muhammad afzal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by muhammad afzal

African Journal of Biotechnology, Apr 16, 2007

Germination and early seedling growth response of seeds of sixteen wheat genotypes including loca... more Germination and early seedling growth response of seeds of sixteen wheat genotypes including local varieties, to four levels of moisture stress were tested in completely randomized design with three replicates. The four levels of moisture stress were obtained by dissolving 0, 150, 200 and 250 g of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 in 1000, 850, 800 and 750 ml of distilled water, respectively. Data were recorded on germination percentage, germination rate index, shoot length, root length, fresh weight of shoot, dry weight of shoot, fresh weight of root, dry weight of root, shoot/root ratio and analyzed for significance. The genotypes differ significantly in response to the moisture stress in all traits considered except shoot/root ratio. The genotype PK-18199 gave highest values of all traits investigated.PK-18175 showed maximum resistance against moisture stress while showed minimum resistance. The performance of AS-2002 and KC033 in terms of seedling growth was also impressive under all four levels of moisture 99FJ03gave maximum root/shoot length ratio while PK 18199 gave minimum value of root/shoot length ratio showing resistance against water stress.

This paper is based on total energy shortfall in Pakistan, a feasibility analysis of three scenar... more This paper is based on total energy shortfall in Pakistan, a feasibility analysis of three scenarios that have been developed with the RET screen expert (Clean Energy Management Software) which includes Photovoltaic Project Model, Wind turbine project model and combination of some percentage of solar and wind energy to overcome the electricity shortfall in Pakistan. In the first case 10,000 MW was generated using only PV model, keeping electricity price at 0.13 /kWh(10.16Rupees/kWh)withoutassigningthecreditofgreenhousegasses(GHG)reduction,therefore,equitypayback(Profitablecashflow)hasbeen18years.Inthesecondcase10,000MWwasgeneratedusingwindturbinewiththesamepriceofelectricity,thatis,0.13/kWh (10.16 Rupees/kWh) without assigning the credit of greenhouse gasses (GHG) reduction, therefore, equity payback (Profitable cash flow) has been 18 years. In the second case 10,000 MW was generated using wind turbine with the same price of electricity, that is, 0.13 /kWh(10.16Rupees/kWh)withoutassigningthecreditofgreenhousegasses(GHG)reduction,therefore,equitypayback(Profitablecashflow)hasbeen18years.Inthesecondcase10,000MWwasgeneratedusingwindturbinewiththesamepriceofelectricity,thatis,0.13/kWh (10.16 Rupees/kWh), which resulted in an equity payback (Profitable cash flow) of 19.2 years. Thirdly, in the last scenario 10,000 MW was generated using 50% Photovoltaic and 50% wind turbine retaining the same electricity price of 0.13 $/kWh (10.16 Rup...

Taeckholmia, 2018

Morphological and anatomical characters of stem, petiole and leaves of 16 selected medicinal taxa... more Morphological and anatomical characters of stem, petiole and leaves of 16 selected medicinal taxa of family Lamiaceae collected from Bani Matar district, Sana'a (Yemen) were examined using both stereo-and light microscopes. The obtained macro-and micromorphological characters (298) were analysed using the software jmp version 13. The resulted dendrogram was discussed on the light of the current taxonomic treatments of Lamiaceae. The measurement of the quantitative characters of macro-and micromorphological characters for the studied taxa was established by multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). Evaluation of obtained results revealed that, many characters viz. leaf composition, stomatal types and distribution, number of stamens, stem and petiole vasculature, types of trichomes, nutlet features, number of palisade and spongy layers and types of crystals are of diagnostic value in species identification and delimitation and are potentially valuable at different taxonomic levels. All the quantitative macro-and micromorphological characters except nutlet length are highly significant in species delimitation.

