Deforestation is a major environmental challenge in the mountain areas of Pakistan. The study assessed trends in the forest cover in Chitral tehsil over the last two decades using supervised land cover classification ...Deforestation is a major environmental challenge in the mountain areas of Pakistan. The study assessed trends in the forest cover in Chitral tehsil over the last two decades using supervised land cover classification of Landsat TM satellite images from 1992, 2000, and 2009, with a maximum likelihood algorithm. In 2009, the forest cover was 10.3% of the land area of Chitral(60,000 ha). The deforestation rate increased from 0.14% per annum in 1992–2000 to 0.54% per annum in 2000–2009, with 3,759 ha forest lost over the 17 years. The spatial drivers of deforestation were investigated using a cellular automaton modelling technique to project future forest conditions. Accessibility(elevation, slope), population density, distance to settlements, and distance to administrative boundary were strongly associated with neighbourhood deforestation. A model projection showed a further loss of 23% of existing forest in Chitral tehsil by 2030, and degradation of 8%, if deforestation continues at the present rate. Arandu Union Council, with 2212 households, will lose 85% of its forest. Local communities have limited income resources and high poverty and are heavily dependent on non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. Continued deforestation will further worsen their livelihood conditions, thus improved conservation efforts are essential.展开更多
Diabetic nephropathy(DN),a long term complication of diabetes,is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease,increasing the risk of death.Genetic predispositions play an important role in determining the suscepti...Diabetic nephropathy(DN),a long term complication of diabetes,is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease,increasing the risk of death.Genetic predispositions play an important role in determining the susceptibility of the development of DN.Heparan sulphate proteoglycan(HSPG) and ghrelin(GH) gene polymorphisms are associated with the risk of DN.T allele frequency of the HSPG gene determined by BamHI polymorphism located in intron 6 may be a risk factor for the development of renal dysfunction in DN(Fisher two tailed test,CI = 95%,d.f.= 29,P = 0.016).The ghrelin gene polymorphism is caused by a cytosine-to-adenine transition in exon 2 of the preproghrelin gene forming Leu72Met variant.In Pakistani population,the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism was observed to be not associated with diabetic nephropathy in patients as indicated by statistical analysis(CI = 95%,d.f.= 29,P = 0.691).The allelic frequencies of HSPG genetic polymorphism has the potential to be used as diagnostic markers for diabetic nephropathy disease.展开更多
基金funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Norway and Swedish International Development Agency(Sida)supported by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID)National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)
文摘Deforestation is a major environmental challenge in the mountain areas of Pakistan. The study assessed trends in the forest cover in Chitral tehsil over the last two decades using supervised land cover classification of Landsat TM satellite images from 1992, 2000, and 2009, with a maximum likelihood algorithm. In 2009, the forest cover was 10.3% of the land area of Chitral(60,000 ha). The deforestation rate increased from 0.14% per annum in 1992–2000 to 0.54% per annum in 2000–2009, with 3,759 ha forest lost over the 17 years. The spatial drivers of deforestation were investigated using a cellular automaton modelling technique to project future forest conditions. Accessibility(elevation, slope), population density, distance to settlements, and distance to administrative boundary were strongly associated with neighbourhood deforestation. A model projection showed a further loss of 23% of existing forest in Chitral tehsil by 2030, and degradation of 8%, if deforestation continues at the present rate. Arandu Union Council, with 2212 households, will lose 85% of its forest. Local communities have limited income resources and high poverty and are heavily dependent on non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. Continued deforestation will further worsen their livelihood conditions, thus improved conservation efforts are essential.
文摘Diabetic nephropathy(DN),a long term complication of diabetes,is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease,increasing the risk of death.Genetic predispositions play an important role in determining the susceptibility of the development of DN.Heparan sulphate proteoglycan(HSPG) and ghrelin(GH) gene polymorphisms are associated with the risk of DN.T allele frequency of the HSPG gene determined by BamHI polymorphism located in intron 6 may be a risk factor for the development of renal dysfunction in DN(Fisher two tailed test,CI = 95%,d.f.= 29,P = 0.016).The ghrelin gene polymorphism is caused by a cytosine-to-adenine transition in exon 2 of the preproghrelin gene forming Leu72Met variant.In Pakistani population,the preproghrelin Leu72Met polymorphism was observed to be not associated with diabetic nephropathy in patients as indicated by statistical analysis(CI = 95%,d.f.= 29,P = 0.691).The allelic frequencies of HSPG genetic polymorphism has the potential to be used as diagnostic markers for diabetic nephropathy disease.
