Muhammad Iqbal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Muhammad Iqbal

Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 2014

Joint FAO/WHO expert&... more Joint FAO/WHO expert's consultation report defines probiotics as: Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Most commonly used probiotics are Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria. There are other examples of species used as probiotics (certain yeasts and bacilli). Probiotic supplements are popular now a days. From the beginning of 2000, research on probiotics has increased remarkably. Probiotics are now day's widely studied for their beneficial effects in treatment of many prevailing diseases. Here we reviewed the beneficiary effects of probiotics in some diseases.

Journal of Trace and Microprobe Techniques, 2003

A flame atomic absorption method was employed to study the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solutio... more A flame atomic absorption method was employed to study the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution onto bentonite surface, using the batch equilibrium method. Maximum removal (80%) was achieved from a solution of pH 3.2. Effect of various parameters like concentration, shaking time and temperature were examined to achieve the optimized conditions of maximum recovery of Ni(II) from solution by adsorption method. The effect of various anions and cations on the recovery of Ni(II) was also investigated. The data were investigated in terms of calculating thermodynamic quantities and were found to fit well to Freundlich equation.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of any project is essential for understanding the sustainab... more Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of any project is essential for understanding the sustainability of the project. For sustainable development of hill tracts, electricity is inseparable. Like other parts of Bangladesh hill tracts districts felt increasing demand of electricity. In this paper an attempt has been taken to present the existing environmental condition and analysis the future environmental condition after implementation of project. Electrification will extend the length of the active day. Electrification will improve security (people's perception of safety and security) at the region. The elements of the project identified as components for analysis are chosen based on DOE's guideline. The study showed that 87% people say that they feel safer at night since being electrified. Impacts are classified on the basis of EPA's scaling and DOE, university's teachers, NGOs expert's opinions. Value more than 10 is classified significantly affected element of the project. In this paper advantages and disadvantages of the Electrification Project has been presented.

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2011

To determine the frequency of factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. A cross sectional stud... more To determine the frequency of factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. A cross sectional study was conducted in the department of medicine at Liaquat National Hospital Karachi from September 2007 - March 2008 on patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of knee. One hundred patients of age more than 18 years, and of either gender were consecutively included. Those patients with family history, occupations like farmers, mill workers and jack hammer operators, females with hormonal replacement therapy, patients with hyperparathyroidism, haemochromatosis and systemic lupus erythematosus were excluded. The patients were then graded on the basis of knee joint X-ray findings into four grades. The main outcome variables of the study were factors associated with osteoarthritis which included obesity, age, gender, smoking and anaemia. The mean age was 56.28 +/- 8.786 years. The mean BMI was 29.434 +/- 7.849 years and mean Haemoglobin was 11.77 +/- 1.670 mg/dl. The frequency of factors associated with osteoarthritis was age 55 years in 60 (60%) patients. Gender included 74 (74%) females and 26 (26%) males. Smokers were 25 (25%), obesity was present in 33 (33%) and anaemia was present in 7 (50%) women and 16 (61.5%) males. The study found that females of age greater than 55 years mostly noted to visit a tertiary care hospital due to knee osteoarthritis.

Journal De Physique Iv, 1994

Background: To find out the knowledge, attitude and compliance with standard precautions among do... more Background: To find out the knowledge, attitude and compliance with standard precautions among doctors working in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted during October 2006 in the form of self reporting questionnaire. The questionnaire included question about duration of clinical experience, Hepatitis B Virus vaccination and its antibody titer, knowledge and compliance of Centre for Disease Control (CDC) standard precaution guidelines. They were further asked about reasons for non compliance. Results: Total 120 doctors participated in this study which includes 60% interns, 34.2% residents and 5.8% consultants. Total 95% respondents were vaccinated against Hepatitis B virus but only 27.4% knew their antibody titers. Majority of the doctors, 52.5% didn't know any thing about Centres for Disease Control guideline for standard precautions while 40% of the respondent had some idea and only 7.5% knew them well. Among responders 56.7% changed gloves for each patient and only 39.2% washed hand in between examining patients. Most of the doctors 58.3% said they always wear apron while dealing with patients while 20% wear only when dealing with high risk patients. Protective goggles were not used by any of our respondent. The reasons given for non-compliance included non-availability of protective modalities by 58.3% while 20% were of the opinion that it's not practical. Conclusion: The knowledge attitude and compliance among doctors towards standard precautions is in-adequate. Availability of supplies and awareness programmes for these standard precautions are recommended for better compliance.

