A COMPARISON OF THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS IN TYPICAL AND CEREBRAL PALSY CHILDREN

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the difference at occupational performance skills related to visual perception among typical developing children and cerebral palsy children by using measuring test of MVPT-R. Design And Sampling Technique: Quantitative cross-sectional study, convenience sampling method. Study Setting And Participants: A total of 400 Cerebral palsy children (all types) and typical children each from different mainstream schools, rehab centers, pediatric occupational therapy departments, and special education centers located in Karachi. Interventions / Data Collection: Test of visual perception that is Motor Free visual perceptual test- Revised MVPT-R. Result: Result shows difference in perceptual ages (PA) between typical and cerebral palsy children. Perceptual age (PA) was greater than the chronological age (CA) in the typical group. Conversely, in the CP group the perceptual age (PA) was lesser than the chronological age (CA). Conclusion:  Visual perception skills play a key role in a child’s achievement at school and at home. Children require intact visual perception for the successful performance of their daily living as well as academic tasks like good eye-hand coordination, handwriting, reading, shape perception, play skills, and copying patterns, etc. This study is helpful to identify those children who have visual perception issues and sorting this problem will form the baseline for better evaluating and planning of useful visual perception activities for typical and cerebral palsy children.

Screening of Wheat Varieties for Salinity Tolerance As Affected by Seed Priming

The experiments were conducted at The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications for two years (winter 2013-2014 and winter 2014-2015). The objectives of the experiments were to screen wheat varieties for salinity tolerance and to evaluate the effect of seed priming in improving salinity tolerance of varieties. In first experiment, the effects of soil salinity and seed priming was evaluated in wheat varieties (Lalma-2013, Shahkar-2013, Pirsabak-2013, Insaf-2015, Barsat-2010, Atta-Habib-2010, Siran-2010, Bathoor-2008, Pirsabak-2008, Seher-2006, Pirsabak-2005, Saleem-2000, Uqab-2000 and Inqilab- 1991) in sand culture as root media. Highest tillers plant-1(4.31), leaves plant-1(15.91), root length (24.12 cm), root fresh weight plant-1 (2.36 g), shoot K+ content (1.35 mg g-1 dry weight), root K+content (0.72 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot chlorophyll a content (1.57 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot chlorophyll b content (1.01 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot proline content (125.16 μg g-1 fresh weight) and root proline content (64.08 μg g-1 fresh weight) were recorded from variety (Pirsabak-2005). Maximum germination (85.42%), shoot length (35.44 cm), shoot fresh weight plant-1(8.61 g), root K+ content (0.72 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot Ca++ content (0.78 mg g-1 dry weight) and roots Ca++ content (0.72 mg g-1 dry weight) was produced from variety (Lalma-2013). Maximum roots dry weight plant-1(0.47g) and shoot dry weight plant-1 (2.08g) was observed in variety Pirsabak-2005. Highest root to shoot ratio (0.24) and shoot chlorophyll b content (1.01 mg g-1 dry weight) was recorded from variety (Insaf-2015). The variety (Uqab-2000) showed maximum days to emergence (9.38), shoot Na+ content (1.31 mg g-1 dry weight), root Na+ content (2.58 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot Na+/K+ ratio (1.86) and root Na+/K+ ratio. Seed priming has significantly affected all parameters except days to emergence, shoot Na+ content, root Na+ content, shoot Na+/K+ ratio and root Na+/K+ ratio. The effect of seed priming was significant (P≤0.05) on wheat varieties (Pirsabak-2005 and Lalma-2013). In second experiment, the effect of salinity (0, 3, 6 and 9 dSm-1) and seed priming with 50 mM CaCl2 and no seed priming was observed in six wheat varieties (Pirsabak-2005 and Lalma-2013, Atta-Habib-2010 and Pirsabak- 2008, Saleem-2000 and Inqilab-1991), two each from tolerant, moderate and sensitive varieties with soil as root media. Maximum leaves plant-1(18.25), shoot length (56.86 cm), roots length (22.59 cm), shoot fresh weight plant-1 (8.54 g), roots fresh weight plant-1 (2.62 g), roots to shoot ratio (0.219), productive tillers plant-1 (3.27), spike length (8.16 cm), grains spike-1(43.19), and hundred grains weight (3.20 g) was recorded from variety (Pirsabak-2005). The variety (Pirsabak-2005) produced highest biological yield (12.46 g plant-1), grain yield (4.57 g plant-1) and harvest index (35.95%). Maximum shoot K+ content (1.23 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot Ca++ content (0.76 mg g-1 dry weight), root Ca++ content (0.58 mg g-1 dry weight), shoot chlorophyll a content (1.60 mg g-1 fresh weight), shoot chlorophyll b content (1.03 mg g-1 fresh weight) and shoot proline (118.20 μg g-1 fresh weight) was recorded from variety v (Pirsabak-2005). Wheat variety(Lalma-2013) showed maximum germination (85.21%), tillers plant-1 (4.16), shoot dry weight plant-1 (2.19 g), days to anthesis (113.00), days to maturity (143.75), and root K+ content (0.66 mg g-1 dry weight) Highest shoot Na+ content (1.26 mg g-1 dry weight) was recorded from variety Saleem- 2000. Wheat variety (Inqilab-1991) indicated maximum days to emergence (9.21), shoot Na+/K+ ratio (1.55), root Na+ content (2.55 mg g-1 dry weight) and root Na+/K+ ratio (7.31). The techniques of seed priming has positively affected all above mentioned parameters except days to emergence, shoot Na+ content, root Na+ content, shoot Na+/K+, root Na+/K+ ratio. Wheat varieties (Pirsabak-2005 and Lalma-2013) were positively affected with seed priming compared with other varieties. It is concluded that salinity stresses has adversely affected different physiological, biochemical and yield parameters of wheat varieties however, seed priming with CaCl2 has alleviated the adverse effects of salinity in wheat varieties