Foraging Pattern, Functional and Numerical Response of Coccinella Septempunctata (L.) Feeding on Myzus Persicae (Sulzer.)

The prey searching pattern, fimctional and numerical response of Coccinella septempunctata (L.), common ladybird beetle. feeding on Myzus persicae (Sulzer). green peach aphid, were studied to evaluate predation potential. Impact of some potential abotic (viz, temperature) and biotic (viz prey size, prey distribution, predations hunger level and physical heterogeneity among host plant species) factors on the above parameters were studied in the laboratory and semi-field conditions. Both larvae and adult of C. septempunctata selected from single stock culture were found to detect their prey by physical contact. Their initial search was random which subsequently become prey-oriented. The prey search path indicated three distinct phases of search. viz "extensive search", initially "intensive search" on encountering the prey, and "post-intensive search" following ingestion of a prey. The intensity of search rate significantly increased following first prey intake stimulus. Predators, hunger level also influenced search pattern. Both prey size and prey densities influenced prey consumption of the predator. The rate of successful encounter and ultimate consumption also depended on the age/stages of the predator. The fourth instar larvae were found more voracious among larval stages consuming about 69-75 aphidsll2 hours. Interestingly, adult females always consumed more aphids than the male counterpart average being 78.5 aphidsl12 hours. The interaction among prey density, prey size and predator'S age were all significant (P<O.OI) having profound impact on each other. Functional response curves ranged from linear to sigmoid and increase polynomial. Temperature variation had affected all the components viz. instantaneous attack rate (a'), prey handling time (Tn). given up time etc. of prey searching capacity of the predator. The lower threshold temperature where the predators start feeding was 10°C and with initial increase in ambient temperature the predation rate increased upto a level beyond which the intensity of predation gradually diminished and at the upper threshold (38'C) the predators evantua1ly stopped feeding. The foraging activity took place within the range of 10-40'C, and maximum was between 20'23'C (predicted) and 23-25'C (observed)

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (HPE) AS AN EDUCATIONAL DISCIPLINE IN PAKISTAN: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

Purpose of the study: This article reviews the importance of Health and Physical education (HPE) as an educational discipline in Pakistan: contemporary issues and prospects involved in the negligence of this important sphere of education which range from lack of interest of stakeholders in Pakistan. Methodology: Peer-reviewed and scholarly journals were searched for articles related to Health &amp; Physical education program. Keywords included curriculum, physical activities, instruction, health and nutrition, carrier opportunities, guidance, teacher training because the review aimed to highlight the importance of HPE as an educational discipline in Pakistan and to address the prevailing issues and prospective improvement. Findings: The status of Health and Physical education as an academic discipline was discussed in the article. Among the comparison of the program in Pakistan with that of the others countries, a lack of awareness about the benefits and career opportunities for graduates of HPE is there. Applications of this study: Like other programs and projects, the HPE program aimed at the production of skillful youth who have comprehensive knowledge of the subject and also the practice. This study focused on only Health and physical education program but will help to bring positive change in the other discipline too and will facilitate the production of skilled youth in other academic programs. Novelty/Originality of this study: This review highlights the importance of the Health and Physical education program both at inter, BS ( Bachelor of Studies ), MS, &amp; Ph.D. level and practical outcomes in the shape of physically, mentally, and emotionally fit graduates

Study of environmental biodegradation of LDPE films in soil using optical and scanning electron microscopy

An outdoor soil burial test was carried out to evaluate the degradation of commercially available LDPE carrier bags in natural soil for up to 2 years. Biodegradability of low density polyethylene films in soil was monitored using both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After 7-9 months of soil exposure, microbial colonization was evident on the film surface. Exposed LDPE samples exhibit progressive changes towards degradation after 17-22 months. SEM images reveal signs of degradation such as exfoliation and formation of cracks on film leading to disintegration. The possible degradation mode and consequences on the use and disposal of LDPE films is discussed

Effect of natural and synthetic fruit coatings on the postharvest quality of kinnow mandarins