Genomic affinity between Oryza sativa (2n = 24 AA), and Oryza brachyantha (2n = 24 FF) was assess... more Genomic affinity between Oryza sativa (2n = 24 AA), and Oryza brachyantha (2n = 24 FF) was assessed by using three strategies: genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), meiotic chromosome pairing, pollen and spikelet sterility. The chromosome pairing was examined in pollen mother cells of O. brachyantha, O. sativa and the hybrid between O. sativa and O. brachyantha. The hybrid was highly sterile with no pollen stain ability. Both parents showed regular meiosis with normal chromosome pairing. The F1 hybrid exhibited limited chromosome pairing. On an average, 0-2 bivalents and 20-24 univalents were recorded at metaphase-1 and 0 - 1 univalent at diakinesis. The most frequent configuration was two bivalents and twenty univalent. The meiosis was highly irregular showing unequal distribution of chromosomes at anaphase, formation of multipolar bodies and variation in the cell cycle of both genomes. GISH revealed unequivocal discrimination of O. brachyantha chromosomes as appeared red from O. s...

The effects of entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii on the biological characteristics and... more The effects of entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii on the biological characteristics and life table of the whitefly predator, Axinoscymnus cardilobus Pang and Ren (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were studied by using five different conidial concentrations under laboratory conditions. The total developmental period (from egg to adult) among the treatments did not differ between fungus treatments and control. The longest total development period for A. cardilobus was observed when treated with 1× 10 7 spore/ml. No Significant difference was found for V. lecanii on the percent survival of all immature stages of A. cardilobus. The treatment with V. lecanii did not elicit any significant effect on mean generation time, intrinsic rate, the finite rate of increase and longevity of A. cardilobus when compared with control treatment. It can be concluded that control strategies tested are compatible to a greater extent and incorporation of these have promising prospect for control of whi...

Journal of molecular microbiology and biotechnology, 2015

In this study, we explore the impact of fucose on the transcriptome of S. pneumoniae D39. The exp... more In this study, we explore the impact of fucose on the transcriptome of S. pneumoniae D39. The expression of various genes and operons, including the fucose uptake PTS and utilization operon (fcs operon) was altered in the presence of fucose. By means of quantitative RT-PCR and β-galactosidase analysis, we demonstrate the role of the transcriptional regulator FcsR, present upstream of the fcs operon, as a transcriptional activator of the fcs operon. We also predict a 19-bp putative FcsR regulatory site (5'-ATTTGAACATTATTCAAGT-3') in the promoter region of the fcs operon. The functionality of this predicted FcsR regulatory site was further confirmed by promoter-truncation experiments, where deletion of half of the FscR regulatory site or full deletion led to the abolition of expression of the fcs operon. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2010

To determine Patient Satisfaction of DMPA-SC (104 mg/0.65 mL) injected subcutaneously once every ... more To determine Patient Satisfaction of DMPA-SC (104 mg/0.65 mL) injected subcutaneously once every 3 months. It was a Descriptive case series with the centre in Rawalpindi (Holy Family Hospital, Gynecology and Obstetrics Unit), Pakistan. Twenty five patients were selected by purposive sampling and followed up in Rawalpindi center (Holy Family Hospital, Gynaecology and Obstetric Unit) for one year as a part of the Asian Trial These patients had successfully completed their contraception using DMPA-sc at 3 months interval. Hospital Ethical Committee Permission was obtained prior to commencement of study. Informed written consent was taken from the patients. Body weight was measured at baseline and every 3 months thereafter. Bleeding analysis was also done at 3 months interval using a 5 point scale based on patient's own records. Participant satisfaction with treatment results was evaluated using a patient satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ). It collected data regarding the respondent&#...

Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine, 2005

Ubiquicidin (UBI) 29-41 is a cationic, synthetic antimicrobial peptide fragment that binds prefer... more Ubiquicidin (UBI) 29-41 is a cationic, synthetic antimicrobial peptide fragment that binds preferentially with the anionic microbial cell membrane at the site of infection. The current study was conducted to evaluate its potential as an infection-imaging agent in humans. Eighteen patients, 9 female and 9 male (mean age, 31.7 y; range, 5-75 y), with suspected bone, soft-tissue, or prosthesis infections were included in the study. (99m)Tc-UBI 29-41 in a dose of 400 microg/370-400 MBq was injected intravenously in adults. A dynamic study was followed by spot views of the suspected region of infection (target) and a corresponding normal area (nontarget) at 30, 60, 120, and 240 min. The target-to-nontarget ratios were used to find the optimum time for imaging. Whole-body anterior and posterior images were also acquired at 30, 120, and 240 min to study biodistribution. Activity in each organ was expressed as percentage retained dose. Visual score (0-3) was used to categorize studies as po...

