The comparative study of resolving parameters for a family of ladder networks

For a simple connected graph $G = (V, E)$, a vertex $x\in V$ distinguishes two elements (vertices or edges) $x_1\in V, y_1 \in E$ if $d(x, x_1)\neq d(x, y_1).$ A subset $Q_m\subset V$ is a mixed metric generator for $G,$ if every two distinct elements (vertices or edges) of $G$ are distinguished by some vertex of $Q_m.$ The minimum cardinality of a mixed metric generator for $G$ is called the mixed metric dimension and denoted by $dim_m(G).$ In this paper, we investigate the mixed metric dimension for different families of ladder networks. Among these families, we consider Möbius ladder, hexagonal Möbius ladder, triangular Möbius ladder network and conclude that all these families have constant-metric, edge metric and mixed metric dimension

Brain Abscesses in Children: A Study of Microbiological Spectrum and Outcome of 80 Cases

Objective:  Brain abscess is a focus of pus in the brain due to infection somewhere else in the body. It is common in males than females and the average age in children ranges from 4 to 7 years. It develops by skull trauma or contiguous or hematogenous spread of infection. The study aimed to identify the pattern of microbiological involvement in the etiology of pediatric brain abscesses and the outcome so as to enable us to ensure definitive treatment with the appropriate and specific antimicrobial regimen. Materials and Methods:  A prospective study was conducted in 80 pediatric patients of brain abscess admitted to the Pediatric Neurosurgery Department, Children Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Results:  The median age was 5.2 years with a predominance of males (60%). The most common presentation was fever (72.5%) and then fits (35%). Congenital heart disease was the commonest factor in 32% of cases. Streptococcus was a commonly isolated pathogen in 17% cases out of 70% of culture positive cases. Recovery was seen in 70% of cases and the mortality was 7.5%. Conclusion:  Congenital heart disease is the most common causative factor in pediatric brain abscesses and most of the abscesses were found culture negative. There is a pressing need to carry out multicenter studies over a large sample size over extended study duration in developing countries to help establish guidelines in treating pediatric brain abscesses

Web Design Attributes in Building User Trust, Satisfaction, and Loyalty for a High Uncertainty Avoidance Culture

In this study, we attempt to evaluate the user pref6 erences for web design attributes (i.e., typography, color, content 7 quality, interactivity, and navigation) to determine the trust, sat8 isfaction, and loyalty for uncertainty avoidance cultures. Content 9 quality and navigation have been observed as strong factors in 10 building user trust with e-commerce websites. In contrast, inter11 activity, color, and typography have been observed as strong de12 terminants of user satisfaction. The most relevant and interesting 13 finding is related to typography, which has been rarely discussed 14 in e-commerce literature. A questionnaire was designed to collect 15 data to corroborate the proposed model and hypotheses. Further16 more, the partial least-squares method was adopted to analyze the 17 collected data from the students who participated in the test (n 18 = 558). Finally, the results of this study provide strong support to 19 the proposed model and hypotheses. Therefore, all the web design 20 attributes were observed as important design features to develop 21 user trust and satisfaction for uncertainty avoidance cultures. Al22 though both factors seem to be relevant, the relationship between 23 trust and loyalty was observed to be stronger than between satis24 faction and loyalty; thus, trust seems to be a stronger determinant 25 of loyalty for risk/high uncertainty avoidance culture

Hamltonian Connectedness and Toeplitz Graphs

A square matrix of order n is called Toeplitz matrix if it has constant elements along all diagonals parallel to the main diagonal and a graph is called Toeplitz graph if its adjacency matrix is Toeplitz. In this paper we proved that the Toeplitz graphs , for   and  are Hamiltonian  connected

On the edge metric dimension of some classes of cacti

The cactus graph has many practical applications, particularly in radio communication systems. Let $G = (V, E)$ be a finite, undirected, and simple connected graph, then the edge metric dimension of $G$ is the minimum cardinality of the edge metric generator for $G$ (an ordered set of vertices that uniquely determines each pair of distinct edges in terms of distance vectors). Given an ordered set of vertices $\mathcal{G}_e = \{g_1, g_2, ..., g_k \}$ of a connected graph $G$, for any edge $e\in E$, we referred to the $k$-vector (ordered $k$-tuple), $r(e|\mathcal{G}_e) = (d(e, g_1), d(e, g_2), ..., d(e, g_k))$ as the edge metric representation of $e$ with respect to $G_e$. In this regard, $\mathcal{G}_e$ is an edge metric generator for $G$ if, and only if, for every pair of distinct edges $e_1, e_2 \in E$ implies $r (e_1 |\mathcal{G}_e) \neq r (e_2 |\mathcal{G}_e)$. In this paper, we investigated another class of cacti different from the cacti studied in previous literature. We determined the edge metric dimension of the following cacti: $\mathfrak{C}(n, c, r)$ and $\mathfrak{C}(n, m, c, r)$ in terms of the number of cycles $(c)$ and the number of paths $(r)$

Probabilistic Model for Free-Space Optical Links Under Continental Fog Conditions

