Energy band diagram of In2O3/ Si heterojunction

Crystalline In2O3 Thin films have been prepared by flash evaporation. We have studied the crystal structure of as deposited at 303K and annealed at 523K using X-ray diffraction. The Hall Effect measurements confirmed that electrons were predominant charges in the conduction process (i.e n-type).It is found that the absorption coefficient of the prepared films decreases with increasing Ta. The d.c conductivity study showed that the conductivity increase with increasing Ta , whereas the activation energy decreases with increasing Ta. Also we study the barrier tunneling diode for In2O3/Si heterostructure grown by Flash evaporation technique. (capacitance-voltage C-V) spectroscopy measurements were performed at 303 K and at the annealing temperature 523K. The built in voltage has been determined and it depends strongly on the annealing process of the heterojunction. From all above measurements we assumed an energy band diagram for In2O3 /Si(P-type) heterojunction

The Determinants of Food Prices: A Case Study of Pakistan

Controlling prices is one of the major tasks for the macroeconomic policy-makers. The recent oil price hike that shifted the policy towards biofuels and some natural calamities increased food prices around the world. This paper analyses the demand- and supply-side factors that affect food prices in Pakistan. Long-run relationship is analysed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) for the period 1970 to 2008. The result indicates that supplyside factors (subsidies and world food prices) have a significant impact on food prices , whereas demand-side factors, such as money supply, are the main cause of the increase in food prices in the short as well as the long run. The error correction is statistically significant and shows that market forces play an active role to restore the long-run equilibrium.Food Prices, ARDL Approach, Pakistan

Structural and Optical Properties of In2O3 and Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films

The present paper discusses the structural and optical properties of In2O3 and ITO thin film growing on glass and silicon substrates by assistant microwave irradiation on seeded layer nucleated by spin coating technique. X-ray diffraction study shows that the films have cubic structure. Morphology analysis was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and reveals that the grain size of the prepared thin film is approximately (62.56-76.66)nm , with a surface roughness of (0.447- 1.25) nm as well as root mean square of (0.532-1.44)nm for pure In2O3 and ITO films. Optical characteristics were studied and observed that the transmission value was more than 90 % at the visible wavelength range. The direct energy gap (Eg) was found to be between (3.7-2.6) eV, which decreased significantly with increasing Sn contents.

An Intelligent Detection of Malicious Intrusions in IoT Based on Machine Learning and Deep Learning Techniques

The devices of the Internet of Things (IoT) are facing various types of attacks, and IoT applications present unique and new protection challenges. These security challenges in IoT must be addressed to avoid any potential attacks. Malicious intrusions in IoT devices are considered one of the most aspects required for IoT users in modern applications. Machine learning techniques are widely used for intelligent detection of malicious intrusions in IoT. This paper proposes an intelligent detection method of malicious intrusions in IoT systems that leverages effective classification of benign and malicious attacks. An ensemble approach combined with various machine learning algorithms and a deep learning technique, is used to detect anomalies and other malicious activities in IoT. For the consideration of the detection of malicious intrusions and anomalies in IoT devices, UNSW-NB15 dataset is used as one of the latest IoT datasets. In this research, malicious and normal intrusions in IoT devices are classified with the use of various models

Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mitigated salinity-induced impairments in mungbean plants by regulating their nitrogen metabolism and antioxidant potential

BackgroundIncreasing soil salinization has a detrimental effect on agricultural productivity.Therefore, strategies are needed to induce salinity-tolerance in crop species for sustainable foodproduction. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays a key role in regulating plant salinity stresstolerance. However, it remains largely unknown how mungbean plants (Vigna radiata L.) respondto exogenous GABA under salinity stress.MethodsThus, we evaluated the effect of exogenous GABA (1.5 mM) on the growth and physiobiochemicalresponse mechanism of mungbean plants to saline stress (0-, 50-, and 100 mM [NaCland Na2SO4, at a 1:1 molar ratio]).ResultsIncreased saline stress adversely affected mungbean plants' growth and metabolism. Forinstance, leaf-stem-root biomass (34- and 56%, 31- and 53%, and 27- and 56% under 50- and 100mM, respectively]) and chlorophyll concentrations declined. The carotenoid level increased (10%)at 50 mM and remained unaffected at 100 mM. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde(MDA), osmolytes (soluble sugars, soluble proteins, proline), total phenolic content, andenzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase(POD), glutathione reductase (GTR), and polyphenol oxidation (PPO) were significantlyincreased. In leaves, salinity caused a significant increase in Na+ concentration but a decrease inK+ concentration, resulting in a low K+/Na+ concentration (51- and 71% under 50- and 100- mMstress). Additionally, nitrogen concentration and the activities of nitrate reductase (NR) andglutamine synthetase (GS) decreased significantly. The reduction in glutamate synthase (GOGAT)activity was only significant (65%) at 100 mM stress. Exogenous GABA decreased Na+, H2O2,and MDA concentrations but enhanced photosynthetic pigments, K+ and K+/Na+ ratio, Nmetabolism, osmolytes, and enzymatic antioxidant activities, thus reducing salinity-associatedstress damages, resulting in improved growth and biomass.ConclusionExogenous GABA may have improved the salinity tolerance of mungbean plants by maintaining their morpho-physiological responses and reducing the accumulation of harmfulsubstances under salinity. Future molecular studies can contribute to a better understanding of themolecular mechanisms by which GABA regulates mungbean salinity tolerance

