ALBERT

Description: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the leading cause of disability and death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Hypertension, a major cause of CVD progression, is widely attributable to genetic, behavioral, and environmental risk factors. Among the genetic reasons, angiotensin II enzyme, produced as a result of abnormal functioning of the renin–angiotensin system, is reported as the foremost cause of hypertension. A cascade of genes, including those encoding for WNK kinases (WNK1 and WNK4), Bp1, Bp2, angiotensinogen, and other enzymes, is involved in the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. However, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a crucial role in this pathway. Therefore, ACE could be a potential therapeutic target in regulating the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II and eventually controlling hypertension. In this study, a molecular docking-based approach was utilized for identifying and evaluating potential inhibitors of ACE present in herbs, other natural sources, and synthetic sources, on the basis of these compounds’ binding affinities and other physicochemical features. In addition, the suitability of these inhibitors as drugs for biological systems, considering their adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME), was predicted using Lipinski’s rule. In conclusion, our study provides a novel and clearer insight into the interaction properties of known putative inhibitors of ACE.

Description: The present study examined novel wheat straw biochar (WSB) and acid treated wheat straw biochar (AWSB) for cadmium removal from contaminated water. A series of batch and column scale experiments was conducted to evaluate the potential of WSB and AWSB for cadmium removal at different biochar dosage (0.5–8 g/L), initial cadmium concentration (5–100 mg/L), solution pH (2–8) and contact time (5–180 min). Results revealed that cadmium adsorption decreased by increasing biochar dosage from 0.5 to 8 g/L; however, optimum dosage for maximum (99%) removal of cadmium was 2 g/L by WSB and 1 g/L by AWSB. Enhanced cadmium removal potential by AWSB is attributed to increased surface area, microporosity and variation in functional groups. Equilibrium experimental data was well described by Freundlich adsorption isotherm whereas kinetic data were better explained with pseudo-second order model. Both WSB and AWSB have shown good adsorption capacity of 31.65 mg/g and 74.63 mg/g, respectively, that is comparable with other costly adsorbents. Columns packed with WSB and AWSB at laboratory scale have also shown good retention of cadmium with excellent reusability. These findings indicate that WSB especially AWSB could be a promising, cost-effective and environmental friendly strategy for the removal of metals from contaminated water.

Description: Agronomy, Vol. 8, Pages 69: Resource Use Efficiencies of C3 and C4 Cereals under Split Nitrogen Regimes Agronomy doi: 10.3390/agronomy8050069 Authors: Zartash Fatima Qaiser Abbas Amna Khan Sajjad Hussain Muhammad Arif Ali Ghulam Abbas Haseeb Younis Shahrish Naz Muhammad Ismail Muhammad Imran Shahzad Muhammad Nadeem Umair Farooq Shahzad Usman Khan Kashif Javed Azhar Ali Khan Mukhtar Ahmed Muhammad Azam Khan Shakeel Ahmad Resources are limited, thus improving resource use efficiency is a key objective for cereal-based cropping systems. This field study was carried out to quantify resource use efficiencies in selected C3 and C4 cereals under split nitrogen (N) application regimes. The study included the following treatments: six cereals (three C3: wheat, oat, and barley; and three C4: maize, millet, and sorghum) and four split N application regimes (NS1 = full amount of N at sowing; NS2 = half N at sowing + half N at first irrigation; NS3 = ⅓ N at sowing + ⅓ N at first irrigation + ⅓ N at second irrigation; NS4 = ¼ N at sowing + ¼ N at first irrigation + ¼ N at second irrigation + ¼ N at third irrigation). Results revealed that C4 cereals out-yielded C3 cereals in terms of biomass production, grain yield, and resource use efficiencies (i.e., radiation use efficiency (RUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)), while splitting N into three applications proved to be a better strategy for all of the selected winter and summer cereals. The results suggest that C4 cereals should be added into existing cereal-based cropping systems and N application done in three installments to boost productivity and higher resource use efficiency to ensure food security for the burgeoning population.

