Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular, apicomplexan parasite that infects all warm-blooded vertebrates, including mammals and birds. Human beings can be infected by ingestion of oocysts from cat feces or through the consumption of meat containing Toxoplasma gondii cysts. There are potential vaccines candidates among which ROP18 has its major role in host gene expression along with the modulatory effect on key regulators of the host immune system. Therefore in this study, ROP18 sequence was amplified from local T. gondii strain, recombinant ROP18 was expressed through recombinant DNA technology and this recombinant protein was then tested for its antigenicity and immunogenicity in a mouse model. Approximately 200 fecal samples were collected from domestic, wild and stray cats in and around city of Lahore, Pakistan. Oocysts of T. gondii from cat feces were identified by using light microscopy and flotation technique. The oocysts were measured by micrometry having diameter of 8-10 μm. Out of 200 fecal samples, only three were suspected for T. gondii through direct microscopic examination and flotation technique. From 3 fecal samples, genomic DNA was extracted using a stool DNA extraction kit. After DNA extraction, the 3 samples were confirmed and characterized by PCR and nested PCR by using B1 gene and SAG2 primer sets. Reference DNAs (RH) of toxoplasma were kindly provided by Dr. Henrik Vedel Nielsen (Statens Serum Institut, Denmark) and Dr. Jorge Enrique Gomez Marin (COLOMBIA, South America). For detection of the B1 gene of T. gondii, the diagnostic method was optimized to amplify a 529 base pair (bp) repetitive sequence by PCR using DNA extracted from cat feces. Then a nested PCR was employed using internal primers to amplify a 102 bp from 391 bp product. The SAG2 gene was targeted at 5 different regions to amplify 5 amplicons. Genotype analysis was done using SAG2 sequence by Dr. Jorge Enrique Gomez Marin using 10 different markers. For amplification of ROP18, 54 sequences of the ROP18 gene retrieved from Genbank (National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)) We used Geneious R8.1.6 software for sequence alignment and creating consensus sequence from all 54 ROP18 sequences. Primers were designed manually from the consensus sequence of ROP18. Primer pair namely ROP18-F 5‟ATCTAGAATGTTTTCGGTACAGCGG3‟ and ROP18-R Reverse 5‟TTCGAATTCTGTGTGGAGATGTTCC3‟ were designed to have restriction sites XbaI and HindIII respectively. The rop18 sequence was first cloned in pGMT easy vector system and then subcloned in pET28. BL21 competent cells were transformed with pET28-ROP18 and rROP18 was expression using IPTG for induction. The rROP18 was quantified through protein quantification kit (BCA). The rROP18 was formulated into nanospheres using PLGA as coating material. The Swiss-Webster mice were inoculated either intranasal or subcutaneous with rROP18 with or without montanide as adjuvant 3 times with 2 week interval. The blood was collected 2 weeks after each immunization. The control groups were inoculated with PLGA I/n or montanide s/c. For western blotting, ROP18 protein was electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE and blots were immune-blotted with the sera of immunized or infected mice. Bound antibodies were detected through Goat anti-mouse IgG–alkaline phosphatase conjugated. For evaluation of humoral response, ELISA plate was coated overnight at 4°C with rROP18 protein at 5μg/ml in 50mM sodium carbonate buffer (pH 9.6) @ 100 μl/ well. The absorbance of each sample was measured at OD 405 nm using ELISA (Bio-Tek, E-800, USA). Comparisons of quantitative values in the different groups were performed using ANOVA test, after checking the homogeneity of variances. Comparisons between groups for the antibody titre were performed by Dunn multiple range tests test. Comparisons were considered significant when a probability of equality was less than 5% (P<0.05). It was observed that rROP18 in nanospheres administered intranasal elicited elevated responses of specific intestinal IgA and IgG2a as compared to other groups inoculated intranasally rROP18 alone or injected subcutaneously rROP18 adjuvanted in montanide. It was concluded that nanospheres of ROP18 would be a non-invasive approach to develop vaccination against toxoplasmosis. Further experiments are needed to conclude the cellular response of these nanospheres in a chronic mouse model.