Applied and environmental microbiology, 2014

Comparison of the transcriptome of Streptococcus pneumoniae strain D39 grown in the presence of e... more Comparison of the transcriptome of Streptococcus pneumoniae strain D39 grown in the presence of either lactose or galactose with that of the strain grown in the presence of glucose revealed the elevated expression of various genes and operons, including the lac gene cluster, which is organized into two operons, i.e., lac operon I (lacABCD) and lac operon II (lacTFEG). Deletion of the DeoR family transcriptional regulator lacR that is present downstream of the lac gene cluster revealed elevated expression of lac operon I even in the absence of lactose. This suggests a function of LacR as a transcriptional repressor of lac operon I, which encodes enzymes involved in the phosphorylated tagatose pathway in the absence of lactose or galactose. Deletion of lacR did not affect the expression of lac operon II, which encodes a lactose-specific phosphotransferase. This finding was further confirmed by β-galactosidase assays with PlacA-lacZ and PlacT-lacZ in the presence of either lactose or g...

Chemosphere, 2014

Plant-endophyte partnership is promising approach to remediate contaminated soil. Endophytic bact... more Plant-endophyte partnership is promising approach to remediate contaminated soil. Endophytic bacteria can enhance phytoremediation of organic pollutants. Endophytic bacteria diminish toxicity and evapotranspiration of organic pollutants. It protects the food chain by decreasing agrochemical residues in food crops.

Advances in Endophytic Research, 2013

Hazardous waste sites around the world result from the manufacturing, storage, use, or disposal o... more Hazardous waste sites around the world result from the manufacturing, storage, use, or disposal of compounds such as petroleum hydrocarbons, nitroaromatics, organohalogens, pesticides, and metals. Traditional remediation options are expensive and environmentally invasive. In last two decades, bioremediation has emerged as a more suitable alternative, mainly for the remediation of large polluted sites. Endophytic bacteria and fungi have been the subject of considerable study to explore their potential for improving the remediation of polluted environments. In case of phytoremediation of inorganic pollutants, endophytic bacteria can reduce the phytotoxicity and increase the mobilization and accumulation of heavy metals in aboveground plant biomass. The competency of several endophytes to degrade organic pollutants and their resistance to heavy metals probably originates from their exposure to these compounds, when present in the plant/soil niche. A wide range of molecular techniques have been applied to illustrate the ecology, diversity, composition, and role of endophytes in bioremediation. Fingerprinting techniques such as terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), real-time PCR, microarrays, and metagenomics are being used to characterize the metal-resistant and organic pollutant-degrading endophytes.

Reports of Practical Oncology & Radiotherapy, 2013

TURKISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY, 2013

Mites are one of the most notorious and destructive pests affecting stored grains, contaminating ... more Mites are one of the most notorious and destructive pests affecting stored grains, contaminating stored grain with toxins and reducing germination rates. Applying synthetic miticides is the sole method for providing knockdown control of mites; however, the continuous application of miticides results in the contamination of grain with highly persistent toxic residues, which pose a health hazard to humans. The present research evaluates the efficacy of crude aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica, Melia azedarach, Eucalyptus sp., Datura stramonium, and Citrullus colocynthis under laboratory conditions at 5 concentrations (6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) and 4 exposure periods (7, 14, 21, and 28 days) against Rhizoglyphus tritici (Acari: Acaridae) with the aim of exploring safe, natural grain protectants as alternatives to toxic synthetic miticides. There were concentration-and exposure-period-dependent EC 50 and ET 50 levels and efficacy against mites among all extracts, and levels increased significantly with increasing concentrations and exposure periods for all extracts. Regression equations and their probability values against EC 50 and ET 50 for each plant extract revealed a significant and positive role in mite population inhibition. Azadirachta indica, D. stramonium, M. azedarach, and C. colocynthis extracts were highly and equally effective, and their EC 50 ranged between 5.23% and 8.13% at 28 days of exposure (approximately 3.5-5.4 times less than levels in Eucalyptus sp. leaf extract); ET 50 was in the ranges of 0.

