{"title":"Acute Health Consequences from Electronic Cigarettes: A Narrative Review","authors":"S. Laohaprapanon, U. Saengow","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(59-1)693","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(59-1)693","url":null,"abstract":"Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is relatively recently introduced to the market. Its long-term effects are still unclear and require years of research. On the other hand, knowledge about the short-term effects of e-cigarettes is emerging. The purpose of this review was to examine the current literature on the acute health consequences associated with the e-cigarette. We used pre-specified keywords to conduct searches in academic databases of articles published between 2011 and 2020. This review focused on acute health consequences of e-cigarettes in humans that can be directly attributed to the e-cigarette. Burns and injuries associated with device explosion, e-liquid intoxication, e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, and pneumomediastinum were identified as acute health consequences associated with e-cigarettes. Except for pneumomediastinum, these acute health consequences are unique to an e-cigarette that are unlikely to be caused by a conventional cigarette. In the short term, the e-cigarette is likely more harmful than the conventional cigarette. Tightening safety regulations on the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of e-cigarette devices is recommended. Compulsory child-resistant containers for e-liquid containers, banning or restriction the use of colorful labels on e-liquid containers, and compulsory warning labels on e-liquid containers are recommended to prevent child’s ingestion of e-liquid.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41603663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. M. Soomro, B. Solangi, A. Z. A. Alhilfi, Abdul Qadir Kapri, Muhammad Ishfaque, I. A. Rajput, Kirshan Chand, Muhammad Akbar Lashari, Faiza Abbasi, Syed Muzafar Ali Shah Rashdi, Mehvish Qaim Khani
{"title":"Parasitism performance of Aenasius bambawalei (Hayat) on Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley)","authors":"D. M. Soomro, B. Solangi, A. Z. A. Alhilfi, Abdul Qadir Kapri, Muhammad Ishfaque, I. A. Rajput, Kirshan Chand, Muhammad Akbar Lashari, Faiza Abbasi, Syed Muzafar Ali Shah Rashdi, Mehvish Qaim Khani","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(59-1)691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(59-1)691","url":null,"abstract":"Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a solitary nymphal endoparasitoid of mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). The parasitism performance of A. bambawalei on the 3rd nymphal instar of P. solenopsis at different densities 20, 30, 40 and 50 P. solenopsis was tested. The results showed that the maximum number of P. solenopsis parasitized and male and female adults emerged at 30 P. solenopsis density than other densities. Similarly, the maximum sex ratio M: F (1: 1.7) was found at 50 P. solenopsis density as compared to others. The highest parasitization percentage was observed on 3-day old A. bambawalei at all P. solenopsis densities. The 30 P. solenopsis density is the most preferred and suitable for mass rearing of A. bambawalei and the 3-day old parasitoid use of biological control programme to control P. solenopsis. ","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44967498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. K. Sootahar, M. K. Soothar, X. Zeng, Ning Ye, Punam Sootahar, Rakesh Kumar, Abdul Khalique Zanour, P. Soothar, Ehsan Elahi Bhangar, S. Baloch, Suneel Kumar
{"title":"Short-Term Impact of Plant and Liquid derived Fulvic Acids on the Physiological Characteristics, Plant Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Maize-Wheat Production","authors":"M. K. Sootahar, M. K. Soothar, X. Zeng, Ning Ye, Punam Sootahar, Rakesh Kumar, Abdul Khalique Zanour, P. Soothar, Ehsan Elahi Bhangar, S. Baloch, Suneel Kumar","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(59-1)694","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(59-1)694","url":null,"abstract":"Fulvic acids (FAs) are the major component of soil organic matter, which improves soil structure and fertility. FA has been observed positively on plant growth and ultimately enhances crop production. The pot experiment was conducted on wheat and maize grown in silty clay, sandy loam, and clay loam textural soils, respectively. Three different parent materials; FA Solid (S=Powder Form), Natural Liquid (NL) and Plant-derived Liquid (P) were applied at 0% (Control), 0.25 % (S), 0.50 % (NL) and 0.50 % (P) FA, respectively. The results showed that the stem diameter of maize was 15.68, 26.90, and 26.35 mm under S, P, and NL respectively, however, the spike weight of wheat was 123.24, 98.5, and 