International Conference on Emerging Technologies, 2008

... RELATIVE DYNAMIC EQUATIONS Newton's second law of motion and his universal laws of gravi... more ... RELATIVE DYNAMIC EQUATIONS Newton's second law of motion and his universal laws of gravitation are the starting points for virtually any study of Page 2. ... orbital motion [9]. Newton's second law of motion states that time rate of change of linear momentum is proportional to ...

Summary: World tea production has been showing an annual increment of 3 % while in Bangladesh the... more Summary: World tea production has been showing an annual increment of 3 % while in Bangladesh the production has increased by 1.84 % and contributes 1.37 in export in the word tea trade and earns near about 1775 million Taka (Taka 63 = USD 1.00) every year. The activities of tea industry fall into two categories: production of tea and manufacturing & marketing of tea. Low productivity, poor quality and higher cost of production compared to the dividend in price for tea is the crux of the problem. We have to make quality tea, which must satisfy the prescribed criterion of the of the European countries especially Maximum Residue Level (MRL) value of pesticides to restore its name and fame. This paper attempts at focusing on the present condition and support required of tea industry in the country.

Abstract A study was conducted in the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture Faculty, Gomal Univ... more Abstract A study was conducted in the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture Faculty, Gomal University, DI Khan, Pakistan during 2005. NAA (naphthalene acetic acid)@ 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 ppm concentration was sprayed on summer crop of 28 trees of guava (cv. ...

IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering, 2007

In this study, we reported the analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana microarray gene expression profil... more In this study, we reported the analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana microarray gene expression profile of root tissues after the plant was challenged with fungal pathogen Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines (Fsg). Our microarray analysis showed that the infection caused 130 transcript abundances (TAs) to increase by more than 2 fold and 32 out of 130 TAs were increased by more than 3 fold in the root tissues. However, only nineteen ESTs were observed with a decrease in TAs by more than 2 fold and 13 of them went down more than 3 fold due to the pathogen infection. In addition, the number of the up-regulated genes was nearly seven times more than that of downregulated genes. The coordinate regulation of adjacent genes was detected and the distance distribution of the nearest neighbor genes was less likely to be randomly scattered in genome. The results of this study enabled us to decipher the resistance mechanism to Fsg through an integrated computational approach.

Scientia Horticulturae, 1995

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers have the potential to reveal genetic similarity... more Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers have the potential to reveal genetic similarity among plants. RAPD profiles of thirteen rhododendron hybrids, species and cultivars were analyzed to study their genetic relationships. The cluster analysis grouped together varieties and/or hybrids in accordance with their known genetic relationship. For instance, two varieties of Rhododendron yakushimanum, var. Mist Maiden and var. Ken Janeck, clustered together while R. yakushimanum var. Pink Parasol clustered with a hybrid of Pink Parasol × Rhododendron smirnowii. These three varieties and the hybrid then clustered with R. smirnowii. Similarly, the other hybrids with common parents showed a closer genetic relatedness with each other than with other rhododendrons. The sequence homology of two amplification products was studied by Southern hybridization. The amplification fragment OPL07660 of four Rhododendron species, Rhododendron Anna Baldsiefens, Rhododendron arborescens, Rhododendron atlanticum, and Rhododendron poukhanense were homologous to each other. In contrast to this, amplification product OPL03900 of R. Anna Baldsiefens has no homology to any other amplification product. The genetic relationship revealed from cluster analysis on the basis of RAPD profiles was similar to their known genetic makeup.