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 2015

Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) is an important biological control agent currently being used in ma... more Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) is an important biological control agent currently being used in many integrated pest management (IPM) programs to control insect pests. The effect of post-treatment temperature on insecticide toxicity of a spinosyn (spinosad), pyrethroid (lambda cyhalothrin), organophosphate (chlorpyrifos) and new chemistry (acetamiprid) to C. carnea larvae was investigated under laboratory conditions. Temperature coefficients of each insecticide tested were evaluated. From 20 to 40°C, toxicity of lambda cyhalothrin and spinosad decreased by 2.15-and 1.87-fold while toxicity of acetamiprid and chlorpyrifos increased by 2.00 and 1.79-fold, respectively. The study demonstrates that pesticide effectiveness may vary according to environmental conditions. In cropping systems where multiple insecticide products are used, attention should be given to temperature variation as a key factor in making pest management strategies safer for biological control agents. Insecticides with a negative temperature coefficient may play a constructive role to conserve C. carnea populations.

Phytoparasitica, 2009

The pod borer Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important insect pest of... more The pod borer Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important insect pest of chickpea and several other crops in Asia, Africa and Australia. The present studies were carried out on integration of various practices for the management of H. armigera in Punjab, Pakistan, during 2004-05. Chickpea variety 'CM-2000' was selected for evaluating various strategies such as cultural, mechanical, biological, microbial, and chemical control, individually and in various possible combinations, for the management of H. armigera at three different locations. Integration of weeding, hand picking and indoxacarb (an oxadiazine insecticide) proved to be the most effective in reducing the larval population and pod infestation and resulted in the maximum grain yield. The larval population of the combined effect of these practices was not significantly different from hand picking + indoxacarb, weeding + indoxacarb, and indoxacarb alone. Hand picking in combination with Bacillus thuringiensis, and weeding+hand picking, also controlled the larval population significantly, but was inferior to the above treatments. The release of Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) did not control H. armigera. It was concluded on the basis of the costbenefit ratio that hand picking was the most costeffective method for the control of H. armigera, while the maximum increase in grain yield was obtained in plots with weeding, hand picking, and indoxacarb.

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2013

Hypothyroidism is a chronic condition characterized by abnormally low thyroid hormone production.... more Hypothyroidism is a chronic condition characterized by abnormally low thyroid hormone production. The decreased serum level ([5.1 mIU/l) of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in blood indicates hypothyroidism. The study was an attempt to access the effect of betulinic acid on chemically induced hypothyroidism in female albino rats. Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid, which has antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as anticancer potential, by inhibiting topoisomerase. Hypothyroidism was induced in female albino rats using propylthiouracil (PTU) at a dose of 60 lg/kg body weight orally for 1 month. Induction of hypothyroidism was confirmed by increased TSH level. At the end of second month, blood was collected, centrifuged and serum was analyzed for TSH, T3, and T4 level and protocol was terminated by killing of animals. The animals exposed to PTU were treated with pure standard drug thyroxine at a dose of 10 lg/kg of body weight by oral route and the test drug betulinic acid 20 mg/kg by oral route through force feeding in their respective groups. Treatment was carried out for a period of 2 months. Group with PTU-induced hypothyroidism showed an elevation in serum TSH and reduction level, which was restored by the betulinic acid in treated female albino rats. Betulinic acid also reduced the damage caused in the thyroid tissues by PTU, thus minimizing the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Histopathological examinations of the thyroid tissue showed changes in the thyrocytes of PTU-treated group while thyroxine group showed normal thyroid follicles cell architecture and the group treated with betulinic acid also showed marked improvement in the follicles integrity which shows that betulinic acid has some protective activity. This study shows that the betulinic acid has thyroid-enhancing potential by lowering down the TSH levels and reducing the damage caused in the thyroid tissues, thus minimizing the symptoms of hypothyroidism when used anaphylactically in rats.

