Development and Mechanical Characterization of Weave Design Based 2D Woven Auxetic Fabrics for Protective Textiles

Mumtaz Ali,Muhammad Zeeshan,Muhammad Bilal Qadir,Rabia Riaz,Sheraz Ahmad,Yasir Nawab,Aima Sameen Anjum 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.11

Auxetic materials expand in at least one dimension, when stretched longitudinally i.e. they have negative Poisson’s ratio. Development of 2D woven auxetic fabrics (AF) is a new approach to develop mechanically stable auxetic textile structures. However, the mechanical response of such emerging structure is still not studied in detail yet, therefore different mechanical properties of 2D woven AF are compared with conventional non-auxetic fabric (NAF). AF was developed by orienting yarns in auxetic honey-comb (AHC) geometry and auxeticity is induced due to such orientation of yarns. AF was developed using conventional (non-auxetic) materials; cotton yarn and elastane cotton yarn in warp and weft dimension respectively, using air jet loom. Structure and auxeticity of AF were analyzed using a digital microscope and its different mechanical properties (tensile strength, tear strength, bursting strength, cut resistance, and puncture resistance) were studied. AF showed superior mechanical properties with a lower initial modulus, which is beneficial for different protective textiles applications like cut resistance gloves, blast resistant curtains, and puncture tolerant elastomeric composites.

Comparative effectiveness of wild bee pollination on the post-harvest characteristics of Grewia asiatica (Malvaceae)

Akram Waseem,Sajjad Asif,Ali Mudssar,Ahmad Ammad,Ali Intazar,Saddiq Bushra,Yasin Muhammad,Anjum Aqueel Muhammad 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.3

Measuring the pollination potential of different native bees is helpful in identifying the most efficient species for their conservation and proper utilization. The current study was carried out at the Research Farm of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur to compare the pollination efficiency of four native bee species: Apis dorsata, Megachile bicolor, M. cephalotes and Megachile (Callomegachile) sp. Apis dorsata was the most abundant floral visitor of Grewia asiatica comprising 36.46% of floral visitors following by M. cephalotes and Megachile sp. The peak abundance of A. dorsata and M. bicolor was recorded at 12:00 and 08:00, respectively whereas for M. cephalotes and Megachile sp. at 16:00. Visitation frequency, stay time, body and proboscis length were significantly higher in A. dorsata whereas visitation rate, pollen load and pollen deposition were significantly higher in M. bicolor. The maximum fruit weight was recorded when M. bicolor and Megachile sp. had been the pollinators. The post-harvest fruit weight loss was lower in M. bicolor pollinated fruit -with more gradual wrinkling- than in fruit that had resulted from pollination by A. dorsata, M. cephalotes and Megachile sp. Our results suggest that M. bicolor was better pollinator of G. asiatica in terms of its reproductive success and post-harvest qualities. Further studies should focus on conservation of M. bicolor in the region.

The effect of Acacia nilotica bark extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, and intestinal morphology in broilers as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter

Muhammad Umer Zahid,Anjum Khalique,Shafqat Nawaz Qaisrani,Muhammad Ashraf,Ali Ahmad Sheikh,Muhammad Umar Yaqoob Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2023 Animal Bioscience Vol.36 No.7

Objective: Present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Acacia nilotica bark extract as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broilers. Methods: Six hundred, day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into six groups (NC, without any supplementation; AB, NC+Zinc Bacitracin; PB, NC+Safmannan; ANBE1, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.1%; ANBE3, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.3%; ANBE5, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.5%), with ten replicates per group (10 chicks/replicate) and feeding trial was lasted for 35 days. Results: Results showed that weight gain (1,296.63 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.59) of AB was better than NC, during the finisher phase. Overall FCR of AB (1.53), PB (1.54), and ANBE5 (1.54) was significantly (p<0.05) better than NC. From carcass parameters relative weight of wing and heart were highest in ANBE3 (2.5% and 1.51%, respectively). Significantly (p<0.05) highest blood glucose level was observed in NC (264.5 mg/dL) and highest albumin concentration was found in AB (1.46 mg/dL). In addition, antibody titer levels against ND and IBD were higher in ANBE5 than NC, while higher relative weight of bursa was observed in ANBE3 than NC. The villus height to crypt depth ratio in all experimental groups was better than NC. Conclusion: Acacia nilotica bark extract could be a suitable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to support the growth in broilers.

Evaluation of three vacuolar ATPase genes as potential RNAi target in Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata

Zeng Jie,Mu Li-Li,Jin Lin,Ali Anjum Ahmad,Li Guo-Qing 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.2

Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata, a major threat to commercial potato production, is sensitive to RNA inter ference (RNAi), a gene-silencing mechanism triggered by double stranded RNA (dsRNA) matching a specific target gene sequence. Vacuolar ATPases (vATPases) are ATP-driven proton pumps involved in numerous bio logical processes. A holoenzyme vATPase consists of at least 14 different subunits and accessory proteins. Pre vious results reveal that silencing vATPaseB decreases survival rate, reduces food consumption and inhibits development in H. vigintioctopunctata. In this report, we identified two other subunit genes (vATPasea and vATPased) and compared the RNAi efficacy of vATPasea and vATPased with that of vATPaseB. We found the highest expression level of HvvATPasea, HvvATPaseB and HvvATPased occurred in the hindgut, followed by those in the foregut, Malpighian tubules and midgut, and lowest in the epidermis and fat body. When the fourth-instar larvae were allowed to ingest corresponding dsRNA for three days, the relative transcript levels of HvvATPasea, HvvATPaseB and HvvATPased were significantly decreased by 79%, 83% and 73%, respectively. Knockdown of HvvATPasea, HvvATPaseB and HvvATPased caused 50%, 85% and 100% larval lethality. After the third-instar larvae had exposed to corresponding dsRNA for three days, the levels of HvvATPasea and HvvATPased signifi cantly reduced by 91% and 96% respectively. All the treated larvae were dead. Our results demonstrate that RNAi efficiencies varied among different vATPase subunit genes and various development stages. Moreover, our data imply the feasibility of RNAi as an alternative method for controlling this critical potato pest.

A review of photocatalytic CO2 reduction: exploring sustainable carbon emission mitigation from thermodynamics to kinetics and strategies for enhanced efficiency

Akbar Hassan,Javed Muhammad Subhan,Iqbal Syeda Tehreem,Khan Muhammad Iftikhar,Anwar Tauseef,Anjum Faiza,Ahmad Ashfaq,Muneeb Muhammad,Ali Asghar,Won Chun Oh 한국세라믹학회 2024 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.61 No.3

To mitigate the increased CO 2 emission, CO 2 reduction to multi-carbon fuels or other useable substances is an appealing yet essential approach. Since, reduction of CO 2 is a thermodynamically uphill process, an economical CO 2 fi xation is only achievable if energy source used is of renewable energy such as solar energy. Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction is a complex pro- cess due to its dependency on catalyst design, selectivity, effi ciency, and photostability. The competence of a photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction is eff ected by factors, such as the type of photocatalyst used their band-gap energy, surface area, and structure of the crystal. This review discusses the kinetics and thermodynamics of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction and consid- ers the eff ects of parameters like defects and impurity doping on photocatalysis. The study also focusses on the selectivity of products, i.e., methane, methanol, formaldehyde, etc. This comprehensive review provides insights into the development and improvement of photocatalytic effi ciency for CO 2 photoreduction, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and a more sustainable future.