Drought is a major abiotic factor restricting rice yield; therefore, to cope with this stress, 2030 japonica rice accessions from China and other countries were evaluated in Beijing in 2017 and 2018. This was the first time six agronomic traits in the large-scale germplasm of rice under lowland and upland conditions with an augmented randomized complete block design (ARCBD) were analysed. The genotypes revealing drought resistant grade (DRG) scores of 1, 1–3, 3 and 3–5 were considered drought-tolerant and comprised 10% of the assessed germplasm. These findings were consistent with the agglomerative hierarchical cluster (AHC) analysis that classified germplasm in nine clusters. The generated clusters were further grouped in A, B, C and D classes based on the stress response. Approximately half of the genotypes with an upland ecotype were distributed in drought-resistant class A (cluster VII and VI) and moderately resistant class B (VIII and IX). The majority of the genotypes from China, Korea and Japan fall in drought-susceptible classes C and D. Genotypes of DRG 1, 1–3 and 3 belonged to the clusters VII and VI. Finally, we screened out 42 elite genotypes including seven improved upland rice lines (D78, LB37-13, NSU77, Handao 385, Handao 306, SF83 and HF6-65-119), three upland released varieties (Liaogeng 27, Hanfeng 8 and IRAT109) and three traditional lowland cultivars (Hongmaodao, Weiguo 7 and Xiaohongbandao). These genotypes might be used as priority parents in drought-tolerant rice breeding programmes and some of them could be recommended directly to farmers in water-deficient rice areas of China.

Terminal drought stress is one of the restrictive factors in rice production and is expected to upsurge under the current situation of climate change. The study evaluated the performance of 2030 rice genotypes under continuous drought stress conditions based on days to flowering (DF). The genotypes under augmented randomized complete block design were sown in May/June of 2017 and 2018 in the field with movable rainout that resulted in huge genetic diversity among the accessions. Descriptive statistics confirmed clear variation among accessions on growth duration, plant height to leaf, plant height to panicle, and germination percentage. Correlation, chemometric, and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analyses were performed that categorized the germplasm into 10 groups. Genotypes in clusters VIII and IX (drought-resistant) revealed better agronomic performance in terms of reduced days to flowering, but conversely taller plant height and higher maturity (%) under severe stress. Genotypes in clusters IV, V, and X were discovered to be drought-susceptible. The screened genotypes like Longjing 12, Longdun 102, Yanjing 22, Liaojing 27, Xiaohongbandao, Songjing 17, and Zaoshuqingsen can be utilized in rice breeding improvement programs for drought tolerance in terms of severe continuous drought, as well as terminal drought stress.

The present study was conducted to highlight the existing level of organochlorine-pesticides (OCPs) from human milk (n = 45) and blood serum (n = 40) of female workers who pick cotton in Khanewal District, southern Punjab, Pakistan. Source apportionment, congener-specific analysis, and risk surveillance of OCPs are reported from human milk and blood samples. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum samples ranged from 15.7 ppb to 538.3 ppb and from 16.4 ppb to 747.1 ppb, respectively, and were lower than previously published reports from other regions of the globe. Congener-specific analysis revealed that DDTs were predominant, followed by hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordane, and hexachlorobenzene. Calculated results for source apportionment analysis suggested that contamination load was a new input of DDTs as well as the historic use of lindane in the study area. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with age, time period of picking cotton, and number of children. Health risk revealed that female workers had risk of cancer among 1 per million; however, noncarcinogenic risks were not considerable. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1193-1201. © 2016 SETAC.

Background: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the staple foods worldwide. To feed the growing population, improvement of rice cultivar is important. To make the improvement in rice breeding program, it is imperative to understand the similarity of the existing rice accessions. Previous studies demonstrated the existence of abundant elite genes in rice landraces. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for yield and yield related traits to find the elite genes. Design: Experimental studyMethods and results: A total of 204 SSRs markers were used among 17 SSRs were found to be located on each chromosome in the rice genome. The diversity was analyzed using different genetic characters i.e., the total number of alleles (TNA), polymorphic information content (PIC) and gene diversity by Pwer markers and the values for each genetic character per marker ranged from 2 to 9, 0.332 to 0.887 and 0.423 to 0.900 respectively across the whole genome. The results of population structure identified four main groups. MTA identified several markers associated with many agronomically important traits. These results will be very useful for the selection of potential parents, recombinants and MTAs that governing the improvements and developments of new high yielding rice varieties. Conclusion: Analysis of diversity in germplasm is important for improvement of cultivars in breeding program. In the present study, the diversity was analyzed with different methods and found that enormous diversity was present in studied rice germplasm. The structure analysis found the presence of 4 genetic groups in the existing germplasm. A total of 129 marker-trait associations (MTAs) have been found in this study.

Introduction: Cities try to adapt to the rapidly changing global trends by updating themselves. In Pakistani cities, particularly in the last decade, the practices, processes, and consequences of urban renewal have sparked some debate. The 'new' space acquired or converted in the city is also significant in terms of its impact on urban identity. In this context, this research study aims to identify the effects of urban renewal in various parts of the world, especially in Lahore, Pakistan. Method: This study collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data. A method that relies on GIS-based urban renewal site identification. Result: Economic development in Lahore is not carried out well as almost 52% is dominated by old buildings, 28% of the roads at the Renewal location are in an abandoned condition, the quality of drinking water is low, and the inspection of garbage on the streets that is not paid attention to illustrates that there is no solid waste management system the good one. Conclusion: The development of Lahore's renewal was not carried out properly because 60% of the people lived in the Renewal site. The legacy of 27% of the local population was not interested in regional development, so urban renewal tended to be ignored.

The present study aimed to explore the effect of transformational leadership on teachers’ performance at secondary-level public schools in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. This study examined the effect of transformational leadership skills namely intellectual stimulation and individual consideration on teachers’ performance. The objectives of the study were to find out the level of the transformational leadership skills of the head teachers, and how these two factors individually influence the performance of secondary school teachers. A sample of 100 head teachers of public secondary schools was taken to conduct this study. Two self-developed questionnaires were used as research instruments to measure the two transformational leadership skills of the head teacher and secondary school teachers’ performance. Mean, standard deviation, and linear regression were used for data analysis. The results of the present study showed that transformational leadership skills have a significant effect on teachers’ performance. Therefore, it is concluded that all of the two determinants of transformational leadership skills are significant predictors of the teachers’ performance. Moreover, the head teachers having age 51–60 years are more effective than all the other age groups. The results show that the head teachers possessing the administrative experience 21-30 years are more effective in leadership practices than the others administrative experience groups.

This article presents the results of a number of operations research studies (OR) of family planning services provided by a new cadre of female village-based family planning workers in Punjab Province, Pakistan. This cadre of workers, recruited nationwide, have been trained to visit women in their villages to provide information and family planning services. The studies were conducted as part of a broad program of technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan. Surveys investigated the quality of their training as well as attitudes among clients to the new program. They found that the program is developing well but there is room for improvement, particularly in counseling and training. Additional field studies are ongoing and recommendations for change have been incorporated in training and supervision. The program is expanding on a national scale.

This article presents the results of a number of operations research studies (OR) of family planning services provided by a new cadre of female village-based family planning workers in Punjab Province, Pakistan. This cadre of workers, recruited nationwide, has been trained to visit women in their villages to provide information and family planning services. The studies were conducted as part of a broad program of technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan. Surveys investigated the quality of their training as well as attitudes among clients to the new program. They found that the program is developing well but there is room for improvement, particularly in counseling and training. Additional field studies are ongoing and recommendations for change have been incorporated in training and supervision. The program is expanding on a national scale.