Climate change has made researchers realize there is a need to focus on crops consumed staple, including fruits. Uthal is the districts headquarter of Lasbela and has long been known for its valuable banana production. Due to scarcity of rainfall, aquifers are not recharging significantly, causing slow decrease in the Musa acuminate (common name banana) crop. Banana is a significant source of earnings for local cultivators. The primary objective of the present study is the fluctuation assessment of banana cultivation of Uthal. The methodology has been designed in three steps. The first was ground-truthing with the help of GPS survey of banana cultivation areas, the second, classification of greenery and banana crops based on Landsat 8 images via EVI and NDVI remote sensing tools. The third and last step was combined both data along with government published data for the accuracy assessment of banana cultivation areas. As per extracted results from NDVI, the share of banana total cultivated land of the study area has declined concerning the overall cultivated land of the study area which reduced from 1115 to 879 ha between 2013 and 2022. Results identified that the EVI-NDVI-GPS model is more significant for monitoring agricultural activities. The present study is an advanced contribution to the scientific field of Banana cultivation in Uthal.

The groundwater resources have always been explored for its utilization in domestic and agriculture purposes. In this study, Winder area in Balochistan which is along the coast of Offshore Indus Basin has been explored using electrical resistivity method for deeper understanding of hydrogeological and hydrogeophysical conditions. Schlumberger electrode arrays have been used to acquire vertical electrical sounding data for 23 different sites in this area. The field data were calibrated with theoretical curves during processing using software with graphical interface. The true resistivities, depths, thicknesses, aquifer attributes, soil type and groundwater quality has been extracted from the processed data. Pseudo-sections and geo-electrical lithology sections have been generated for lateral distribution of hydrogeological settings. Furthermore, Dar-zarrouk parameters calculations have been made and 3D surfaces generated at 30m and 60 m depth for transverse resistance (T), longitudinal conductance (S) and anisotropy (λ) plotted for resistivity distribution and coastal salinity intrusion analysis. The soundings results depict five layers mainly composed of silty sand, sandy clay, sand, and sandy gravel and the depth ranges from 0-110m. The interpretation illustrates that freshwater unconfined aquifer are present in the quaternary sand and sandy gravel deposits. The water table is at shallow depth along the river and deeper in northeast and away from Winder river. The resistivity ranges 29-1091 Ωm in layer-3 interpreted as saturated zone. The approximate range of water table is 19-30 m. The higher value of T greater than 10000 shows fresh water and low value 8200 for salinity intrusion in southwest toward sea.

Uthal is a small town in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It has an arid to semi-arid climate and groundwater is the primary source of freshwater for domestic and agricultural uses. To evaluate groundwater's nature, an electrical resistivity survey (ERS) was conducted in Uthal. Groundwater investigation for 25-point data was carried out with the PASI Electrical Resistivity Imaging System, using the Schlumberger array. The data was acquired with a maximum current electrode spacing of 300 m. The geoelectrical parameters measured were analyzed by IPI2win software by curve matching, and five geoelectrical layers were identified, and the Dar Zarrouk parameters were calculated. The top thinnest layer of unconsolidated material had a resistivity between 600 and 2600 Omega m. The second layer was of unconsolidated sand and gravel with a resistivity of 50-11,500 Omega m; the third with dry sand and clay had a resistivity of up to 200 Omega m; the fourth showed a thick freshwater zone with a resistivity between 75 and 100 Omega m followed by a thick layer of sand and clay with fresh water had resistivity between 48 Omega m and 90 Omega m. The Dar Zarrouk parameters, longitudinal unit conductance S is from 0.1 to 1.65 mho; transverse unit resistance T greater than 25,000 Omega m(2); longitudinal resistance R-S is from 50 to 1350 Omega m and transverse resistivity R-T from 22 to 1150 Omega m. ERS data and Dar Zarrouk parameters showed that the study area has freshwater resources in the subsurface. Saline water is present in isolated locations in small pockets, resulting from dry surface conditions. The results of ERS data and Dar Zarrouk parameters show no occurrence of seawater intrusion.

