In this paper, variability in precipitation pattern of Pakistan due to environmental and climatic changes has been studied. Maps have been generated to depict global precipitation variation. ...Precipitation data of 25 stations of Pakistan have been used. These data were taken from Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan. The results of two global climate models, namely Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research’s third generation general circulation model and National Center for Atmospheric Research’s first generation precipitation circulation model for A2 scenario have been applied to investigate the changes. It is observed that precipitation pattern will change significantly in the future. The occurrence of precipitation in all seasons for Pakistan is expected to increase with almost uniform distribution across a season. Average annual precipitation of the country will undergo an increase in the range of +57 to +71 % as compared to average of the base period.
The third-order nonlinear optical properties of a Keplerate-type polyoxometalate (NH
4
)
18
(Bu
4
N
24
Mo
132
O
372
(H
2
O)
72
(CH
3
COO)
30
⋅
ca
.7NH
4
CH
3
COO⋅
ca
.173H
2
O (denoted Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
...}) in solution and in films of poly(methylmethacrylate) (denoted PMMA) matrix have been studied by the Z-scan method at 532 nm with a pulse duration of 20 ps. Experimental results show that both the solution and the solid films of Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} have nonlinear self-defocusing effects and notable nonlinear reverse saturable absorption. Embedding Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} as inclusion into PMMA host significantly improves the nonlinear absorption coefficient
β
, while it reduces the nonlinear refractive coefficient as a result of the higher concentration of Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} in PMMA matrix than in solution. The magnitude of
β
for solid-state Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} in films increases with the increasing amount of incorporated Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
}, while the third-order nonlinear refractive index
n
2
decreases. Experimental results prove the high stability of Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} in PMMA films in inorganic acidic and basic solutions. These studies indicate that Bu
4
N-{Mo
132
} in thin solid films of PMMA are potential candidates for fabricating nonlinear optical devices.
The magnetoelectric response in composites of barium titanate (BTO) and cobalt ferrite (CFO) has been determined by measuring the magnetoelectric susceptibility coefficient. This was done by two ...different methods: magnetocapacitance measurements and magnetoelectric voltage measurement using a lock-in technique. These composites were prepared by the sol–gel method. Four different compositions with different molar ratios of the magnetostrictive phase (CFO) embedded in a piezoelectric matrix of BTO were studied to investigate the effect of the magnetostrictive content and the number density of interfaces on the magnetoelectric response. It was found from both techniques that the magnetoelectric coupling effect increases with the increase of applied field and it had a non-linear dependence on the percentage of magnetostrictive content in the composites.
The current study was designed to investigate the effect of solvents on chemical composition and antidiabetic activity of Zizyphus mauritiana and Acacia Arabica extracts. Total five solvents were ...used for this purpose (100% methanol, 50% aqueous methanol, 100% ethanol, 50% aqueous ethanol and aqueous). The data obtained from the investigation was subjected to the statistical analysis by using analysis of variance technique. The present study revealed that maximum antioxidant activity was attributed to Acacia arabica (96.53 ± 0.46%) followed by Zizyphus mauritiana (94.33 ± 0.52% by 50% aqueous ethanol extracts). Maximum total phenolic content of both Zizyphus mauritiana and Acacia arabica (670.83 ± 1.46 mg GAE/100g and 934.34 ± 0.89 mg GAE/100g) were shown by 50% aqueous ethanol extracts while maximum total flavonoid content (146.36 ± 0.81 mg QE/100 g, 172.52 ± 0.99 mg QE/100 g) was exhibited by 50% aqueous ethanol extract. The maximum (IC 50= 49.63 ± 0.12 µg/mL) antidiabetic activity was found in aqueous extract of Acacia arabica while in Zizyphus mauritiana the aqueous extract indicated excellent (IC 50= 46.90 ± 0.23 µg/mL) antidiabetic activity.
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. The number of serious accidents on farms, despite sophisticated technology, development of effective prevention methods, and ...high-quality training and improved skill levels of farmers, is still very high. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a generic farm safety protocol to hazards that have been identified in previously published literature and demonstrate the potential benefits of such a protocol with a view to raising awareness of farm safety. Hazards in agriculture were categorized, and literature highlighting the risks associated with hazards was collated. A protocol was developed and applied to establish the likelihood of a hazard causing injury and the consequence of that injury should adverse effects of hazards be realized. The results indicated farm ownership, farm being used as a primary residence, and missing rollover protective structures as the greatest farm risks with expected likelihood and extreme consequence such as death or permanent disablement. Other hazards that require immediate attention while developing mitigation strategies include accident history and existing medical conditions of the farmer, working environment (i.e., alone and isolated), water bodies in the proximity of the farm, lack of periodic machine maintenance, uncovered power take-off and other rotating parts of the tractor, missing safety decals, auger entanglements, and unprotected use of pesticides. Intervention strategies may be guided by considering the results presented in this study. Moreover, farm safety specialists should increase their efforts to promote effective injury prevention methods and enforce safe work environments. The developed protocol addresses almost all common aspects of farming hazards and can be used to mitigate risks associated with hazards in any farm setting.
...soil applied zinc at 27 kg ha-1 and normal irrigations helped in improving the growth and yield of autumn planted maize. In Pakistan farmers pay attention to nitrogenous and phosphorous ...fertilizers and no attention to micronutrients applications especially zinc (FAO, 2004). ...present study was planned to investigate the effect of soil zinc application under normal and skip irrigation at knee height and tasseling stages on growth and yield of hybrid maize. (2006) found that water deficiency, decreased the chlorophyll contents, LAI and photosynthetic rate that results in poor grain size and grain yield. ...the results of present study revealed that, skipping irrigation at tasseling and knee height stage significantly decreased leaf area index, crop growth rate, 1000-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index of hybrid maize than normal irrigation treatment. ...Costa and Shanmugathasan, (2002) reported that critical crop growth stage is difficult to determine and water stress at any stage considerably decreased the dry mass production and grain yield.
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