Materials Science and Engineering A-structural Materials Properties Microstructure and Processing, 2007

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), especially ZrCuAlNi alloys, are important materials due to their ve... more Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), especially ZrCuAlNi alloys, are important materials due to their very attractive physical and mechanical properties. However, their applications are restricted due to processing limitations and cost effectiveness. Materials scientists are trying to design and synthesize economical BMGs using inexpensive materials with improved properties. In the present study, six alloys having compositions (Zr 0.65 Cu 0.18 Ni 0.09 Al 0.08 ) 100−x M x (where M = Y, Ti, Nb, Er and W and x = 0 and 2 at.%) were synthesized by Cu mould casting using 2-3N pure elements. The base alloy Zr 65 Cu 18 Ni 9 Al 8 was designed following the Inoue's rules and also adopting the criterion of average valance electrons/atom (e/a ratio = 1.3950) and average atomic size R a = 0.1498 nm. Characterization of alloys was done by XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and SEM/EDS. Maximum T x was found to be 129 K for the base alloy. Mechanical properties like Vicker's microhardness, nanohardness, elastic modulus, density, fracture strength and shear angles were measured. Enhancement in ductility was achieved by adding Ti and Nb. Microstructure of as-cast and heat-treated compression tested samples was evaluated.

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 2010

The cracked chevron notch Brazilian disc (CCNBD) method is widely used in characterizing rock fra... more The cracked chevron notch Brazilian disc (CCNBD) method is widely used in characterizing rock fracture toughness. We explore here the possibility of extending the CCNBD method to dynamic rock fracture testing. In dynamic rock fractures, relevant fracture parameters are the initiation fracture toughness, the fracture energy, the fracture propagation toughness, and the fracture velocity. The dynamic load is applied with a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus. A strain gauge is mounted on the sample surface near the notch tip to detect the fracture-induced strain release, and a laser gap gauge (LGG) is used to monitor the crack surface opening distance (CSOD) during the test. With dynamic force balance achieved in the tests, the stable–unstable transition of the crack propagation crack is observed and the initiation fracture toughness is obtained from the peak load. The dynamic fracture initiation toughness values obtained for the chosen rock (Laurentian granite) using this method are consistent with those measured using other methods. The dynamic fracture initiation toughness is in the range 2.5–4.6 MPa m1/2 and the propagation fracture toughness is in the range 7.1–10.6 MPa m1/2, which is consistently larger than the initiation toughness.

Euphytica, 2006

An altered response to methylamine (MA) has been used to identify genes involved in nitrogen meta... more An altered response to methylamine (MA) has been used to identify genes involved in nitrogen metabolism in many microbes and as an uncoupler of proton motive force in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The aim of this study was to attempt the use of MA to identify critical genes for response to exogenous nitrogen sources in Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress). EMS mutagenesis and selection on MA were used to identify a series of mutants that showed increased sensitivity to MA but failed to identify any MA resistant mutants. The eight sensitive mutants were allelic as judged by segregation and map location so one mutant, gsr1-1, was selected for intensive analysis. Co-segregation of gsr1 with DNA markers showed the gene was on chromosome 5 between markers CA72 and nga151, an interval of about 0.42 Mbp. The co-segregating mutant phenotypes associated with gsr1 included; yellow color caused by a reduction in chloroplast number; reduced chlorophyll content; decreased nitrate reductase (EC 1.7.1.3) activity in the root; and increased glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) activity in root and shoot. Decreased transcripts included those encoding several nitrogen metabolism enzymes. In contrast, the mutation increased only 4 and 7 transcript abundances by more than two fold. RT-PCR showed that in the dark, regulation of transcript abundance by exogenously applied glutamine and to a lesser extent sucrose were altered. Gene action of the gsr1 mutant was recessive for chloroplast number but co-dominant for transcript abundances and co-dominant for enzyme activities. Supplementary data from the analysis of preliminary microarray data from AFGC used 10,560 targets and two reverse labeled slides to show that more than 351 ESTs were increased in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold in the green plants. In yellow plants only seventy-three ESTs were up-regulated in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold. Therefore, the gsr1 locus may regulate responses to endogenous and exogenous glutamine in an organ-specific fashion that could coordinately regulate the activity of genes enzymes and metabolic pathways that determine cellular nitrogen, carbon and bioenergetic (redox) status.