In this study, Rhizobium rhizogenes-mediated root proliferation system in Sedum alfredii has been established. Twenty strains of R. rhizogenes were screened for root proliferation. A significant difference (P < 0.01) was observed in plant morphological characters under influence of different bacterial strains. The highest root fresh weight (3.236 g/plant) was observed with strain AS12556. Furthermore, significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed in the chemical composition of organic acids, Tartaric acid (TA), Succinic acid (SA), Malic acid (MA), Citric acid (CA) and Oxalic acid (OA), pH, Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and soluble sugars in root exudates with different R. rhizogenes mediated roots. Furthermore, a series of hydroponics experiments were conducted with varying concentrations of Cd (25, 50 and 75 µM) and Zn (100, 200 and 500 µM) to assess the phytoextraction efficiency of proliferated roots with Rhizobium. Several plants with proliferated roots showed enhanced growth and improved metal extraction efficiency. Five strains (LBA 9402, K599, AS12556, MSU440 and C58C1) were identified as potential strains for root proliferation in Sedum alfredii. R. rhizogenes strain AS12556 improved Cd/Zn phytoextraction by exogenous production of phytochemicals to promote root proliferation, improved shoot biomass, lowered oxidative damage and enhanced phytoextraction efficiency in S. alfredii. Therefore, it has been selected as a potential microbial partner of S. alfredii to develop extensive rooting system for better growth and enhanced phytoremediation potential. Results suggest that R. rhizogenes mediated root proliferation system can be used for optimizing metal extraction from contaminated soils.

Replacement of expensive state-of-art catalysts by cost-effective transition metal/composites is not only ease production of oxygen from water by electrochemical technique but also a step for the betterment of the green environment. In this regard, a composite of nickel and cobalt doped molybdenum disulfide (CoNiMoS2) electrochemical catalyst was synthesized by a hydrothermal method which was found efficient for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium with an overpotential of 1.477 mV at a current density of 1.0 mA.cm-2. Morphology of catalysts were analyzed through SEM & TEM. The brief explanation is that the pristine MoS2 and NiMoS2 were appeared flower-like petal nano-sheets whereas CoMoS2 & CoNiMoS2 seemed as a cubic structures. XRD & X-ray patterns has confirms crystallinity and composition of elements in composites. With the help of linear swept voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the polarization curves and charge transference resistance of catalysts were examined respectively.

Understanding the spatial growth of cities is crucial for proactive planning and sustainable urbanization. The largest and most densely inhabited megapolis of Pakistan, Karachi, has experienced massive spatial growth not only in the core areas of the city, but also in the city’s suburbs and outskirts over the past decades. In this study, the land use/land cover (LULC) in Karachi was classified using Landsat data and the random forest algorithm from the Google Earth Engine cloud platform for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Land use/land cover classification maps as well as an urban sprawl matrix technique were used to analyze the geographical patterns and trends of urban sprawl. Six urban classes, namely, the primary urban core, secondary urban core, sub-urban fringe, scatter settlement, urban open space, and non-urban area, were determined for the exploration of urban landscape changes. Future scenarios of LULC for 2030 were predicted using a CA–Markov model. The study found that the built-up area had expanded in a considerably unpredictable manner, primarily at the expense of agricultural land. The increase in mangroves and grassland and shrub land proved the effectiveness of afforestation programs in improving vegetation coverage in the study area. The investigation of urban landscape alteration revealed that the primary urban core expanded from the core districts, namely, the Central, South, and East districts, and a new urban secondary core emerged in Malir in 2020. The CA–Markov model showed that the total urban built-up area could potentially increase from 584.78 km2 in 2020 to 652.59 km2 in 2030. The integrated method combining remote sensing, GIS, and an urban sprawl matrix has proven invaluable for the investigation of urban sprawl in a rapidly growing city.

The geographical concentration of criminal violence is closely associated with the social, demographic, and economic structural characteristics of neighborhoods. However, few studies have investigated homicide patterns and their relationships with neighborhoods in South Asian cities. In this study, the spatial and temporal patterns of homicide incidences in Karachi from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed using the local indicators of spatial association (LISA) method. Generalized linear modeling (GLM) and geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) methods were implemented to examine the relationship between influential factors and the number of homicides during the 2009–2018 period. The results demonstrate that the homicide hotspot or clustered areas with high homicide counts expanded from 2009 to 2013 and decreased from 2013 to 2018. The number of homicides in the 2017–2018 period had a positive relationship with the percentage of the population speaking Balochi. The unplanned areas with low-density residential land use were associated with low homicide counts, and the areas patrolled by police forces had a significant negative relationship with the occurrence of homicide. The GWPR models effectively characterized the varying relationships between homicide and explanatory variables across the study area. The spatio-temporal analysis methods can be adapted to explore violent crime in other cities with a similar social context.

