001. Taxus wallichiana was declared critically endangered locally as the population size reduced by 87%. In contrast, Abies pindrow was declared as endangered as population size reduced by 69% falling under endangered criteria A of IUCN. The decline in population size of Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow species were due to human cause anthropogenic activities such as exploitation and loss of habitat, the extent of occurrence, and slow regeneration of tree species. Results and field-based observation revealed that suitable habitat modeling showed unsuitable (0.0-0.2), less suitable (0.2-0.4), moderately (0.4-0.6), highly (0.6-0.7), and very highly (0.7-1.0) suitable habitat for Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow. Results also revealed that both species were distributed irregularly in the moist temperate forest of Hazara division. Habitat suitability of Taxus wallichiana and Abies pindrow can be considered one of most significant points toward conserving these tree species. Habitat loss is a major threat to their occurrence, which should be overcome by ensuring the protection of suitable habitat and conservation approaches. Considering the species ecological and economic value, it is essential to understand how the species distribution may vary as a result of climate change to establish effective conservation policies. This study also includes significant environmental elements that influence species distribution, which could help locate regions where the species could be planted. Forest tree species require effective, scientific, and long-term management and conservation techniques in the study area. Furthermore, the formulation and implementation of protective laws and policies are required to conserve and protect both the conifer species.

Life cycle environmental sustainability and cumulative energy assessment of biomass pellets biofuel derived from agroforest residues.

This study was carried out to produce low-emitting biomass pellets biofuel from selected forest trees such as (Cedrus deodara and Pinus wallichiana) and agricultural crop residues such as (Zea mays and Triticum aestivum) in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan using indigenously developed technology called pelletizer machine. Characterization, environmental life cycle impact assessment, and cumulative energy demand of biomass pellets biofuel produced from selected agriculture crops and forest tree residues were conducted. The primary data for biomass pellets production was collected by visiting various wood processing factories, sawmills, and agricultural crop fields in the study area. Biomass pellets are a type of biofuel that is often made by compressing sawdust and crushing biomass material into a powdery form. The particles are agglomerated as the raw material is extensively compressed and pelletized. Biomass pellets have lower moisture content, often less than 12%. Physically, the produced pellets were characterized to determine moisture content, pellet dimensions, bulk density, higher heating value, ash content, lower heating value, and element analysis. A functional unit of one kilogram (kg) biomass pellets production was followed in this study.The life cycle impact assessment of one kg biomass pellets biofuel produced from selected agro-forest species revealed environmental impact categories such as acidification (0.006 kg SO2 eq/kg pellets), abiotic depletion (0.018 kg Sb eq/kg pellets), marine aquatic ecotoxicity (417.803 kg 1,4-DB eq/kg pellets), human toxicity (1.107 kg 1,4-DB eq/kg pellets), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity (0.191 kg 1,4-DB eq/kg pellets), eutrophication (0.001 kg PO4 eq/kg pellets), global warming (0.802 kg CO2 eq/kg pellets), and terrestrial ecotoxicity (0.008 kg 1,4-DB eq/kg pellets). Fossil fuel consumption was the hotspot source to all environmental impacts investigated. To measure the cumulative energy demand of biomass pellets made from different agroforestry species leftovers showed that the maximum cumulative energy was from wheat straw pellets (13.737 MJ), followed by corncob pellets (11.754 MJ), deodar sawdust pellets (10.905 MJ) and blue pine sawdust pellets (10.877 MJ). Among the various production activities, collection and transportation of primary raw material, crushing, screening, adding adhesives, pelletizing, cooling, final screening, and packing have the maximum contribution to the water scarcity index, followed by lubricating oil (0.00147m3). In contrast, the minimum contribution to water footprint was from electricity (0.00008m3) and wheat starch (0.00005m3). The highest contribution to the ecological footprint impact categories such as carbon dioxide, nuclear, and land occupation was lubricating oil and less contribution of wheat starch and electricity for manufacturing one kg pellets biofuel. It is concluded that physico-mechanical and combustion properties of the biomass pellets biofuel developed in the present study were following the Italian recommended standards. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the Government of Pakistan should introduce the renewable biomass pellets industry in the country to reduce dependency on fossil fuels for cooking and heating purposes.

The impact of omentin-1 gene polymorphisms (rs2274907 and rs2274908) on serum lipid concentrations and coronary artery disease in a sample of Iraqi individuals (A pilot study).

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of death worldwide. It is mainly caused by atherosclerosis that initiates from a genetic-environmental interaction. Studies highlighted the association of numerous gene polymorphisms with CAD. Omentin-1 is secreted from visceral adipose tissues, intestine, and others; it has anti-inflammatory and insulin sensitivity improving roles. AIM: To explore the association of the omentin-1 gene polymorphisms (rs2274907 and rs2274908) with serum lipid concentrations and CAD in a sample of the Iraqi population. METHODS: A case-control study was followed, in which CAD patients were analyzed versus a group of healthy persons. Serum lipid concentrations were measured by enzymatic methods. Genotyping of the omentin-1 gene for rs2274907 SNP was achieved by ARMS-PCR, while for rs2274908 SNP by allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) techniques. RESULTS: Atherogenic serum lipid concentrations increased significantly in CAD patients relative to the control group. Genotyping of the omentin-1 gene for rs2274907 SNP revealed a significant (OR = 4.11, P = 0.035) elevation of the AT genotype carriers in CAD versus the control groups. The genotype analysis of the rs2274908 SNP failed to exhibit a significant variation. The two analyzed SNPs were indicated to be in linkage disequilibrium (r = 0.772, P < 0.0001). The global haplotype association of the 2 SNPs was demonstrated to be significant (P = 0.006). Serum lipid concentrations were found to be independent of the genotype distribution of the rs2274907 SNP. CONCLUSION: Carriers of the AT genotype of rs2274907 SNP in the omentin-1gene may have a four-fold risk of developing CAD compared to those of the wild genotype. Alterations of serum lipid concentrations may do not depend on the genotypes of this SNP.

Comparative Study Between Intralesional Injection Of Platelet Rich Plasma And Intra Lesional Triamcinolone For The Treatment Of Alopecia Areata.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder of patchy non scarring hair loss. Steroids, either Intralesional, e.g, triamcinolone or potent topical, e.g, clobetasol are the first line treatment. Platelet rich plasma is an autologous concentrated plasma with growth factors which enhances regeneration of hair follicles. It is simple and effective treatment with no major side effects. Objective was to compare the efficacy of intralesional injection of platelet rich plasma and triamcinolone in patients of alopecia areata. It was a randomized controlled trial (open-labelled), conducted at the Dermatology Department, Combined Military Hospital Abbottabad from 1st May to 31st December 2021. METHODS: Sixty clinically diagnosed patients of alopecia areata of the scalp were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups, A and B. Random numbers table was used to allocate 30 patients into each group. Group A patients were given an intralesional injection of triamcinolone while intralesional platelet rich plasma was given to Group B. Both treatments were repeated at one-month intervals for four months. In the study, Chi-square tests were used to compare effectiveness. It was considered significant when the p-value turned out to be <0.05.. RESULTS: There was significant difference in complete response rate between intralesional injection of steroid and intralesional injection of platelet rich plasma. Platelet rich plasma was less effective (p =0.05). Local corticosteroid injection was significantly more effective than platelet rich plasma (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intralesional injection of steroid is an effective and considerable treatment for alopecia areata. This study also proposes intralesional injection of platelet rich plasma as an alternative therapy for alopecia areata as it is not associated with serious local side effects.