Appraisal of Urban Heat Island over Gujranwala and its Environmental Impact Assessment using Satellite Imagery (1995-2016). | Author : Syeda Areeba Gillani | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Rapid urbanization and concretization are the main sources of formation and existence of Urban Heat Island (UHI). Due to high concentration of pollutants in urban environments, the residents are exposed to unexpected health issues. This study aims at delineating the temporal variations in the spatial extent of UHI over Gujranwala using Landsat thermal imagery. It also aims at determining the variations in pollutant concentration in the atmosphere due to vehicle’s tailpipe emissions and fossil fuel burning by industrial plants. We used various indices e.g., NDVI, NDBI, NDWI and land surface temperature calculations to investigate spatiotemporal variations in urban growth patterns and their impacts on the UHI. The results show that the UHI enlarged in all direction specially in the north west during the study period which is similar to urban growth trends. There also exist positive correlation between industrial and vehicle’s discharge with pollutant’s concentration in atmosphere. Remote sensing tools proved elegant in trend mapping and analysis.
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| Preparation of Marketable Functional Food to Control Hypertension using Basil (ocimum basillium) and Peppermint (mentha piperita). | Author : Afshan Saleem | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Functional foods are of great importance which are used to ensure improvements in human health by all aspects. A potential functional food was prepared with five different formulations A, B, C, D and E by using different combination of basil leaf, peppermint leaf and green cardamom to control hypertension. The raw material used for formulation wAS collected from the local market of Shahdara Lahore in September 2017. Selection of raw materials was totally based on the availability of specified bioactive components which can control hypertension. Formulations A, B, C, D and E were sensory evaluated. The overall acceptability for formulation A was 5/10, B was 6/10, C was 8/10, D was 9/10 and E was 7/10. On the basis of sensory analysis, formulation D was selected. For preliminary analysis, ethanolic and ethyl acetate fraction of basil leaf was prepared. Standard methods of phytochemical analysis were performed to identify flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenolics and antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity was measured by using DPPH assay. Quercetin was used as standard. Results were statistically analyzed which showed that IC50 (µg/mL) value of ethyl acetate fraction (389.00±0.99) was higher than the ethanolic extract (1372.00±6.32) of the basil leaf. On the basis of phytochemical analysis and DPPH assay. We formulated herbal tea that showed promising antioxidant properties. Characterization of food product proved it as potentially beneficial dietary supplement and hence recommended as potential functional food for hypertension.
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| Additions of Tropospheric Ozone (O3) in Regional Climates (A case study: Saudi Arabia) | Author : Syed Shehzad Hassan | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Anthropogenic activities are responsible for enhancing the concentration of various toxic gases that produces bad Ozone in the troposphere which is harmful to human health. The specific objective of this research was to analyze the spatiotemporal variations in a vertical column of Ozone (O3) over Saudi Arabia during 2006-2016 using Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard AQUA platform and AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data. The results show that the optical depth of Ozone column varied from 252 Dobson Units (DU) to 264 DU. The main reason of this variation corresponds to the increase in O3 precursors including Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2). The concentration of CO2 varied between (379-401) Parts Per Million (PPM), SO2 varied (3.5x10-6 - 4x10-6kg m-2) kg m-2 and NO2 varies (2.25x1015 - 2.5x1015)1/cm2 during the investigated timeframe. The results confirm that NO2 and SO2 have contributed directly in O3 formation while CO2 just increased regional temperatures that enhanced the optical depth of O3.
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