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2008

During normal operation of PWRs, routine fuel rods failures result in release of radioactive fiss... more During normal operation of PWRs, routine fuel rods failures result in release of radioactive fission products (RFPs) in the primary coolant of PWRs. In this work, a stochastic model has been developed for simulation of failure time sequences and release rates for the estimation of fission product activity in primary coolant of a typical PWR under power perturbations. In the first part, a stochastic approach is developed, based on generation of fuel failure event sequences by sampling the time dependent intensity functions. Then a three-stage model based deterministic methodology of the FPCART code has been extended to include failure sequences and random release rates in a computer code FPCART-ST, which uses state-of-the-art LEOPARD and ODMUG codes as its subroutines. The value of the 131I activity in primary coolant predicted by FPCART-ST code has been found in good agreement with the corresponding values measured at ANGRA-1 nuclear power plant. The predictions of FPCART-ST code with constant release option have also been found to have good agreement with corresponding experimental values for time dependent 135I, 135Xe and 89Kr concentrations in primary coolant measured during EDITHMOX-1 experiments.

There has been controversy in the literature as to whether the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) or the... more There has been controversy in the literature as to whether the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) or the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) represents the better paradigm for explaining climate variability over the North Atlantic/Europe region. We take the centers of action (COA) approach, that is, consider changes in pressure and position of the Azores High and Icelandic Low to study seasonal precipitation in regions of Europe. In several regions the variability of precipitation is explained best by interannual displacements of the latitude or longitude positions of the Azores High and the Icelandic Low. These modes of variation are not represented in the traditional formulations of either the NAO or the NAM because both are described by empirical orthogonal function formulations that use time variations of fixed pressure patterns. We suggest that the COA is a better paradigm in comparison with NAO or NAM for understanding regional variations.

Bird flu vaccine from H 5 N 1 strain of avian influenza virus was prepared with two concentration... more Bird flu vaccine from H 5 N 1 strain of avian influenza virus was prepared with two concentrations of adjuvant (Montanide ISA 70MVG). Two vaccines (I and II) were prepared containing 50 and 60% Montanide, respectively. Immune response of both the vaccines as single, as well as booster, dose was evaluated in layer birds through haemagglutination inhibition test. Single dose of both vaccines showed poor immune response, while booster dose gave better response with both the vaccines. However, the vaccine prepared with 60% Montanide provided better immune response compared with the vaccine containing 50% montanide.

A seven year old female dromedary camel was examined for the complaint of inability to breed due ... more A seven year old female dromedary camel was examined for the complaint of inability to breed due to problem during penile intromission. Vaginoscopy, using equine tube vaginoscope, revealed the presence of a tissue flap cranial to the urethral opening, buldging caudally and separating the cranial and caudal parts of vagina. Digital palpation was also performed and the condition was diagnosed as transverse vaginal septum. For treatment, the vaginal septum was grasped with an Allis tissue forceps and a circular piece was severed from the center with the Metzenbaum scissors. The remaining portion of septum was then carefully trimmed. About 28 days after surgery, the animal showed heat signs and was mated. On ultrasonographic examination three months, post mating the animal was found pregnant.

In this paper we establish some new inequalities for differentiable functions based on concavity ... more In this paper we establish some new inequalities for differentiable functions based on concavity and s-convexity. We also prove several Hadamard-type inequalities for products of two convex and s-convex functions.

TheScientificWorldJournal, 2014

Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is stimul... more Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is stimulating efforts to avail required polymorphism for marker based breeding. The availability of draft genome sequence of G. raimondii and G. arboreum and next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies facilitated the development of high-throughput marker technologies in cotton. The concepts of genetic diversity, QTL mapping, and marker assisted selection (MAS) are evolving into more efficient concepts of linkage disequilibrium, association mapping, and genomic selection, respectively. The objective of the current review is to analyze the pace of evolution in the molecular marker technologies in cotton during the last ten years into the following four areas: (i) comparative analysis of low-and high-throughput marker technologies available in cotton, (ii) genetic diversity in the available wild and improved gene pools of cotton, (iii) identification of the genomic regions within cotton genome underlying economic traits, and (iv) marker based selection methodologies. Moreover, the applications of marker technologies to enhance the breeding efficiency in cotton are also summarized. Aforementioned genomic technologies and the integration of several other omics resources are expected to enhance the cotton productivity and meet the global fiber quantity and quality demands.

Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 2014

Joint FAO/WHO expert&... more Joint FAO/WHO expert's consultation report defines probiotics as: Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Most commonly used probiotics are Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria. There are other examples of species used as probiotics (certain yeasts and bacilli). Probiotic supplements are popular now a days. From the beginning of 2000, research on probiotics has increased remarkably. Probiotics are now day's widely studied for their beneficial effects in treatment of many prevailing diseases. Here we reviewed the beneficiary effects of probiotics in some diseases.

Journal of Trace and Microprobe Techniques, 2003

A flame atomic absorption method was employed to study the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solutio... more A flame atomic absorption method was employed to study the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution onto bentonite surface, using the batch equilibrium method. Maximum removal (80%) was achieved from a solution of pH 3.2. Effect of various parameters like concentration, shaking time and temperature were examined to achieve the optimized conditions of maximum recovery of Ni(II) from solution by adsorption method. The effect of various anions and cations on the recovery of Ni(II) was also investigated. The data were investigated in terms of calculating thermodynamic quantities and were found to fit well to Freundlich equation.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of any project is essential for understanding the sustainab... more Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of any project is essential for understanding the sustainability of the project. For sustainable development of hill tracts, electricity is inseparable. Like other parts of Bangladesh hill tracts districts felt increasing demand of electricity. In this paper an attempt has been taken to present the existing environmental condition and analysis the future environmental condition after implementation of project. Electrification will extend the length of the active day. Electrification will improve security (people's perception of safety and security) at the region. The elements of the project identified as components for analysis are chosen based on DOE's guideline. The study showed that 87% people say that they feel safer at night since being electrified. Impacts are classified on the basis of EPA's scaling and DOE, university's teachers, NGOs expert's opinions. Value more than 10 is classified significantly affected element of the project. In this paper advantages and disadvantages of the Electrification Project has been presented.

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2011

To determine the frequency of factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. A cross sectional stud... more To determine the frequency of factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. A cross sectional study was conducted in the department of medicine at Liaquat National Hospital Karachi from September 2007 - March 2008 on patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of knee. One hundred patients of age more than 18 years, and of either gender were consecutively included. Those patients with family history, occupations like farmers, mill workers and jack hammer operators, females with hormonal replacement therapy, patients with hyperparathyroidism, haemochromatosis and systemic lupus erythematosus were excluded. The patients were then graded on the basis of knee joint X-ray findings into four grades. The main outcome variables of the study were factors associated with osteoarthritis which included obesity, age, gender, smoking and anaemia. The mean age was 56.28 +/- 8.786 years. The mean BMI was 29.434 +/- 7.849 years and mean Haemoglobin was 11.77 +/- 1.670 mg/dl. The frequency of factors associated with osteoarthritis was age 55 years in 60 (60%) patients. Gender included 74 (74%) females and 26 (26%) males. Smokers were 25 (25%), obesity was present in 33 (33%) and anaemia was present in 7 (50%) women and 16 (61.5%) males. The study found that females of age greater than 55 years mostly noted to visit a tertiary care hospital due to knee osteoarthritis.

Journal De Physique Iv, 1994

Background: To find out the knowledge, attitude and compliance with standard precautions among do... more Background: To find out the knowledge, attitude and compliance with standard precautions among doctors working in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted during October 2006 in the form of self reporting questionnaire. The questionnaire included question about duration of clinical experience, Hepatitis B Virus vaccination and its antibody titer, knowledge and compliance of Centre for Disease Control (CDC) standard precaution guidelines. They were further asked about reasons for non compliance. Results: Total 120 doctors participated in this study which includes 60% interns, 34.2% residents and 5.8% consultants. Total 95% respondents were vaccinated against Hepatitis B virus but only 27.4% knew their antibody titers. Majority of the doctors, 52.5% didn't know any thing about Centres for Disease Control guideline for standard precautions while 40% of the respondent had some idea and only 7.5% knew them well. Among responders 56.7% changed gloves for each patient and only 39.2% washed hand in between examining patients. Most of the doctors 58.3% said they always wear apron while dealing with patients while 20% wear only when dealing with high risk patients. Protective goggles were not used by any of our respondent. The reasons given for non-compliance included non-availability of protective modalities by 58.3% while 20% were of the opinion that it's not practical. Conclusion: The knowledge attitude and compliance among doctors towards standard precautions is in-adequate. Availability of supplies and awareness programmes for these standard precautions are recommended for better compliance.

