Insect pests are a serious threat to agricultural crops all over the world as they cause huge losses to crop yield and economy. Due to low innate immunity in plants, synthetic insecticides have been used to cope with the pest problem since decades. These chemicals are expensive, broad spectrum and hazardous to health and environment. Moreover, most of the target insect species have developed resistance against the available insecticides. Therefore, search for alternative methods of insect pest control has been a priority in agricultural research. One of the successful methods is to develop Insect Resistant, Genetically Modified Crops (IR-GMCs) expressing insecticidal proteins. IR-GMCs have been rapidly adopted around the world as they are target specific, environment friendly, cost effective and easy to use. However, two major risks of growing IR-GMCs have been proposed; resistance development against insecticidal toxins (e.g. Cry proteins) expressed in plants and adverse effects to beneficial, nontarget arthropods (NTAs). NTAs include important species that contribute directly to agricultural ecology via biological control, pollination and decomposition of organic materials. Pakistan officially adopted Bt-cotton in 2010 and became one of the leading countries in terms of area under cultivation by 2013. Variation in the expression of Bt proteins have been associated with reduced efficacy of the IR crops and also resistance development in the target insect pests. Therefore, one of the objectives of this study was expression profiling of first batch of approved, locally bred Bt-cotton varieties through ELISA and efficacy analysis against Helicoverpa armigera. While Bt cotton varieties are effective in controlling several key lepidopteran pests, they are less effective against some Lepidoptera species and provide no protection against non-lepidopteran pests. In addition, the initial cases of resistance to Cry1Ac have been observed in target insect pests in many countries. It is thus indicated to explore alternative source for toxins that can be incorporated in future transgenic plants. The peptide ω-Hexatoxin-Hv1a (Hvt) is one of the most studied spider venom toxins. Its insecticidal potential has been reported for species belonging to different arthropod orders including Lepidoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera. The gene encoding for Hvt has thus been transformed into cotton and tobacco to protect the plants from damage by Lepidopteran pests. The second objective of the study therefore, was to evaluate the expression of ω-Hexatoxin-Hv1a gene in transgenic plants, and the toxicity of plantAbstract xi expressed and purified Hvt against target lepidopteran insects and four non-target arthropod species. Bollgard IITM cotton plants and purified Cry2Ab2 protein were included in the study as comparators. In studies with locally bred Bt cotton, expression of Cry1Ab/1Ac protein were found to vary significantly (P<0.05) among varieties and across different sampling dates. The highest mean expression was recorded in GN-31 and Sitara-008 and the lowest in FH- 113 and MG-6 while across sampling dates the highest mean expression was recorded at 30 days after emergence (DAE) which decreased along the season with lowest mean at 120 DAE. The control of the H. armigera was directly proportional to the amount of protein expressed in the leaves. Critical level of Cry1Ab/1Ac in leaves was found to be 770±25 ng g-1 for 95% control of the target insect pests. In studies with Hvt plants, 100% larval mortality was observed on Hvt-transgenic tobacco line T-21 and cotton line T-7 plants but not on cotton line T-10. The likely reason was the significantly lower expression level in the transgenic cotton line T-10. When fed on artificial diet containing purified Hvt protein, LC95 values for Spodoptera littoralis and Heliothis virescens were found to be 28.31 and 27.57 μg mL-1, respectively. Non-target studies were performed with two predatory species, larvae of Chrysoperla carnea and Coccinella septempunctata, adult females of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani, and adult workers of honey bees Apis mellifera. Orally administered Hvt protein even at a concentration of 40 μg mL-1 did not affect a number of life-table parameters of tested NTAs. Similarly purified Cry2Ab2 did not cause adverse effects on any of the non-target species tested at a concentration of 10 μg mL-1. However, detailed molecular work is required to determine the fate of orally administered Hvt protein in these species. Hence, Hvt might be an interesting candidate for developing insecticidal plant varieties to control pest Lepidoptera. However, the concentration at which the protein is available in the plants appears to be critical in determining its efficacy against target pests. Therefore, breeders and biotechnologists must combine genotypes and promoters promising higher expression of insecticidal proteins. Furthermore, detailed risk assessment studies may be conducted before commercial release of Hvt cotton and tobacco.