Karachi, megapolis has witnessed numerous massive homicide incidents waves through the ages. More than ten thousand persons were murdered during 2009-2017. Being a largest cosmopolitan and commercial city of Pakistan, Karachi has a variety of ethnic groups clustered into a highly variegated number of ethnic political groups who on the slightest pretext entangle clashes and head on collisions. Homicide, a primeval crime has been constantly increasing globally with varying spatio-temporal fluctuations depending on level of development of countries, which influences the socio-cultural and political environments of societies. There are various studies on crimes in Karachi but none of them have evaluated their ethnic jolts line with reference of geodemography. The study is aimed to facilitate concerned authorities, policy makers and scholars towards designing crime elimination guidelines and policies for the most politically, economically and socially strategic hub of the country. Data limitations were experienced during the work although ground truthing with the help of GPS was conducted for location of homicide hotspots and IDW techniques were employed for accuracy of spatial analysis. The result has identified the heart of the city as the most sensitive homicide zone, though 2017 revealed substantial decrease due to the operation initiated in September 2014 by newly elected federal govt. The lucrativeness of Karachi, has favored it as a haven Routine Activity Theory with fluctuating volumes of homicides concentrate and trajectories through 2009 until 2017. The trajectories being guided by social, ethnicity, magnified by ignorance of the minimal existent socioeconomic policies through official guardian, manifested along the ethnic fault lines.

Thirty-one groundwater samples were collected from Jiwani, Ganz, Pishukan, Gwadar and Sur Bander, coastal towns of Gwadar District, Balochistan Province, Pakistan. The overall average trend of cationic and anionic distributions is found in the order of \(\hbox {Na}^{+}>\hbox {Ca}^{2+}>\hbox {Mg}^{2+}>\hbox {K}^{+}\) and \(\hbox {Cl}^{-}>\hbox {SO}_{4}^{2-}> \hbox {HCO}_{3}^{-}>\hbox {NO}_{3}^{-}>\hbox {CO}_{3}^{2-}>\hbox {F}^{-}\), respectively. Average ionic composition on Stiff diagram shows (\(\hbox {Na}^{+}+\hbox {K}^{+})\hbox {--}\hbox {Cl}^{-}\) as one of the principal ionic pair, while ionic balance among \(\hbox {Mg}^{2+}\hbox {--}\hbox {SO}_{4}^{2-}\) and \(\hbox {Ca}^{2+}\hbox {--} (\hbox {HCO}_{3}^{-}+\hbox {CO}_{3}^{2-})\) have shown an imbalance. On Piper diagram, majority of the groundwater samples in the study area are of NaCl type. The \(\hbox {Na}^{+}\) versus \(\hbox {Cl}^{-}, \hbox {Na}^{+}/\hbox {Na}^{+}+\hbox {Cl}^{-}\) versus \(\hbox {Cl}^{-}/\sum \) anions, and Cl versus \(\hbox {Cl}/\hbox {HCO}_{3}\) ratios signify influence of seawater intrusion in the coastal strip of Gwadar District. The impact of seawater encroachment in the coastal regions has also been proved by hydrochemical facies evolution diagram and Piper plots. Principal component analysis reveals three major factors, whereas high positive loading of \(\hbox {Na}^{+}\), \(\hbox {Ca}^{2+}\), \(\hbox {Mg}^{2+}\), \(\hbox {Cl}^{-}\), \(\hbox {SO}_{4}^{2-}\) and TDS reveal association with seawater. Potassium, nitrate and bicarbonate are in other domain; their relation with pH being rather negative. Moreover, fluoride and carbonate should be confined to separate realms, specifying of good relation among the two ions. Concentrations of nitrate and fluoride are found to be higher than the WHO permissible limit and may therefore pose a health threat to the local population.

Thirty-nine (23 dug and 16 tube well) samples were geochemically evaluated and investigated to ascertain the quality of water in Khipro, Sindh. The analytical results exhibited abundance of major cations and anions in Na + > Ca 2+ > Mg 2+ > K + and Cl − > HCO 3 − > SO 4 2− sequence. Stiff diagram showed dug well sample have high Na–Cl and moderate Mg–SO 4 content as compared to tube well samples. Majority of dug well samples appeared as Na–Cl type on Piper diagram while tube well samples are mixed type. Gibbs diagram reflected evaporation as a dominant phenomenon in dug well; however, tube well samples are declined toward rock dominance. Process of ion exchange was witnessed from Na + versus Cl − and Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ versus HCO 3 − + SO 4 2− plots. Principal component analysis also discriminates dug well and tube well water by means of positive and negative loading based on physical and chemical composition of the groundwater. Studied and computed parameters like pH, EC, TDS, TH, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Cl − , SO 4 2− , HCO 3 − , sodium adsorption ratio, magnesium adsorption ratio, potential salinity, residual sodium carbonate, Na%, Kelly’s ratio, and permeability index were compared with WHO to evaluate studied water for drinking and agricultural purposes. Except Na + and K + , all chemical constrains are within the allowed limits, set by WHO for drinking water. Similarly, most of the groundwater is moderately suitable for irrigation uses, with few exceptions.