International Conference on Emerging Technologies, 2008

... RELATIVE DYNAMIC EQUATIONS Newton's second law of motion and his universal laws of gravi... more ... RELATIVE DYNAMIC EQUATIONS Newton's second law of motion and his universal laws of gravitation are the starting points for virtually any study of Page 2. ... orbital motion [9]. Newton's second law of motion states that time rate of change of linear momentum is proportional to ...

Summary: World tea production has been showing an annual increment of 3 % while in Bangladesh the... more Summary: World tea production has been showing an annual increment of 3 % while in Bangladesh the production has increased by 1.84 % and contributes 1.37 in export in the word tea trade and earns near about 1775 million Taka (Taka 63 = USD 1.00) every year. The activities of tea industry fall into two categories: production of tea and manufacturing & marketing of tea. Low productivity, poor quality and higher cost of production compared to the dividend in price for tea is the crux of the problem. We have to make quality tea, which must satisfy the prescribed criterion of the of the European countries especially Maximum Residue Level (MRL) value of pesticides to restore its name and fame. This paper attempts at focusing on the present condition and support required of tea industry in the country.

Abstract A study was conducted in the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture Faculty, Gomal Univ... more Abstract A study was conducted in the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture Faculty, Gomal University, DI Khan, Pakistan during 2005. NAA (naphthalene acetic acid)@ 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 ppm concentration was sprayed on summer crop of 28 trees of guava (cv. ...

IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering, 2007

In this study, we reported the analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana microarray gene expression profil... more In this study, we reported the analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana microarray gene expression profile of root tissues after the plant was challenged with fungal pathogen Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines (Fsg). Our microarray analysis showed that the infection caused 130 transcript abundances (TAs) to increase by more than 2 fold and 32 out of 130 TAs were increased by more than 3 fold in the root tissues. However, only nineteen ESTs were observed with a decrease in TAs by more than 2 fold and 13 of them went down more than 3 fold due to the pathogen infection. In addition, the number of the up-regulated genes was nearly seven times more than that of downregulated genes. The coordinate regulation of adjacent genes was detected and the distance distribution of the nearest neighbor genes was less likely to be randomly scattered in genome. The results of this study enabled us to decipher the resistance mechanism to Fsg through an integrated computational approach.

Scientia Horticulturae, 1995

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers have the potential to reveal genetic similarity... more Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers have the potential to reveal genetic similarity among plants. RAPD profiles of thirteen rhododendron hybrids, species and cultivars were analyzed to study their genetic relationships. The cluster analysis grouped together varieties and/or hybrids in accordance with their known genetic relationship. For instance, two varieties of Rhododendron yakushimanum, var. Mist Maiden and var. Ken Janeck, clustered together while R. yakushimanum var. Pink Parasol clustered with a hybrid of Pink Parasol × Rhododendron smirnowii. These three varieties and the hybrid then clustered with R. smirnowii. Similarly, the other hybrids with common parents showed a closer genetic relatedness with each other than with other rhododendrons. The sequence homology of two amplification products was studied by Southern hybridization. The amplification fragment OPL07660 of four Rhododendron species, Rhododendron Anna Baldsiefens, Rhododendron arborescens, Rhododendron atlanticum, and Rhododendron poukhanense were homologous to each other. In contrast to this, amplification product OPL03900 of R. Anna Baldsiefens has no homology to any other amplification product. The genetic relationship revealed from cluster analysis on the basis of RAPD profiles was similar to their known genetic makeup.

