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۳۰۔ جلتا ضبط

جلتاضبط

آج بچھڑتے وقت وہ ستم کیش

مجھ سے باربار گلے مل رہا تھا

اس کی آنکھیں دھواں دھواں تھیں

شاید میری طرح اس کا ضبط بھی جل رہا تھا

A Comparative Study of Dawn and Jang with Special Regard to Agenda Setting Theory of Press: Ten Years before and after 9/11

The relationship between Pakistan and America has always been a focus of the media of both countries as well as the international media. Even a slight shift in the policies of these two countries for each other is capable of making newspaper headlines and attracting maximum attention of the press of both countries. This study is a comparative analysis of the editorial pages of daily Dawn (English) and daily Jang (Urdu) to explore the agenda setting role of two of Pakistan’s oldest and most credible newspapers, vis-à-vis the Pakistan-US relationship. The research takes into consideration a total of 20 years of Pakistan-US relations by dividing the period into two groups which are ten years before the incident of 9/11 and ten years after 9/11. This understudied period is specifically important because the relations between Pakistan and America during these phases have vacillated between periods of engagements, wherein Pakistan enjoyed the status of the most favoured ally without compromising its regional interest, and the periods of disengagements wherein Pakistan faced sanctions from the US and was left alone to deal with the aftermath of the Afghan war and the War on Terrorism. Hence, this study obtains interesting insights about how the two Pakistani newspapers which represent the Urdu and the English press of Pakistan highlighted the agenda-setting role of the press through the coverage of the issues between Pakistan and US on their editorial pages.

Role of Biochar in Reducing Cadmium Toxicity in Wheat and Rice Rotation under Drought and Salt Stress

Cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation in the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) and the Cd translocation into grains have become a vital global environmental constraint for food security. Cadmium shows higher risk than other heavy metals owing to its toxic effects on plants, animals, and humans. Thus, the present research work was conducted to evaluate the Cd bio-availability, bioaccumulation and toxicity to the plants grown in aged contaminated soil amended with various levels of biochar (BC) either applied alone or under the salt and drought stress. For the achievement of these goals sequential pot experimental studies were carried out in the seasons of wheat and rice cropping system in Cd-contaminated soil under ambient conditions amended with different levels of BC (0, 1.5, 3.0 and 5% w/w) produced from rice straw. First, wheat was sown in the BC-amended soil and divided into three parts such as only BC applied in Cd-contaminated soil, BC applied in the same soil under salt stress (0 mM, 25 mM and 50 mM), and BC under drought stress; well-watered control (70% of soil water holding capacity, WHC), mild drought (MD, 50% of WHC), and severe drought (SD, 35% of soil WHC). Plants were harvested at physiological maturity (130 days of germination). Result showed that BC supply increased the growth, photosynthesis, dry weights, mineral nutrients as well as antioxidant enzymes whereas reduced the oxidative stress and Cd concentrations in different parts of wheat. The BC supply reduced bioavailable Cd in the soil whereas increased EC and pH of the soil than control treatment. However, higher rate of BC (5.0%) was not affective under higher salt stress (50 mM NaCl) where reduction in plant growth and photosynthesis was observed. Second, rice was sown in the same soil without further amendment of BC and salt whereas drought stress was applied to 35-d-old plants as follows; well-watered control (1-2 cm water layer on soil), MD, 50% of WHC), and SD, 35% of soil WHC) for an additional 35 days. All plants were harvested after 70 days of growth and analyzed for various physiological and biochemical parameters. Biochar supply increased plant height, biomass and photosynthesis whereas reduced oxidative stress and Cd contents in plants which confirmed the residual effects of BC in enhancing plant growth and reducing Cd uptake by plants. Continuous flooding plus BC application was the most effective in reducing Cd concentration in rice than MD and SD. However, plant growth and photosynthesis were reduced with BC amendments under 50 mM salt stress. The BC application reduced the bioavailable Cd in the soil whereas increased soil pH than control. It can be concluded that BC amendment can be used to reduce Cd contents in plants and also had a significant residual effect on decreasing Cd uptake in latter crop. However, BC levels should be carefully applied in the soils having higher salinity.
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