Investigation of the potential of expired cenfuroxime axetiras an inhibitor of mild steel corrosion in 1 M HCl solution was carried out using gravimetric mass loss (weight loss) and electrochemical (linear polarization) methods. The investigations were carried out at temperatures of 30 and 50 OC and concentrations ranging from 100 to 500 ppm. Results obtained revealed an increase in inhibition efficiency with increase in concentration of the inhibitor (expired cenfuroxime axetir), and decrease in inhibition efficiency with increase in temperature. Linear polarization study showed that the inhibitor is a mixed type affecting both cathodic and anodic sites of the corrosion process, which is characteristics of mixed and adsorption type inhibitors. The adsorption process obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm.

The kinetics and mechanism of redox reaction of neu tral red, NR, and bromate ion, BrO , was studied in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium under pseudo-first o der conditions at 25 ± 1°C, [H ] = 2.0 10 mol dm, I = 0.5 mol dm (NaCl) and λmax = 525 nm. The reaction was first order with respec t to both [NR ] and [BrO ], and second order with respect to [H ]. The rate of the reaction displayed a positive Bro nsted-Debye salt effect. There was no evidence of the formation of an intermediate complex of significant stabilit y and free radicals were probably not present in the reac tion. The observations above, coupled with the resu lt of Michaelis-Menten plot suggests an outer sphere mech anism for the reaction. The reaction obeys the rate equation: . A plausible mechanism has been proposed for the reaction.

A number of serious studies have been conducted to decipher relationships between geological environment, potable/drinking water, and diseases as they were considered to have triggered suffering due to diseases among people. Chronic anemia can be caused by prolonged exposure to drinking water contaminated with cadmium (Cd). Under such circumstances, accumulation of Cd is manifested in the kidney, resulting in cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to present the impact of Cd-contaminated drinking water on human health among the residents of villages in Winder. Collection of about 48 groundwater samples at an average distance of 1 to 2 km between the sampling sites has enabled a sufficient geological representation of distribution of minerals and elements in the samples. Concentration and comparison of Cd in the study area sample sites reveal highest values (24.2-30.0 ppb) in the northeastern and southeastern sectors, covering parts of all three geological areas of Bela Ophiolite of Cretaceous age. Conducted questionnaire surveys provided relevance between cause and effect nature of Cd bearing diseases among which kidney, joint, and night blindness are more prominent. Due to this phenomena, toxic risk of Cd in drinking water was high as per calculated health hazard indices. The use of this water by the villagers may cause health problems and disorders among the inhabitants of the area.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate and analyse patients' educational status and awareness regarding tuberculosis in the context of demographic distribution.METHODS:The survey-based study was conducted at Tuberculosis Diagnostic Centres in Karachi from March to October 2013. A predesigned questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. It was filled through face-to-face interviews. Data was anylsed using SPSS 20.RESULTS:Of the 1260 respondents, 646(51.2%) were women and 614(48.7%) were men. Women were more affected by extra pulmonary tuberculosis (65%; n=123) compared to men (35%; n=65), while the reverse was the case for pulmonary tuberculosis, with men accounting for 52% (n=557) and women 48% (n=514). Pulmonary tuberculosis was prevalent in all age groups of both genders, but was most notable in the 11-30 years age group. Educational status of tuberculosis patients indicated men as being more educated with 52% (n=91) and 55% (n=258) for above and below secondary school certificate level or education respectively. The level of awareness and pursuance of precautionary measures was higher among literate males (58%; n=108 and 54%; n=347) compared to females at 42% (n=77) and 46% (n=296) respectively.CONCLUSIONS:The findings may prove helpful in convincing the educated tuberculosis patients to reform their lifestyles in order to improve their living environments to prevent the spread of the infectious disease, thereby improving the quality of life in the city.