Materials Science and Engineering A-structural Materials Properties Microstructure and Processing, 2007

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), especially ZrCuAlNi alloys, are important materials due to their ve... more Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), especially ZrCuAlNi alloys, are important materials due to their very attractive physical and mechanical properties. However, their applications are restricted due to processing limitations and cost effectiveness. Materials scientists are trying to design and synthesize economical BMGs using inexpensive materials with improved properties. In the present study, six alloys having compositions (Zr 0.65 Cu 0.18 Ni 0.09 Al 0.08 ) 100−x M x (where M = Y, Ti, Nb, Er and W and x = 0 and 2 at.%) were synthesized by Cu mould casting using 2-3N pure elements. The base alloy Zr 65 Cu 18 Ni 9 Al 8 was designed following the Inoue's rules and also adopting the criterion of average valance electrons/atom (e/a ratio = 1.3950) and average atomic size R a = 0.1498 nm. Characterization of alloys was done by XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and SEM/EDS. Maximum T x was found to be 129 K for the base alloy. Mechanical properties like Vicker's microhardness, nanohardness, elastic modulus, density, fracture strength and shear angles were measured. Enhancement in ductility was achieved by adding Ti and Nb. Microstructure of as-cast and heat-treated compression tested samples was evaluated.

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 2010

The cracked chevron notch Brazilian disc (CCNBD) method is widely used in characterizing rock fra... more The cracked chevron notch Brazilian disc (CCNBD) method is widely used in characterizing rock fracture toughness. We explore here the possibility of extending the CCNBD method to dynamic rock fracture testing. In dynamic rock fractures, relevant fracture parameters are the initiation fracture toughness, the fracture energy, the fracture propagation toughness, and the fracture velocity. The dynamic load is applied with a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus. A strain gauge is mounted on the sample surface near the notch tip to detect the fracture-induced strain release, and a laser gap gauge (LGG) is used to monitor the crack surface opening distance (CSOD) during the test. With dynamic force balance achieved in the tests, the stable–unstable transition of the crack propagation crack is observed and the initiation fracture toughness is obtained from the peak load. The dynamic fracture initiation toughness values obtained for the chosen rock (Laurentian granite) using this method are consistent with those measured using other methods. The dynamic fracture initiation toughness is in the range 2.5–4.6 MPa m1/2 and the propagation fracture toughness is in the range 7.1–10.6 MPa m1/2, which is consistently larger than the initiation toughness.

Euphytica, 2006

An altered response to methylamine (MA) has been used to identify genes involved in nitrogen meta... more An altered response to methylamine (MA) has been used to identify genes involved in nitrogen metabolism in many microbes and as an uncoupler of proton motive force in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The aim of this study was to attempt the use of MA to identify critical genes for response to exogenous nitrogen sources in Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress). EMS mutagenesis and selection on MA were used to identify a series of mutants that showed increased sensitivity to MA but failed to identify any MA resistant mutants. The eight sensitive mutants were allelic as judged by segregation and map location so one mutant, gsr1-1, was selected for intensive analysis. Co-segregation of gsr1 with DNA markers showed the gene was on chromosome 5 between markers CA72 and nga151, an interval of about 0.42 Mbp. The co-segregating mutant phenotypes associated with gsr1 included; yellow color caused by a reduction in chloroplast number; reduced chlorophyll content; decreased nitrate reductase (EC 1.7.1.3) activity in the root; and increased glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) activity in root and shoot. Decreased transcripts included those encoding several nitrogen metabolism enzymes. In contrast, the mutation increased only 4 and 7 transcript abundances by more than two fold. RT-PCR showed that in the dark, regulation of transcript abundance by exogenously applied glutamine and to a lesser extent sucrose were altered. Gene action of the gsr1 mutant was recessive for chloroplast number but co-dominant for transcript abundances and co-dominant for enzyme activities. Supplementary data from the analysis of preliminary microarray data from AFGC used 10,560 targets and two reverse labeled slides to show that more than 351 ESTs were increased in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold in the green plants. In yellow plants only seventy-three ESTs were up-regulated in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold. Therefore, the gsr1 locus may regulate responses to endogenous and exogenous glutamine in an organ-specific fashion that could coordinately regulate the activity of genes enzymes and metabolic pathways that determine cellular nitrogen, carbon and bioenergetic (redox) status.