Description: Two technology opportunities, integration of renewable energy sources and the electrification of vehicles are being encouraged to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and pollution problems. Nevertheless, the huge increase of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on roads will cause an additional load in demand, especially at rush hours, and therefore, threatens the stability of existing power grids. Considering PHEV stay for several hours in the workplace, (i.e., university), this may provide an inimitable framework to charge PHEV from wind in the workplace. This paper introduces the possibility of introducing intelligent control of wind power and battery storage units as supplementary power sources for future PHEV charging demands during rush hours. The operation of the proposed algorithm is based on the priority levels of PHEVs charging, and fluctuations in DC link voltage levels due to the variation in wind speed. The priorities of PHEVs charging are developed according to their power requirements, maximum rating of distribution transformer and park duration of PHEVs in the workplace during wind speed. Various non-isolated proportional–integral controllers and improved intelligent fuzzy control are used to keep a minimum critical DC link voltage to permit the power conditioning system to operate a charging station uninterruptedly, even at low wind speed. The improved intelligent fuzzy controller also contributes to minimizing the stress on the DC bus and ensures quality output power. The performance of the proposed charging station is verified for the real PHEV under real-world record of wind speed. All the energy sources, electric charging station and their controllers are designed in MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, the feasibility of proposed charging station is checked experimentally in the laboratory.

Description: The winter season in Nanjing is from December to February, with extremely low temperature and high humidity due to seasonal snowfall. During these extreme cold climatic conditions, plants have to survive severe heat stress conditions, even if they are being kept in greenhouses. The objective of this study was to investigate a heating system that can provide heat directly to the root zone instead of heating the entire greenhouse, which is a viable option to reduce energy consumption. Root zone heating could be an effective alternative for the sustainable development of plants during the winter. A novel type of root zone heating system was applied to evaluate the energy consumption during different greenhouse ambient temperature conditions, the effects of root zone heating systems on pepper plant morphology, and heat transfer rates to plant canopy in the greenhouse. The temperature treatments in root zone heating system were T-15, T-20, T-25, T-30, and a control treatment (TC) at 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, respectively, while TC received no heat. A simulation study was carried out to validate the root zone temperature. The results of the current investigation revealed that energy consumption has an inverse relationship to the ambient temperature of the greenhouse, while temperature gradients to the plant canopy observed from the lower to the upper part of the plant and the upper canopy experienced less temperature fluctuation as compared to the lower part of the plant. The results also showed that treatment T-20 had the maximum in terms of the leaf dry weight, stem diameter, and the number of leaves, while T-25 showed the maximum root dry weight and stem dry weight; T-30 and T-15 had minimum dry weights of plant segments among all treatments. Control treatment (TC) showed a minimum dry mass of plant. The root zone heating with optimal root zone temperature was found to be a viable and adaptable option as this leads to improved energy consumption patterns for the sustainable growth and development of plants in greenhouses during extremely low temperatures.

Description: Water shortages in Pakistan are among the most severe in the world, and its water resources are decreasing significantly due to the prevailing hydro-meteorological conditions. We assessed variations in meteorological and hydrological variables using innovative trend analysis (ITA) and traditional trend analysis methods at a practical significance level, which is also of practical interest. We developed threshold levels of hydrological variables and developed a non-parametric climate-sensitivity model of the high-altitude catchment of the western Himalayas. The runoff of Zone I decreased, while the temperature increased and the precipitation increased significantly. In Zone II, the runoff and temperature increased but the precipitation decreased. A two-dimensional visualization of the Pardé coefficient showed extreme drought events, and indicated greater sensitivity of the hydrological regime to temperature than to precipitation. The threshold levels of runoff for Zones I and II were 320 and 363 mm using the Q80 fixed method, while the mean runoff amounts were estimated to be 79.95 and 55.61 mm, respectively. The transient threshold levels varied by month, and the duration of droughts in Zones I and II ranged from 26.39 to 78.98 days. The sensitivity of the hydrological regime was estimated based on a modified climate-elasticity model (εp = 0.11–0.23, εt = −0.04–2.39) for Zones I and II, respectively. These results highlight the sensitivity of the hydrological regime to temperature, which influences the melting process. However, it is important to establish thresholds for hydrological variables and understand the climate sensitivity of the hydrological regime of the entire basin, so that policy makers and water managers can make sustainable water-resource-management decisions for this region.

Description: Garlic (Allium Sativum L.) is a vegetable with known medicinal value. It is not only rich in nutrients, but also has the ability to combat different microbial infections. This is, however, the first study to investigate the effect of soil incorporation of the raw garlic stalk (RGS) on the growth and antioxidative defense system of eggplant. The experiments were conducted in pots using soil amendments of RGS in different ratios (RGS1 1:100; RGS2 3:100; RGS3 5:100 and control (CK) 0:100 of RGS: Soil w/w) and repeated in two consecutive years (2016 and 2017). A dose-dependent response of RGS amendment was observed in the growth and physiology of the eggplant. RGS1 and RGS2 significantly enhanced the plant height, root/shoot weight, stem diameter, leaf area, root length, root activity, pigment contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll), and photosynthetic parameters, but reduced intracellular CO2 (Ci) and enhanced fruit yield as compared with the respective controls. Consistently, RGS also enhanced activities of antioxidative enzymes of eggplant reported as a defense against stress indicators. RGS in its higher ratios (RGS3), however, caused a reduction in all of the growth and physiological parameters and increased stress indicators such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Overall, RGS2 was found to be the most efficient for regulation of plant defense systems, reducing H2O2 and MDA and enhancing superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and phenylalanine ammonia–lyase (PAL) activity. It can be concluded that the appropriate ratio of RGS could efficiently promote plant growth and regulate the reactive oxygen-based plant defense system.