The error characteristics of a free-space optical (FSO) channel are significantly different from the fiber based optical links and thus require a deep physical understanding of the propagation channel. In particular different fog conditions greatly influence the optical transmissions and thus a channel model is required to estimate the detrimental fog effects. In this paper we shall present the probabilistic model for radiation fog from the measured data over a 80 m FSO link installed at Graz, Austria. The fog events are classified into thick fog, moderate fog, light fog and general fog based on the international code of visibility range. We applied some probability distribution functions (PDFs) such as Kumaraswamy, Johnson SB and Logistic distribution, to the actual measured optical attenuations. The performance of each distribution is evaluated by Q-Q and P-P plots. It is found that Kumaraswamy distribution is the best fit for general fog, while Logistic distribution is the optimum choice for thick fog. On the other hand, Johnson SB distribution best fits the moderate and light fog related measured attenuation data. The difference in these probabilistic models and the resultant variation in the received signal strength under different fog types needs to be considered in designing an efficient FSO system

Climate, population, and vulnerability in Pakistan: Exploring evidence of linkages for adaptation

The global discussion of climate change and its impacts and causes has changed completely in the past quarter century. Scientific opinion now accepts that rapid warming is occurring and that greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted as a result of human activities are largely to blame. The consequences of taking no action will be catastrophic. Unfortunately, the burden of impact will fall disproportionately on the poor and most vulnerable people who rely heavily on agriculture in countries where average temperatures are already high. Climate change is particularly harmful because it increasingly threatens food security in these countries. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. This monograph uses diverse data sources to initiate an interdisciplinary conversation on the interlinkages of climate change and demography through contributions from national experts in meteorology, migration, and agriculture. The aim is to provide a regionally nuanced perspective of the climatic changes to which the population is exposed; the key demographic and socioeconomic trends that have a bearing on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation; internal migration; and the expected combined impact of these dynamics on the country’s food and economic mainstay—agriculture

Comparative efficacy of non-electric cooling techniques to reduce nutrient solution temperature for the sustainable cultivation of summer vegetables in open-air hydroponics

The cultivation of summer vegetables in open-air nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponics is limited due to the elevated nutrient solution temperature (NST). In this regard, non-electric evaporative-cooling techniques were explored to maintain NST in open-air NFT hydroponics. Four cooling setups were employed by wrapping polyvinyl chloride (PVC) grow pipes with one and two layers of either wet or dry jute fabrics and attaching them with coiled aluminum pipe buried inside a) wet sand-filled brick tunnels (Cooling Setup I), b) two inverted and vertically stacked earthen pots (Cooling Setup II), c) two inverted and vertically stacked earthen pots externally wrapped with wet jute fabric (Wrapped Cooling Setup II), and d) an earthen pitcher wrapped with wet jute fabric (Cooling Setup III). Wrapping grow pipes with two layers of wet jute fabric reduced NST by 5°C as compared to exposed (naked) grow pipes. The double-layer jute fabric-wrapped grow pipes produced 182% more reduction in NST in comparison to single layer-wrapped grow pipes. Additionally, the installation of Wrapped Cooling Setup II and Cooling Setup III outperformed Cooling Setup I and Cooling Setup II through NST reduction of approximately 4°C in comparison to control. Interestingly, Cooling Setup III showed its effectiveness through NST reductions of 193%, 88%, and 23% during 11 a.m.–12 p.m. as compared to Cooling Setup I, Cooling Setup II, and Wrapped Cooling Setup II, respectively. In contrast, Wrapped Cooling Setup II caused NST reductions of 168%, 191%, and 18% during 2–3 p.m. in comparison to Cooling Setup I, Cooling Setup II, and Cooling Setup III, respectively. Thus, the double-layer jute fabric-wrapped grow pipes linked with Wrapped Cooling Setup II can ensure summer vegetable cultivation in open-air NFT hydroponics as indicated by the survival of five out of 12 vegetable plants till harvest by maintaining NST between 26°C and 28°C

In vitro Studies on Anti-diabetic and Anti-ulcer Potentials of Jatropha gossypifolia (Euphorbiaceae)

Purpose: To evaluate α-glucosidase and α-chymotrypsin enzyme inhibitory activity of Jatropha gossypifolia as a probable remedy for the management of diabetes and ulcer.Methods: Different extracts and fractions of the root, leaf and stem bark of the plant were screened for their α-glucosidase and α-chymotrypsin inhibitory activity using standard in vitro inhibition assays. Acarbose and chymostatin were used as positive control, respectively.Results: n-Butanol and ethyl acetate fraction showed maximum enzyme inhibition for α-glucosidase with 67.93 ± 0.66 and 67.67 ± 0.71 % and half maximal concentration (IC50) of 218.47 ± 0.23 and 213.45 ± 0.12 μg/ml, respectively. Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate leaf fractions exhibited maximum α-chymotrypsin inhibition activity of 85.08 ± 0.38 and 83.87 ± 0.70 %, and IC50 of 133.1 ± 0.68 and 134.5 ± 0.12 μg/ml, respectively, Acarbose exhibited enzyme inhibition activity of 92.14 ± 0.38 % with IC50 of 38.24 ± 0.1 μg/ml, while chymostatin exhibited 93.67 ± 0.38 % enzyme inhibition and IC50 of 8.24 ± 0.11 μg/ml.Conclusion: The presence of bioactive secondary metabolities with enzyme-inhibiting activity lends some support for the traditional use of this plant in the management of diabetes and ulcer. However, further investigation of the plant including identification of its active components is required.Keywords: α-Chymotrypsin, α-Glucosidase, Inhibition, Jatropha gossypifolia, Anti-diabetic, Anti-ulce