Evaluating groundwater nitrate and other physicochemical parameters of the arid and semi-arid district of DI Khan by multivariate statistical analysis.

Nitrate as an important water pollutant, causing eutrophication was analyzed in Pakistan at different water sources (hand pump (HP), bore hole (BH) and tube well (TW)) to assess the contamination level caused by NO3-. NO3- concentrations in the HP water samples were 31 mg L-1 to 59 mg L-1, in BH 20 mg L-1 to 79 mg L-1 while in TW water samples it was between 29 to 55 mg L-1. The association of NO3- with other selected parameter in groundwater can be determined by using statistical approaches. Different physicochemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO)) were studied in groundwater samples of the research district. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) for groundwater characteristics were calculated. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was used to categorize samples based on their groundwater quality similarities and to find links between groundwater quality factors. The key relationship of the groundwater for HP samples on EC and TDS (r = 1) had a great correlation, while all other parameters correlations were lower (r = 0.40), BH's parameters on WT and WSD (r = 0.57), WT and pH (r = 0.57), EC and DO (r = 0.50), DO and TDS (0.50), EC and TDS (r = 1) had a quite high correlation, while all other parameters correlations were less than (r = 0.40), on the other hand, tube well parameters on TDS and EC (r = 1) had a perfect correlation, DO and pH (r = 0.75) parameters correlations were less than (r = 0.40).

Degree of adaptive male mate choice is positively correlated with female quality variance.

When the cost of reproduction for males and variance in female quality are high, males are predicted to show adaptive mate choice. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we test this prediction and show that sperm limited males preferentially mated with young and/or well fed females. The preferred females had higher reproductive output--direct evidence of adaptive precopulatory male mate choice. Our most striking finding is the strong positive correlation between the degree of mating bias showed by the males and the variance in the fitness of the females. We discuss the possible mechanism for such adaptive male mate choice and propose that such choice has important consequences with respect to the existing understanding of the mating system and the evolution of aging.

Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis in a renal transplant recipient.

Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis is a chronic semi invasive pulmonary disease. It is an uncommon disease and has never been reported in transplant recipients. We report a case of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis in a renal transplant recipient.