A study of ophiolitic rocks, soils, twigs and fruits of Tamarindus indica have been carried out to evaluate elemental relationship. Soil of the study area revealed concentration of trace elements acquired from the bedrock. Its average abundance (mg/kg) in the soil was Mn (30), Fe (28), Pb (5.12), Cr (4.7), Ni (3.12), Cu (2.66), Zn (1.02), Co (0.97) and Cd (0.49). Fruit pulp presented: Fe (16.0), Cr (5.57), Zn (3.75), Mn (2.99), Cu (2.05), Co (0.92) and Ni (0.24). Twigs of T. indica showed Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu>Ni>Cr>Pb>Co>Cd trend of concentration. Elemental composition of rock-soil-twig-fruit of T. indica demonstrated similarities in the distribution pattern, reflecting common association between them. Correlation matrix (CM) and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that elemental distribution of T. indica is influenced by the composition of rocks and soils of the study area. Keywords : PCA; Rock-Soil-Twig-Fruit Relation; Element Distribution; Geochemistry; Balochistan.

Sedimentary rocks of Jurassic age (Ferozabad group) and igneous rocks (Bela Ophiolite) of Cretaceous age are widely exposed in the east of Winder Town, Balochistan. Representative 48 water and soil samples were collected and analyzed for Cd and other elements. The present study showed that water samples were contaminated by the Cd ion and most of the samples have higher concentration than prescribed WHO standards (3 μg/l) for drinking purpose. The concentration of Cd ions ranged between 1 and 30 with mean values of 10 μg/l and was found high in the vicinity of outcrops. The alkaline pH (av. 7.42) was mainly responsible for elevated Cd content in the water, having near equal molar proportions of Ca and HCO3 ions. Computed relative mobility values appeared as 0.23, indicating poor leaching from rocks and metal load in the groundwater is also measured low. The estimated values of mobility reflect fairly high mobility of Cd in the study area, decreases with distance from outcrops. The health hazard indices of drinking water was high (av. 1.33) with respect to safe average daily intake of Cd. The consumption of high Cd-bearing water may induce many disorders in the human health.

An integrated study of rocks, soils and fruits of Manilkara zapota (L.) (Sapotaceae) of Winder area have been carried out to elaborate trace elements relationship between them. The igneous rocks of the study area have elevated amount of certain trace elements, upon weathering these elements are concentrated in the soil of the area. The trace elements concentration in the soil were found in the range of 0.8-197 for Fe, 1.23-140 for Mn, 0.03-16.7 for Zn, 0.07-9.8 for Cr, 0.05-2.0 for Co, 0.52-13.3 for Ni, 0.03-8.8 for Cu, 0.08-10.55 for Pb and 0.13-1.8μg/g for Cd. The distribution pattern of elements in the rocks and soils reflected genetic affiliation. Promising elements of edible part of the fruit were Fe (14.17), Mn (1.49), Cr (2.96), Ni (1.13), Co (0.92), Cu (1.70) and Zn (1.02μg/g). The concentration of these elements in the fruits is above the optimum level of recommended dietary intake, probably due to this, disorder in the human health is suspected in the inhabitants of the area.

Kinetics of reduction of toluidine blue (hereafter referred to as TB) by sodium dithionite in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium has been studied spectroscopically at λ = 600 nm. The order of the reaction with respect to TB and dithionite ion was found to be one and 1.39 respectively. The rate of the reaction increased with increase in [H]. Variation of the ionic strength and dielectric constant of the medium altered the rate of the reaction, addition anions (X = SO4 , NO3 ) to the reaction mixture decreased the rate of the reaction. Spectroscopic and kinetic investigation showed no sign of intermediate complex formation; free radical polymerisation test showed the presence of free radicals. A plausible mechanism which accommodates all the experimental data was proposed. The rate law for the reaction conforms to the equation: Rate = k4K2[TB ] [S2O4 ][H] + k5 k3K1 [TB] [S2O4 ][H]

The kinetics of oxidation of Toluidine blue (hereafter referred to as TB+) by nitrite ion have been studied in aqueous acidic medium under the pseudo-first order condition of excess [NO2 -] at 25 ±1°C, [H+] = 1 x 10-2 mol dm-3 and ionic strength, I = 0.50 mol dm-3 (NaCl). The stoichiometry of the reaction was observed to be 3:1 mole ratio of toluidine blue to nitrite ions. The redox reaction follows second order kinetics at constant hydrogen ion concentration and the rate also shows first order dependence on hydrogen ion concentration. The overall reaction conforms to the rate law: d[TB+] dt = a [TB+ ][NO2 - ][H+ ] Where a = 40.76 dm6 mol-2 s-1 A plausible mechanism has been proposed for this reaction.