132.4 g pot-1 for S, P, and NL in Albic (AL), Irrigated Desert (IR) and Shahjiang (SH) soils. Similarly, maize height increased by 8 % and 9 % significantly as compared to control and the height of wheat increased by 4 % and 1 % in AL and 5 % in IR soil compared to control. Maize grain weight increased over control; however, wheat grain weight significantly decreased. The N and P significantly enhanced in maize and wheat in AL, IR, and SH soils. Our study proved that the application of Solid FA did not improve maize growth characteristics, however, it improved the characteristics of wheat crops except under IR soils. In contrast, liquid FA improved the chemical and physical properties of soils including nutrient uptake of maize and wheat under AL and SH soils. ","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48485174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Occurrence of Artemisia chinensis (L.) plant (Asteraceae) in the Northeastern (Gilgit-Baltistan) Pakistan: Evidence From Molecular Phylogeny of nrDNA and cpDNA Sequences","authors":"A. Hussain","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(59-1)674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(59-1)674","url":null,"abstract":"Artemisia chinensis L. referred as Crossostephium chinensis (L.) Makino in the Flora of China is a rare and conceivably threatened plant species with an unclear origin in Asia. The species has been acknowledged so far from some islands of Taiwan. However, as it is extensively cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes in Japan, China, and the Philippines, it is still challenging to delimit its native range. This study confirms the presence of A. chinensis from Northern (Gilgit-Baltistan) Pakistan using molecular phylogenetic analysis and by assessing its distribution. The species were found in one site in the Skardu District of GB Pakistan and phylogenetic analysis indicated a close resemblance of the collected A. chinensis from the Skardu region with species of subgenus Pacifica of the genus Artemisia reported globally. According to the outcomes of the present study, it is proposed that broader field surveys should be conducted to acknowledge the distribution of A. chinensis plant from other districts of GB and cities of Pakistan as well. It is proposed that A. chinensis plant is present in North Pakistan and this plant should be mentioned and retained as rare species in the flora of Pakistan.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47882775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rani Mamoona Khan, A. Hussain, Abdul-Razzak O. Hassan, A. Majid
{"title":"Promoting Adoption of Water Conservation; Soil Fertility and Health Improving Technologies through Agricultural Service Provision in Pakistan","authors":"Rani Mamoona Khan, A. Hussain, Abdul-Razzak O. Hassan, A. Majid","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)685","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural service providers (Agric. SPs) play an essential role in the adoption of promising agricultural technologies by small and medium-sized farms. Similarly, agricultural service provision also generates substantial income for them. The study highlights the role of Agric. SPs in promotion of moisture conservation; soil health and fertility improving technologies at specific sites in Pakistan for three years i.e. from 2015 to 2017. It is based on primary data collected in the year 2018-19 from eighty sampled farmers, which were purposively selected to cover a range of selected technologies. It is found that Agric. SPs-induced adoption of these technologies has increased over time. They achieved considerable success in the promotion of the use of gypsum for moisture conservation and fertilizer placement drill in Pothwar-Punjab, ridge planting of crops in irrigated province Punjab, laser land leveling in irrigated areas of Sindh province, and use of biozote for improving soil fertility in both irrigated and rain-fed areas of Punjab province. These technologies have good income generation potential for Agric. SPs. The article also highlights factors hindering the large-scale adoption of the technologies in the country. Technical and entrepreneurship capacity building of the Agric. SPs in the provision of services to farmers in multiple technologies, and technical feasibility assessment of few technologies to use these for more than one crop are suggested for large-scale adoption of these technologies.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46540064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nazia Hussain, M. A. Nafees, Sharista, Saif-ud-Din