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2008

During normal operation of PWRs, routine fuel rods failures result in release of radioactive fiss... more During normal operation of PWRs, routine fuel rods failures result in release of radioactive fission products (RFPs) in the primary coolant of PWRs. In this work, a stochastic model has been developed for simulation of failure time sequences and release rates for the estimation of fission product activity in primary coolant of a typical PWR under power perturbations. In the first part, a stochastic approach is developed, based on generation of fuel failure event sequences by sampling the time dependent intensity functions. Then a three-stage model based deterministic methodology of the FPCART code has been extended to include failure sequences and random release rates in a computer code FPCART-ST, which uses state-of-the-art LEOPARD and ODMUG codes as its subroutines. The value of the 131I activity in primary coolant predicted by FPCART-ST code has been found in good agreement with the corresponding values measured at ANGRA-1 nuclear power plant. The predictions of FPCART-ST code with constant release option have also been found to have good agreement with corresponding experimental values for time dependent 135I, 135Xe and 89Kr concentrations in primary coolant measured during EDITHMOX-1 experiments.

There has been controversy in the literature as to whether the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) or the... more There has been controversy in the literature as to whether the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) or the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) represents the better paradigm for explaining climate variability over the North Atlantic/Europe region. We take the centers of action (COA) approach, that is, consider changes in pressure and position of the Azores High and Icelandic Low to study seasonal precipitation in regions of Europe. In several regions the variability of precipitation is explained best by interannual displacements of the latitude or longitude positions of the Azores High and the Icelandic Low. These modes of variation are not represented in the traditional formulations of either the NAO or the NAM because both are described by empirical orthogonal function formulations that use time variations of fixed pressure patterns. We suggest that the COA is a better paradigm in comparison with NAO or NAM for understanding regional variations.

Bird flu vaccine from H 5 N 1 strain of avian influenza virus was prepared with two concentration... more Bird flu vaccine from H 5 N 1 strain of avian influenza virus was prepared with two concentrations of adjuvant (Montanide ISA 70MVG). Two vaccines (I and II) were prepared containing 50 and 60% Montanide, respectively. Immune response of both the vaccines as single, as well as booster, dose was evaluated in layer birds through haemagglutination inhibition test. Single dose of both vaccines showed poor immune response, while booster dose gave better response with both the vaccines. However, the vaccine prepared with 60% Montanide provided better immune response compared with the vaccine containing 50% montanide.

A seven year old female dromedary camel was examined for the complaint of inability to breed due ... more A seven year old female dromedary camel was examined for the complaint of inability to breed due to problem during penile intromission. Vaginoscopy, using equine tube vaginoscope, revealed the presence of a tissue flap cranial to the urethral opening, buldging caudally and separating the cranial and caudal parts of vagina. Digital palpation was also performed and the condition was diagnosed as transverse vaginal septum. For treatment, the vaginal septum was grasped with an Allis tissue forceps and a circular piece was severed from the center with the Metzenbaum scissors. The remaining portion of septum was then carefully trimmed. About 28 days after surgery, the animal showed heat signs and was mated. On ultrasonographic examination three months, post mating the animal was found pregnant.

In this paper we establish some new inequalities for differentiable functions based on concavity ... more In this paper we establish some new inequalities for differentiable functions based on concavity and s-convexity. We also prove several Hadamard-type inequalities for products of two convex and s-convex functions.

TheScientificWorldJournal, 2014

Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is stimul... more Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is stimulating efforts to avail required polymorphism for marker based breeding. The availability of draft genome sequence of G. raimondii and G. arboreum and next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies facilitated the development of high-throughput marker technologies in cotton. The concepts of genetic diversity, QTL mapping, and marker assisted selection (MAS) are evolving into more efficient concepts of linkage disequilibrium, association mapping, and genomic selection, respectively. The objective of the current review is to analyze the pace of evolution in the molecular marker technologies in cotton during the last ten years into the following four areas: (i) comparative analysis of low-and high-throughput marker technologies available in cotton, (ii) genetic diversity in the available wild and improved gene pools of cotton, (iii) identification of the genomic regions within cotton genome underlying economic traits, and (iv) marker based selection methodologies. Moreover, the applications of marker technologies to enhance the breeding efficiency in cotton are also summarized. Aforementioned genomic technologies and the integration of several other omics resources are expected to enhance the cotton productivity and meet the global fiber quantity and quality demands.