Natural products are more preferred by consumers now-a-days over the synthetic ones. Therefore a natural fruit coating was developed from natural ingredients (shellac, rosin, gum arabic, water and ethanol from sugar industry) without ammonia or morpholine as an alternative to the synthetic coatings. So this research was devised to compare the effects of this newly developed natural fruit coating (with 9% total solids) with those of synthetic one (polyethylene based ammonia containing wax with 21% total solids) on the postharvest quality of kinnow (Citrus reticulata Blanco) mandarins. The kinnow mandarins were either coated with natural or synthetic fruit coatings or were left uncoated and stored at 5±2°C with 85-90% relative humidity for 63 days with five replications for each treatment. The results showed that both fruit coatings significantly (p0.05) changes in total soluble solids and fruit acidity were recorded for all the treatments. Furthermore the difference between natural and synthetic fruit coatings was non-significant (p>0.05). Therefore, it could be suggested that the natural fruit coating is a good alternative of the synthetic fruit coating

Technology-assisted decision support system for efficient water utilization : a real-time testbed for irrigation using wireless sensor networks

Scientific organizations and researchers are eager to apply recent technological advancements, such as sensors and actuators, in different application areas, including environmental monitoring, creation of intelligent buildings, and precision agriculture. Technology-assisted irrigation for agriculture is a major research innovation which eases the work of farmers and prevents water wastage. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are used as sensor nodes that directly interact with the physical environment and provide real-time data that are useful in identifying regions in need, particularly in agricultural fields. This paper presents an efficient methodology that employs WSN as a data collection tool and a decision support system (DSS). The proposed DSS can assist farmers in their manual irrigation procedures or automate irrigation activities. Water-deficient sites in both scenarios are identified by using soil moisture and environmental data sensors. However, the proposed system's accuracy is directly proportional to the accuracy of dynamic data generated by the deployed WSN. A simplified outlier-detection algorithm is thus presented and integrated with the proposed DSS to fine-tune the collected data prior to processing. The complexity of the algorithm is O(1) for dynamic datasets generated by sensor nodes and O(n) for static datasets. Different issues in technology-assisted irrigation management and their solutions are also addressed. © 2013 IEEE

Prevalence and Association of Diabetic Retinopathy with Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

We aimed to elucidate prevalence and association of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) from Pakistan. In this cross-sectional study, about 225 DFU patients who underwent ophthalmic examinations within 6 months of diagnosis of foot ulceration were included. The medical records of 305 diabetic patients without DFU were included as controls. The association of DR with DFU was assessed by comparing DFU patients with proliferative DR (PDR) and DFU patients without PDR. Out of 225 DFU patients, 215 patients (95.6%) had DR and 169 patients (75.1%) had PDR. The prevalence of DFU was significantly greater (P = 0.0527) among the male diabetic patients, whereas advanced age of these patients (≥41 years) had a significant effect (P = 0.0286) on development and progression of PDR. A longer duration of diabetes (≥10 years) was identified as a significant contributing factor for the development of both DFU (P = 0.0029) and PDR (P = 0.0299). Moreover, the risk of PDR increased in diabetic patients with higher DFU grades (grade 3 and grade 4). In conclusion, retinopathy was prevalent in DFU patients. Therefore, DFU patients with advancing age and longer duration of diabetes should undergo retinal examinations for timely diagnosis and management of DR

Smart sensing-enabled decision support system for water scheduling in orange orchard

The scarcity of water resources throughout the world demands its optimum utilization in various sectors. Smart Sensing-enabled irrigation management systems are the ideal solutions to ensure the optimum utilization of water resources in the agriculture sector. This paper presents a wireless sensor network-enabled Decision Support System (DSS) for developing a need-based irrigation schedule for the orange orchard. For efficient monitoring of various in-field parameters, our proposed approach uses the latest smart sensing technology such as soil moisture, leaf-wetness, temperature and humidity. The proposed smart sensing-enabled test-bed was deployed in the orange orchard of our institute for approximately one year and successfully adjusted its irrigation schedule according to the needs and demands of the plants. Moreover, a modified Longest Common SubSequence (LCSS) mechanism is integrated with the proposed DSS for distinguishing multi-valued noise from the abrupt changing scenarios. To resolve the concurrent communication problem of two or more wasp-mote sensor boards with a common receiver, an enhanced RTS/CTS handshake mechanism is presented. Our proposed DSS compares the most recently refined data with pre-defined threshold values for efficient water management in the orchard. Irrigation activity is scheduled if water deficit criterion is met and the farmer is informed accordingly. Both the experimental and simulation results show that the proposed scheme performs better in comparison to the existing schemes. © 2001-2012 IEEE