{"title":"Assessment of Physicochemical and Bacteriological Parameters of Bottled Drinking Water Marketed in Gilgit City and its Vicinity","authors":"Nazia Hussain, M. A. Nafees, Sharista, Saif-ud-Din","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)677","url":null,"abstract":"This study analyzed physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of packaged water sold in Gilgit city and its vicinity. Samples from source, market, and after the process were collected randomly from three different companies and analyzed from April 2017 to May 2017. Bacteriological parameters include Escherichia coli and Enterococci; it was further examined with conformity tests. The investigated physical parameters included (pH, Turbidity, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids). Some important chemical parameters like Total phosphorous and Total Nitrogen were assessed through a spectrophotometer. The results revealed that the Physicochemical parameters fell within WHO tolerable limits, pH ranged from 7.0 to 8.4, TDS were observed from 260 ppm to 40 ppm, Electrical conductivity was found between 91 μs-510 μs, Turbidity varied from 0.03 NTU to 0.52 NTU. The Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus range from 0.09 mg/L to 2.09 mg/L and 95 mg/L to 540 mg/L. The bacteriological parameters were unsatisfactory as some of the samples were contaminated with the E. coli and Enterococci. The maximum value for E. coli was 288 CFU/100 ml, and that of the Enterococci was 267 CFU/100 ml, which strongly violates the WHO specifications for bottled drinking water quality. Based on our findings, the Bacteriological examination of some samples is classified under the high-risk category since they are found to be unsafe for drinking. It is recommended there should be strict monitoring and surveillance of bottled water quality; sources should be protected, and awareness should be given to the public regarding its quality.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43872572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of Manganese Forms on Black Gram (Vigna mungo) Seedling Growth","authors":"Z. Khan","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)680","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)680","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of concentration of manganese (Mn2+) forms on early seedling growth and some physiological attributes of black gram (Vigna mungo L.) have been reported in the current study. An adequate amount of 22.32 μg/mL (as in control solution) of Mn2+ was found to be crucial for proper growth and it also greatly impacts the process of photosynthesis and the amount of chlorophyll in the growing seedling. Reduced growth was observed as the concentration of Mn2+ was increased from 50 ppm up to 250 ppm. Reduced growth is due to various non-enzymatic coping mechanisms invoked by the plant to ease the metal stress which has several side effects on key plant growth attributes. One such defense strategy to reduce metal overload is the production of proline that can dilute the excess metal content. Chlorophyll content with respect to the age of the seedling is also studied and it brought interesting results. ","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46606939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quantification of Soil Erosion by Integrating Geospatial and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation in District Dir Lower, Pakistan","authors":"Abdullah Khan, Atta-ur-Rahman","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)678","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)678","url":null,"abstract":"This study is aimed to estimate soil erosion risk by integrating Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and geospatial tool in District Lower Dir, Eastern Hindu Kush. Soil erosion is among the biggest threats to agricultural production. Mountainous areas of Pakistan are exposed to erosion hazards due to immature geology, fragile slope, and deforestation. RUSLE factors were derived from data acquired from various sources. The Rainfall erosivity (R) factor was derived from monthly data obtained from Pakistan Meteorological Department, Peshawar. The soil erodibility (K) factor was prepared from the map of soil, Survey of Pakistan. The topography (LS) factor was calculated from 12.5 m DEM downloaded from the Alaska Satellite Facility. The cover management (C) factor was calculated from the Red and Near-Infrared band of Landsat 8 satellite image downloaded from USGS earth explorer. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Landsat image were integrated to prepare the Support practice (P) factor. These factors were combined to assess soil erosion in the study area. The estimated soil erosion ranges between 0-25407 tons/hectare/year, with a mean soil loss of 230 tons/hectare/year. The erosion zonation map was then prepared and was classified as very low, low, moderate, high, and very high erosion. 22 % of the district was affected by low to moderate erosion while 67 % area is affected by very high erosion. The areas having more rainfall and steep slopes are more exposed to erosion hazards. Therefore, Erosion control activities are essential in those areas where erosion is high to assure a viable ecosystem.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48605912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Imran, L. Bashir, Muhammad Ibrahim Kubar, Sajjad Hussain Rind, Jam Ghulam Mustafa Sahto, A. A. Gilal, S. Mangi