Description: The density of herbaceous crops creates a suitable environment to produce pathogens in the soil that intensify the attack of pathogens traditionally controlled by disinfectant, which are mostly prohibited and unlisted because of their toxicity. Grafting is an alternative technique to enhance abiotic stress tolerance and reduce root diseases due to soil-borne pathogens, thus enhancing crop production. This research study was conducted during the crop season of 2017 and 2018 in order to investigate the interactive effect of different grafting techniques of hybrid scion onto local rootstocks on plants survival, plant phenological growth, fruit yield and fruit quality under a controlled environment. The hybrid cucumber was also planted self-rooted. The cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Kalaam F1, Syngenta was grafted onto four local cucurbitaceous rootstocks; ridge gourd (Luffa operculate Cogn.), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.) using splice grafting, tongue approach, single cotyledon and hole insertion grafting techniques and self-rooted hybrid cucumber under greenhouse conditions. The experimental results indicated that all local cucurbitaceous rootstocks showed a high compatibility with hybrid cucumber scion in the splice grafting method compared to other grafting and non-grafted methods. Lagenaria siceraria rootstocks were found highly compatible with cucumber cv Kalaam scion which gave significantly maximum plant survival rates (95%) due to high sap contents, high SPAD value, better vegetative growth and maximum fruit yield when compared with other rootstocks by employing the splice grafting method followed by tongue approach, single cotyledon and hole insertion grafting while the fruit quality of all rootstocks was observed to be similar. The non-grafted cucumber cv. Kalaam F1 showed significant results of plant vegetative growth, fruit development and fruit quality and encountered grafting methods while the lowest result were associated with the hole insertion grafting method in all scion/rootstock combinations. The grafted plants have no significant effect on cucumber fruit dry matter and fruit quality while the fruit mineral compositions (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) were higher among grafted and non-grafted plant fruits. The results indicate that grafting hybrid cucumber onto four local cucurbitaceous rootstocks influenced growth, yield and fruit quality. Grafting can be alternative and control measure for soil-borne disease and to enhance cucumber production.

Description: Sustainable engineering practices always provide an opportunity for engineers to produce long-term solutions. In the fields of construction and irrigation, soil bed formation symmetry is very important, especially in the case of its behavior with reference to water runoff, whether natural or artificial. In this study, different soil bed formations were tested with the help of advanced hydrology apparatus under severe rainfall conditions. A major focus was to observe the water retention and volume discharge with reference to soil combinations and slope level change. Furthermore, an advanced decision-making technique incorporating artificial neural networks (ANNs) was used to predict and explore the interrelationship behavior of different parameters. It was observed that ST-1 (100% clay) performed well as it tried to retain a large quantity of water (7.28 L/min), making it suitable for irrigation, while ST-2 (100% sand) performed better for structures, as sand tries to quickly drain water, thus retaining less water (0.16 L/min). Change of slope was also another factor; at a 3% slope level along with 100% clay, water resistance was higher as compared to sand. Soil type-3 (ST-3) helped in the retention of water even at a 3% soil bed slope. This study will help engineers and designers in the optimization of soil bed formation for construction and irrigation purposes.

Description: With advanced manufacturing technology, organizations like to cut their operational cost and improve product quality, yet the importance of human labor is still alive in some manufacturing industries. The performance of human-based systems depends much on the skill of labor that varies person to person within available manpower. Much work has been done on human resource and management, however, allocation of manpower based on their skill yet not investigated. For this purpose, this study considered offline inspection system where inspection is performed by the human labor of varying skill levels. A multi-objective optimization model is proposed based on Time-Varying factors; inspection skill, operation time and learning behavior. Min-max goal programming technique was used to determine the efficient combination of inspectors of each skill level at different time intervals of a running order. The optimized results ensured the achievement of all objectives of inspection station: the cost associated with inspectors, outgoing quality and inspected quantity. The obtained results proved that inspection performance of inspectors improves significantly with learning and revision of allocation of inspectors with the proposed model ensure better utilization of available manpower, maintain good quality and reduce cost as well.