Genome-wide identification, phylogeny and expression analysis of the R2R3-MYB gene family in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) under abiotic stress.

The MYB transcription factor (TF) are among the largest gene families of plants being responsible for several biological processes. The R2R3-MYB gene family are integral player regulating plant primary and secondary metabolism, growth and development, and responses to hormones and stresses. The phylogenetic analysis combined with gene structure analysis and motif determination resulted in division of R2R3-MYB gene family into 27 subgroups. Evidence generated from synteny analyses indicated that CqR2R3-MYBs gene family is featured by tandem and segmental duplication events. On the basis of RNA-Seq data, the expression patterns of different tissues under salt treatment were investigated resulting CqR2R3-MYB genes high expression both in roots and stem of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa ) plants. More than half of CqR2R3-MYB genes showed expression under salt stress. Based on this result, CqR2R3-MYB s may regulate quinoa plant growth development and resistance to abiotic stresses. These findings provided comprehensive insights on role of CqR2R3-MYBs gene family members in quinoa and candidate MYB gene family members can be further studies on their role for abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants.

Synhesis of Silver and Copper Nanoparticles from Plants and Application as Adsorbents for Naphthalene decontamination.

Synthesis of nanoparticles by using plants is biological method of synthesis that is ecofriendly as well as low cost. Naturally available precursor in the form of plants extract is used. In our research we used three different plants such as Aloe barbedensis, Azadirachta indica and Coriandrum sativum that are easy to cultivate and also available everywhere. By using above mentioned plants we synthesize two types of nanoparticles one is (Ag-NPs) and other one is (Cu-NPs). Chemical method of nanoparticles synthesis have hazardous to health as well as have environmental threats but as comparison with biological method of nanoparticles synthesis is very environment friendly also safe in use. FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopy analysis and UV-Visible Spectrophotometer are used for characterization. Our research work is actually based on wastewater remediation by using silver and copper nanoparticles. Water that is contaminated with naphthalene used, further decontaminated and purify by using nanoparticles. Different batch experiments are conducted to check the efficiency of these synthesized nanoparticles by using naphthalene (PAHs) as removal area. 98.81% removal is higher by using plant Azadirachta indica and least adsorption power is in case of Coriandrum sativum that is 95.29%. At the end, kinetic and equilibrium study applied.

Hybrid mesoporous silicates: A distinct aspect to synthesis and application for decontamination of phenols.

Water pollution due to organic compounds is of great concern and efforts are being made to develop efficient adsorbents for remediation of toxic pollutants. The development of new functionalized materials with increased performance is growing to meet the regulatory standards in response to public concerns for environment. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the influence of synthesis parameters like the reaction temperature, the surfactant-to-silica ratio and reaction time on the structural and textural properties of novel ordered mesoporous silica hybrids. In order to understand the effect of different synthesis parameters, all the prepared materials were systematically characterized by various analytical, spectroscopic and imaging techniques such as XRD, BET, TG etc. It was deduced from these studies that the synthesis temperature influence greatly the structural order whereas both the P104/Na2SiO3 molar ratio and reaction time found to influence textural properties significantly. However, under optimized experimental condition, we could achieve the functionalized silica hybrids that offers successful incorporation of -Amino, -Glucidoxy, -Methacrylate, -Vinyl and -Phenyl moieties indicated by FTIR peaks at 793 cm-1, 2870 cm-1, 796 cm-1, 1630 cm-1 and 954 cm-1. XRD studies reveal orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry for the hybrids and these materials were found to be thermally stable due to incorporation of organic moiety in silica matrix. Functionalized silica hybrids then applied as adsorbents demonstrated efficient and comparable removal of 4-aminophenol and p-nitrophenol in 20 min facilitated through organic moiety. Detailed modeling of the sorption using equilibrium and kinetic isotherms has been carried out to get an insight into the transport process. The adsorption isotherms of phenol derivatives are well-fitted with the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin Isotherms and the adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo second order model. The modeling confirms that the uptake is a chemisorption process.

Application of bioenzymatic soil stabilization in comparison to macadam in the construction of transport infrastructure.

uver ninety percent or roaas anc nignways are pavea witn aspnait as it is less expensive, iexime and easy to construct and repair in comparison to concrete. The increasing effect of climatic change and cost of construction materials have forced to consider environment friendly methods to build roads. One economically feasible solution for achieving these objectives is use of enzyme soil stabilization. Use of bioenzymes is known to improve the stability of aggregates and soil materials in the roadways and other pavement structures. The present study was designed to introduce environment friendly TerraZyme to increase engineering qualities of soil for road construction. Soil classification and earth work characteristics were analyzed for two soil types representing pulverized local and transported soil with and without TerraZyme. Obtained results confirmed that treatment with TerraZyme increased engineering characteristics as indicated by increase in CBR values from 10.47 to 16.28 with 55 % improvement, increase of 4.28 % and 2.20 % in dry density and decrease of 18.13 % and 6.17 % in moisture content for untreated and treated soils, respectively. TerraZyme constructed roads will be effective for cost saving upto 15-20 % and maintenance cost reduction of60 % as compared to normal water bound Macadam road.

The awareness and prevalence of metabolic syndrome in medical community of bahawalpur.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the frequency of Metabolic Syndrome and evaluated the level of awareness about this condition in medical community (healthcare workers) of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study. It was carried out over a period of one year (June 2008 to May 2009). The following institutions took part in the study: Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Paramedical and Nursing Schools and Female Jubilee Hospital. A total of one hundred and ninety four (194) Doctors and Paramedics (Nurses and Dispensors) working in the institutions included in study were selected by simple random sampling technique. Demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical data were recorded, lifestyle features were inquired about, and the level of awareness regarding MetS was surveyed. The criteria recommended by the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III were used for the diagnosis of MetS. The presence of MetS was evaluated in all (194) subjects. RESULTS: Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 29 participants (14.95%), and there was no statistically significant difference between men and women in this respectAt least three criteria of MetS were correctly listed by 36 participants (18.56%), with physicians showing significantly higher awareness levels (p<0.001). The frequency of abdominal obesity was 22.68% and it was significantly higher in males than in females (29.29% vs 14.74%; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Current study shows that only a minority of medical community are aware of MetS as a clinical entity. Nurses and other paramedics are unaware of the problem.