{"title":"Efficacy of Indigenous Crude Plant Extracts against Rice Weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. 1763 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)","authors":"Muhammad Imran, L. Bashir, Muhammad Ibrahim Kubar, Sajjad Hussain Rind, Jam Ghulam Mustafa Sahto, A. A. Gilal, S. Mangi","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)687","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)687","url":null,"abstract":"Rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a widely distributed and major insect pest of rice that causes considerable losses to both husked and unhusked rice grains. Plant-based pesticides are alternative to synthetic pesticides in managing stored product pests owing to their severe hazardous effects. Thus, locally available plant leaf crude extracts i.e., neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss 1830), turmeric (Curcuma longa L. 1753), and mint (Mentha longifolia L. Huds. 1762) were investigated at 2 % (w/w) concentration against S. oryzae in unhusked and husked rice. Adult mortality was recorded at 24, 48 hours, and seven days after the application whereas, population build-up was recorded at 1-, 2-, and 3-months intervals. Overall and grain weight loss was also recorded at the end of the experiment. In husked and unhusked rice, the highest mortality percentage was observed in turmeric powder (93.30 %) and neem (80.00 %), respectively. In comparison to plant extracts, relatively higher population growth of S. oryzae was recorded in control husked and unhusked rice. At the end of the 3rd month, the highest and lowest population in husked rice grains was recorded in control (70.67 ± 3.18) and turmeric treatments (18.00 ± 2.65), respectively, whereas control and neem treatments exhibited the highest (83.67 ± 3.28) and lowest (39.67 ± 2.33) populations in unhusked rice. The lowest grain weight loss in husked and unhusked rice was recorded in turmeric (9.33 %) and neem (16.67 %), respectively. Thus, turmeric and neem extracts should be investigated on large scale under commercial warehouses for the management of S. oryzae in husked and unhusked rice.","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48705287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tasbiah Naz, S. Sikandar, Fatima Sajjad, Alim-un-Nisa, Imran Afzal, A. Fatima, Nayyar Rubab, R. Sattar
{"title":"Screening of Natural Dyes from Selected Fungal Species","authors":"Tasbiah Naz, S. Sikandar, Fatima Sajjad, Alim-un-Nisa, Imran Afzal, A. Fatima, Nayyar Rubab, R. Sattar","doi":"10.53560/ppasb(58-4)684","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53560/ppasb(58-4)684","url":null,"abstract":"Some fungi are observed as effective pigments. Its importance in the production of natural pigments has grown significantly. The pigment-producing fungi were developed and evaluated for application in dyeing cotton fabric. In the research, five fungal strains were identified as Aspergillus terreus S10, Talaromyces atroroseus WW5A3, Penicillium oxalicum WW3A4 (DG), WW5C2 and WW31DG. These strains were incubated for 21 days under static and non-static conditions using MSM and PDB media. Under liquid state fermentation conditions, the production of the pigments by the fungus was improved by altering temperatures (25-35°C) and pH (4.5-6.5). T. atroroseus WW5A3 showed pinkish color, A. terrreus S10 displayed yellow color, P. oxalicum WW3A4 (DG) presented yellowgreenish, WW5C2 exhibited light yellow color and WW31DG demonstrated greenish color. The results showed the maximum percentage absorbance of T. atroroteus WW5A3 showed 90.36 % at 600 nm, A. terrreus S10 showed 88 % at 500 nm, P. oxalicum WW35A4 showed 46.04 % at 550 nm, WW5C2 showed 59.60 % at 550 nm, and WW31DG showed 81.9 % at 550 nm. The natural fungal pigments were tested against bacterial pathogens to check the antibacterial activity. The results indicated that S. aureus and E. coli exhibited antibacterial activity in terms of maximum zone of inhibition. In conclusion, out of five pigments producing fungi, Aspergillus terreus S10 and Talaromyces atroroseus produced maximum pigment and highest percentage absorbance under liquid state fermentation conditions. Potential applications in the textile and leather industries have been discovered as a result of this research. ","PeriodicalId":36960,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42035044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}