بدأت الدعوۃ تنمو وتتسع حتی بدأت القصائد حرۃ الوزن تظھر في الساحۃ الأدبیۃ، وفي عام 1950م تم نشر أول دیوان للشاعر العراقي عبدالوھاب البیاتي بإسم (ملائکۃ وشیاطین)[1] وکان فیہ قصائد حرة الوزن۔
وظھر بعدہ (المساء الخیر) لشاذل طاقۃ ، ثم تلا ذلک (أساطیر) لبدر شاکر السیاب. ولکن ھناک الکثیر من الأدباء الکبار الذین أنکروا ھذہ الحرکۃ وتوقعوا لھا الھزیمۃ والفشل وأیضاً اعتقدوا بأن معانیھا غیر مبتکرۃ. وقد قال الشاعر عمران العمران[2]: "وذلک أن التجدید في الشعر لا یکون بالتنکر لقوانینہ إنما یکون الابتکار في المعاني، کما یکون في الإبداع بالأسلوب وفي استحداث الصور والأخیلۃ الملائمۃ لبيئة الشاعر وحیاتہ المعاصرۃ[3]، وقال أیضاً : "علی أي حال، فإن مایسمی بالشعر الحر یمثل الھزیمۃ الأدبیۃ للأمۃ العربیۃ وھی ھزیمۃ لا تقل بحال عن ھزائمنا السیاسیۃ والعسکریۃ"[4]، وقال أیضاً في موضع: "علی أن ما یسمی بالشعر الحر یمکن اعتبارہ من قبیل النثر، بمعنی أن الجید منہ یمثل وجھاً أدبیاً، بل فکراً عربیاً، أما الرديء فإنہ یدخل في باب الکلام العادي الذي لا یختلف عن کلام السوقۃ والعوام، وقد ینتظم بعضہ مفھوم الھذر في أحیان کثیرۃ"[5]۔
[1] الملائکۃ، نازک، قضایا الشعر المعاصر، سبق ذکرہ، ص 37
[2] عمران محمد العمران، الأستاذ الأدیب الشاعر والناثر السعودي فلہُ مشارکات ثقافیۃ وأعمال أدبیۃ ونثریۃ۔
[3] العمران ، عمران بن محمد، ھوامش أدیبۃ(الطبعۃ الأولی، 1992م) بدون مکان النشر، ص17۰۔
Abstract: The article deals with the life and contribution ofNaseem Hijazi towards reconstruction ofIslamic thought through his historical novels in New Muslim generation. As a novel writer < Naseem Hijazi is regarded as one of thefinest writers of Urdu language especially in the later 20th century. Among his popular contemporaries were Ibn-e-Safh Saadat Hasan Manto< and Shqfiq-ur-Rehman< all having their particular line ofliterature. Naseem Hijazi is knownfor his potent and romantic description of history. There are only two writers prior to Hijazi who wrote history novels in Urdu: Abdul Haleem Sharar and Sadiq sardhunwi < but Hijazi’s writing is most credible in terms of historical description and accuracy. He exercised extra care to back his study of history by through research and to cite his sources whenever possible. Hijazi creates his powerful expression by blending this study of history with fairytale romanticism. The story usually revolves around characters who were related to< and shown present at the actual historical event that wishes tofocus on. Naseem Hijazi bases most ofhis work in Islamic history. In dealing with this history' he shows both the rise and fall of the Islamic Empire. This writer seems to have been inspired a lot by Allama Muhammad Iqbal's poetry. He tries, not very unlike Iqbal, to remind his readers of the lost glory of the Muslims and in a way inspire them to work with commitment to achieve lost glory in all walks of life. Naseem Hijazi has immensely influenced his readers both in and out of Pakistan. He has been one of the key sources of Islamist ideologies in Pakistan and worked as a key ideology and valour builder during the Soviet-Afghan War. Many Pakistani educated Youngsters throughout 1950s till today are believed to have been emotionally and ideologically inspired by his writings. He enjoys a very large reader base even after his death.
Exploring issue of Ecological Affordance in an English Class with Special Relevance to Localized English Discursive Practices The present study aims to determine the significance of localized English discursive practices with respect to all the basic language skills in an ESL class of elementary students at the Boys Campus, OPF Girls College, where the researcher has been a teacher for the past nine years. The researcher used Action Research for a period of nine months i.e. three terms. Therefore, 60 students were her research participants. This Action Research was based on mixed methods approach underpinned by the theoretical framework of Johnson's (2004) localized language learning theory. The research tools used were of both qualitative and quantitative nature. Among the qualitative techniques, the researcher used text analysis, stimulated recall pictures, stimulated recall interview, speaking test and target learners' creative work along with some quantitative techniques as a localized board game, the target learners' written tests as well as their filled-in questionnaire. The research objectives were first to determine the target learners' social world, second to measure their receptive skills with respect to foreign and local contexts and third to evaluate their productive skills in a localized context. Likewise, one of the research questions was how to localize an ESL class; the other two aimed at finding such text, language skill or activity that could have a stronger impact on the target learners. Data analysis was carried out using Johnson's (2004) dialogical model of SLA which states that language learning is a localized phenomenon. As for the contribution of this research, this study highlights the place of Localized Language Teaching (LLT) approach promoting Pakistani cultural and social values in ESL classrooms of Pakistani schools. It is concluded that localized English teaching methodology can have the stronger impact on ELLs' language learning abilities than a traditional one due to ecological affordances provided by ELLs' prior knowledge, their socio-cultural background and their central position in an English class.