Energy conservation and climate change mitigation potential of improving efficiency of room air conditioners in Pakistan

The present study predicts the energy savings, carbon emissions reduction and economic benefits for Pakistan through energy efficiency improvements for room air conditioners under different policy scenarios. The simulation model assumes that room air conditioner stock will increase from 2.7 million for year 2020 to 4.9 million for year 2030. A market average energy efficiency ratio of 2.95 is assumed for year 2020. The impact of improvement in energy efficiency ratio is analyzed for business as usual and four other different scenarios: continuous improvement (5-years and 2-years cycles) and accelerated improvement (5-years and 2-years cycles). The model dynamically incorporates the retiring of old stock and addition of new stock every year. Our results show that annual national electricity consumption for this sector is projected to increase from 7.3 TWh in 2020 to 12.6 TWh in 2030 under the business as usual scenario. The cumulative energy consumption and carbon emissions are 103.5 TWh and 63.1 MtCO 2. However, implementing energy efficiency policies can result in electricity savings of 11.6 TWh over the ten years or savings nearly 7 million barrels of oil import. Policy recommendations aimed at promoting energy labeling, minimum energy performance standards, regulatory policies, and further country-specific studies for variety of appliances are provided. © 2022 The Author(s

Meroterpenoids: A Comprehensive Update Insight on Structural Diversity and Biology.

Funder: This research was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding ProgramMeroterpenoids are secondary metabolites formed due to mixed biosynthetic pathways which are produced in part from a terpenoid co-substrate. These mixed biosynthetically hybrid compounds are widely produced by bacteria, algae, plants, and animals. Notably amazing chemical diversity is generated among meroterpenoids via a combination of terpenoid scaffolds with polyketides, alkaloids, phenols, and amino acids. This review deals with the isolation, chemical diversity, and biological effects of 452 new meroterpenoids reported from natural sources from January 2016 to December 2020. Most of the meroterpenoids possess antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, enzyme inhibitory, and immunosupressive effects

Prevalence and management of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in different wheat genotypes and their impact on yield and related traits.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is significantly altered by the infestation of sucking insects, particularly aphids. Chemical sprays are not recommended for the management of aphids as wheat grains are consumed soon after crop harvests. Therefore, determining the susceptibility of different wheat genotypes and selecting the most tolerant genotype could significantly lower aphid infestation. This study evaluated the susceptibility of six different wheat genotypes (‘Sehar-2006’, ‘Shafaq-2006’, ‘Faisalabad-2008’, ‘Lasani-2008’, ‘Millat-2011’ and ‘Punjab-2011’) to three aphid species (Rhopalosiphum padi Linnaeus, Schizaphis graminum Rondani, Sitobion avenae Fabricius) at various growth stages. Seed dressing with insecticides and plant extracts were also evaluated for their efficacy to reduce the incidence of these aphid species. Afterwards, an economic analysis was performed to compute cost-benefit ratio and assess the economic feasibility for the use of insecticides and plant extracts. Aphids’ infestation was recorded from the seedling stage and their population gradually increased as growth progressed towards tillering, stem elongation, heading, dough and ripening stages. The most susceptible growth stage was heading with 21.89 aphids/tiller followed by stem elongation (14.89 aphids/tiller) and dough stage (13.56 aphids/tiller). The genotype ‘Punjab-2011’ recorded the lower aphid infestation than ‘Faisalabad-2008’, ‘Sehar-2006’, ‘Lasani-2008’ and ‘Shafaq-2006’. Rhopalosiphum padi appeared during mid-February, whereas S. graminum and S. avenae appeared during first week of March. Significant differences were recorded for losses in number of grains/spike and 1000-grain weight among tested wheat genotypes. The aphid population had non-significant correlation with yield-related traits. Hicap proved the most effective for the management of aphid species followed by Hombre and Husk among tested seed dressers, while Citrullus colocynthis L. and Moringa oleifera Lam. plant extracts exhibited the highest efficacy among different plant extracts used in the study. Economic analysis depicted that use of Hombre and Hicap resulted in the highest income and benefit cost ratio. Therefore, use of genotype Punjab-2011’ and seed dressing with Hombre and Hicap can be successfully used to lower aphid infestation and get higher economic returns for wheat crop