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2011

The combined use of plants and associated microorganisms has great potential for cleaning up soil... more The combined use of plants and associated microorganisms has great potential for cleaning up soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. Apart from environmental conditions the physicochemical properties of the soil are the main factors influencing the survival and activity of an inoculated strain as well as the growth of plants. This study examined the effect of different soil types (sandy, loamy sand and loam) on the survival, gene abundance and catabolic gene expression of two inoculated strains (Pseudomonas sp. strain ITRI53 and Pantoea sp. strain BTRH79) in the rhizosphere and shoot interior of Italian ryegrass vegetated in diesel contaminated soils. High colonization, gene abundance and expression in loamy soils were observed. By contrast, low colonization, gene abundance and absence of gene expression in sandy soil were found. The highest levels of genes expression and hydrocarbon degradation were seen in loamy soil that had been inoculated with BTRH79 and were significantly higher compared to those in other soils. A positive correlation was observed between gene expression and hydrocarbon degradation indicating that catabolic gene expression is necessary for contaminant degradation. These results suggest that soil type influences the bacterial colonization and microbial activities and subsequently the efficiency of contaminant degradation.

Information Management & Computer Security, 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the influence of a set of human and organizational factors in in... more PurposeThis paper aims to assess the influence of a set of human and organizational factors in information system deployments on the probability that a number of security‐related mistakes are in the deployment.Design/methodology/approachA Bayesian network (BN) is created and analyzed over the relationship between mistakes and causes. The BN is created by eliciting qualitative and quantitative data from experts of industrial control system deployments in the critical infrastructure domain.FindingsThe data collected in this study show that domain experts have a shared perception of how strong the influence of human and organizational factors are. According to domain experts, this influence is strong. This study also finds that security flaws are common in industrial control systems operating critical infrastructure.Research limitations/implicationsThe model presented in this study is created with the help of a number of domain experts. While they agree on qualitative structure and qua...

European Journal of Radiology, 2009

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) o... more Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) obtained in diffusion-weighted (DW) MR sequences for the differentiation between malignant and benign bone marrow lesions. Method: Forty-five patients with altered signal intensity vertebral bodies on conventional MR sequences were included. The cause of altered signal intensity was benign osteoporotic collapse in 16, acute neoplastic infiltration in 15, and infectious processes in 14; based on plain-film, CT, bone scintigraphy, conventional MR studies, biopsy or follow-up. All patients underwent isotropic DW MR images (multi-shot EPI, b values of 0 and 500 s/mm 2). Signal intensity at DW MR images was evaluated and ADC values were calculated and compared between malignancy, benign edema and infectious spondylitis. Results: Acute malignant fractures were hyperintense compared to normal vertebral bodies on the diffusion-weighted sequence, except in one patient with sclerotic metastases. Mean ADC value from benign edema (1.9 ± 0.39 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s) was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher than untreated metastasic lesions (0.9 ± 1.3 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s). Mean ADC value of infectious spondilytis (0.96 ± 0.49 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s) was not statistically (p > 0.05) different from untreated metastasic lesions. ADC value was low (0.75 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s) in one case of subacute benign fracture. Conclusions: ADC values are a useful complementary tool to characterize bone marrow lesions, in order to distinguish acute benign fractures from malignant or infectious bone lesions. However, ADC values are not valuable in order to differentiate malignancy from infection.

Environmental Pollution, 2011

The genus Enterobacter comprises a range of beneficial plant-associated bacteria showing plant gr... more The genus Enterobacter comprises a range of beneficial plant-associated bacteria showing plant growth-promotion. Enterobacter ludwigii belongs to the Enterobacter cloacae complex and has been reported to include human pathogens but also plantassociated strains with plant beneficial capacities. To assess the role of Enterobacter endophytes in hydrocarbon degradation, plant colonization, abundance and expression of CYP153 genes in different plant compartments, three plant species (Italian ryegrass, birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa) were grown in sterile soil spiked with 1% diesel and inoculated with three endophytic Enterobacter ludwigii strains. Results showed that all strains were capable of hydrocarbon degradation and efficiently colonized the rhizosphere and plant interior. Two strains, ISI10-3 and BRI10-9, showed highest degradation rates of diesel fuel up to 68% and performed best in combination with Italian ryegrass and alfalfa. All strains expressed the CYP153 gene in all plant compartments, indicating an active role in degradation of diesel in association with plants. Capsule: Enterobacter ludwigii strains belonging to the E. cloacae complex are able to efficiently degrade alkanes when associated with plants and to promote plant growth.