مولوی جنید نعمانی یہ خبر نہایت حسرت و افسوس کے ساتھ سنی جائے گی کہ مولانا شبلی نعمانی مرحوم کے چھوٹے بھائی مولوی جنید صاحب نعانی سب جج کانپور نے دوسال کی صحت و علالت کی کشمکش کے بعد ۱۲؍ اپریل ۱۹۳۳ء کو دہلی میں وفات پائی، مولانا مرحوم کے صرف یہی ایک بھائی تھے جو ان کی وفات کے بعد زندہ تھے، آخر انہوں نے بھی اس دنیا کو الوداع کہا، یہی وہ بھائی تھے جن کی نسبت مولانا نے اپنے بھائی محمد اسحاق صاحب مرحوم الہ آباد ہائی کورٹ کے پر درد نوحہ میں ۱۹۱۴ء میں یہ فرمایا تھا: اے خدا شبلی دلِ خستہ بایں موئے سپید
لے کے آیا ترے درگہِ عالی میں امید مرنے والے کو نجات ابدی کی ہو نوید
خوش و خرم رہے چھوٹا مرا بھائی یہ جنید افسوس کہ یہ بھائی اپنے بڑے بھائی کے بعد اٹھارہ برس سے زیادہ خوش و خرم نہ رہ سکا، دعا ہے کہ مرحوم کو اب آخرت کی ابدی خوشی و خرمی حاصل ہو۔ (سید سلیمان ندوی، مئی ۱۹۳۳ء)
The world has been changing ever since its creation, yet the pace of change in the last one hundred years or so has been the most rapid ever. The effects of these changes were beyond the limitations of time and region and therefore they directly affected the Muslim world as well. Muslim scholars did not ignore these changes and realized their responsibilities and wrote books of Sīrah which provided guidance in connection with these rapid changes and conditions. This research has highlight an important issue of the conflict between religions, its inception, history and primarily focused on the opinions of the authors of selected books of Sῑrah written in recent past. This research has also elaborated the modern approaches in Sῑrah writing. The study has mainly focused on significant Sῑrah books of three languages i.e. Arabic, English and Urdu. These books include Fiqh Al Sῑrah by Muḥammad Sa’īd Ramaḍān Al Būtī, Fiqh Al Sῑrah by Muḥammad Al Ghazālī, Madnī Mu‘āshrah by Akram Ḍīā Al ‘Umrī, The Life and the Work of the Prophet by Dr. Muḥammad Ḥamīdullāh, The Spirit of Islam by Sayīd Amīr ‘Alī, Muhammad A Biography of Prophet by Karen Armstrong, Sīrah Al Nabī by ‘Allāmah Shiblī Nu’mānī, Aṣaḥ Al Sῑyar by ‘Abdul Raūf Dānāpūrī, Ḍīā Al Nabī by Pīr Muḥammad Karam Shāh, Sīrati Sarwari ‘Alam by Abūl A‘lā Mūdūdī, Raḥmatullil'ālamīn by Qāḍī Muhammad Sulymān Manṣūrpūrī and Muḥammad Rasūlallāh by Sayīd Muḥammad Mīyān.
The cognitive abilities and assessment techniques are two major factors that can affect the learners’ achievement in science and their attitude towards learning science. The science assessment techniques usually contain complicated and abstract concepts that require a great deal of critical thinking and analytical skills on the part of the students. Critical thinking and analytical skills are higher order cognitive skills which need appropriate cognitive development. Therefore, it is needed to analyze the students’ cognitive levels in accordance with Piaget’s age-stage model and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy; if there is a gap between actual cognitive conceptual frameworks and required higher order cognitive skills for achievement in science, that in turn can affect the students’ attitude towards the learning of science. This study aimed to analyze the required cognitive skills of the 8th and 10th grades General Science examination questions and patterns of actual cognitive conceptual frameworks in accordance with the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and Piagets’ conceptual frameworks and attitude towards learning of science. Along with that, this study was also focused on exploring the effect of the gap between the examination questions’ difficulty level and students’ Piagetian conceptual frameworks on science achievement and students’ attitude towards learning science. From 23 districts of Sindh province, two districts (Sukkur & Khairpur) were conveniently selected for data collection. The data were collected from 564 8th and 10th graders of 27 elementary and high schools (N= 564: Male = 308, Female = 256, Urban = 258, Rural = 306, 8th graders = 394, 10th graders =170, Elementary school children =362, High school children =202, Sukkur = 255, Khairpur 309). Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) was applied to break down the 8th grade General Science examination viii questions in terms of Piagetian conceptual frameworks. Cognitive Science Achievement Test (CSAT) based on the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) was applied to measure the students’ scores in science. The attitude of the students was measured by Teaching of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA, Fraser, 1981) a five point Likert scale, whereas the existing Piagetian conceptual frameworks of the students were measured by administering of the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) Test. Both research instruments (TOSRA, GALT Test) were translated in Sindhi and Urdu (Regional and national language) and were personally administered by the researcher to ensure the reliability and a high rate of return of data. The gap between cognitive difficulty levels of the 8th grade General Science examination questions and existing Piagetian conceptual frameworks of students in 8th grade was calculated. Later, the effects of this gap (between cognitive difficulty levels of the 8th grade General Science examination questions and existing Piagetian conceptual frameworks of students in 8th grade) on science achievement and attitude towards science learning were examined. It was found that students’ parental profile regarding qualification and profession showed a mixed pattern. The cognitive difficulty levels of General science examination questions of 8th grade were found to be distributed unevenly at different Piagetian conceptual frameworks throughout examination questions. Most of the students were at different sub-stages of the Concrete Operational level and a few were at Early Formal Operational level, and only four students out of 564 were at Mature Formal (IIIB) level. It was further found that male students scored higher on the GALT Test in comparison with the female students. However, there was no significant difference between the scores of eighth graders and tenth grade students on the GALT Test.The students of Tenth Grade performed equally better with the students of eighth grade in district Sukkur. The eighth grade students ix of Khairpur district did not show variation within the group scores on the GALT Test. The students of Sukkur district of eighth graders recorded variations within the group in the GALT Test, urban students performed better than the rural students. It was concluded that the male students reflected a slight higher attitude towards science learning than female students in the overall sample between both grades. Similarly, in Sukkur and Khairpur districts separately, again males had a little bit higher attitude towards science learning than female students. On district basis, the female students of Sukkur showed higher attitude towards the learning of science than the Khairpur district. It was concluded that there exists a gap between students’ reasoning ability and examination question’s difficulty level and, with the increase in quantity of the gap, a decrease in attitude towards science learning occurs. It was recommended that the curriculum development experts and paper setters need to develop a model in terms of Piagetian conceptual frameworks for deciding the nature, level and complexity of the questions while developing science assessment techniques at any grade. It is further recommended that teachers replace the didactic teaching method with the interactive one. The teachers should group students with different reasoning abilities within the class. Teachers should use different teaching techniques to introduce the questions of the science assessment techniques to enhance, encourage and motivate students and to develop their attitude towards science learning.