Spectrophotometric Quantification of Trace Elements and Toxic Metals in Raw Milk Samples of Peshawar City, Pakistan

The present study focused on the physicochemical characterization and spectrophotometric determination of the concentrations of trace elements (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) and toxic heavy metals (Cd and Pb) in raw milk samples collected from various commercial sites of Peshawar city, Pakistan. Evaluation of the nutritional values as well as the possible health concerns associated with the consumption of contaminated milk shown the average percentage composition of protein, fats, solid non-fats, lactose, salts and added water in the milk sample as 2.78, 4.81, 6.41, 3.05, 0.47 and 31.1 %, respectively. The values of pH, conductivity, density and freezing point were observed as 6.59, 3.51 mS/cm, 1.04 g/mL and -0.3674 ºC at 26 ºC. The physicochemical characteristics such as percentage protein, fat, lactose, salts, water, solid not fat, total solids, pH, conductivity and density were evaluated and found in the safe limits of the WHO/FAO. The average concentration of trace elements such as zinc and copper were found to be 1.4035 mg/L and 0.2588 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of Zn and Cu was found within permissible limits suggested by WHO. However, the average concentration of Fe, Mn, Cd and Pb were found higher than the permissible limits of WHO. The observed concentrations were: Fe = 1.5553, Mn = 0.4354, Cd = 0.1865 and Pb = 1.1162 mg/L. The presence of the non-essential and hazardous Cd and Pb in milk samples even in lower concentrations may cause severe health problems since these are the most noxious pollutants due to their non-biodegradable and bio-accumulative nature. Over-dose of Fe and Mn also leads to several health issues. A thorough and more precise investigation of raw milk consumption in Peshawar is highly recommended to ascertain the actual reasons and sources in the larger public interests

Risk Factors of Blood Transfusion during Caesarean Delivery in Rural Area of Sindh

Introduction: Hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal deaths; particularly in developing countries. Bleeding in pregnant ladies is an indication of blood transfusion with all its attended risk. Objective: This study was conducted to identify the factors necessitate blood transfusion during cesarean section. Methodology: A total number of 2855 of pregnant women scheduled for emergency cesarean section or elective cesarean section at Bhurgri Hospital, rural area of Sindh, between July 2014 and December 2017. Participant were followed from the date of admission to the date of discharge and then for two weeks. Preoperative Hb level and the need for blood transfusion, clinical experience of obstetrician, indication for caesarean section, primary or repeat caesarean section and status of HBsAg/HCV were assessed. Results: A total of the numbers of 4823 patients had deliveries from July-2014 to Dec-2017.Among them, 2855 patients underwent cesarean delivery, the ratio of cesarean section was recorded as 59.19%. All pregnant women who underwent cesarean delivery selected for our study. The mean age of the women who had surgery was 26 years. Conclusion: Preoperative anemia, increasing parity, severe blood loss at surgery and status of HBs/HCV significantly contributes to require for blood transfusion in pregnant women undergoing a surgery (cesarean section). Keywords: Caesarean section, Blood product transfusion, Risk factors, Anemia, HBs, HCV

Single-step synthesis of magnesium-iron borates composite; an efficient electrocatalyst for dopamine detection

© 2020 We have synthesized composite of magnesium-iron borates Mg2(X).Fe3(Y) (here; B2O5 = X and BO6 = Y), using a facile and single-step hydrothermal approach. Where, the synthesis of the composites can help not only to effectively utilize the properties of both i.e. magnesium borates (Mg2B2O5) and iron borates (Fe3BO6) in a single material but also making it thermodynamically more stable at higher temperatures as compared to the individual metallic borates. The as prepared heterostructured-composite was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and thermal gravity analysis (TGA) to confirm the morphology, crystallinity, composition, and thermal stability. Further, the composite was explored as a catalyst in the construction of a biosensor where it showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine (DA) oxidation. This study offers a clue to design a borates-based composite to be explored as an efficient electrocatalyst in the application of biosensing field